Most medieval buildings have long gone. Only certain types of medieval buildings have survived to the present day, notably churches, cathedrals and castles. Immediately then, it is difficult to explore medieval architecture. We have to remember that if a building has survived there was a reason for it – usually because they remained functional, and could be adapted for use in later centuries. This means that a so-called ‘Norman church’, is actually a building dating from many centuries, a record of many generations, not just the Norman invaders.

Just as it is difficult to directly experience medieval architecture, so it is equally difficult to directly encounter the medieval building profession. Architects as we know them did not exist then. Most buildings were designed and built by local craftsmen, using local skills and materials. More costly buildings would be designed by a master mason, in consultation with the patron. Many names of these master masons have come down to us. Often they, and their teams of highly skilled craftsmen, would travel from project to project. But information is limited: usually our best source to understand the date, method and personnel involved is to look at the building itself.

Sources

Books

Few could read in the Middle Ages. Printing was only invented in the later fifteenth-century; books were hand written and few in number. That is why some have said that ‘Buildings were the text of the period’. As a result there are few medieval books on buildings. Occasionally buildings are mentioned in texts, and could be illustrated in medieval manuscripts, but information is scarce. When medieval buildings became fashionable again, especially with the Gothic Revival in the nineteenth century a great deal was written about medieval architecture: individual buildings were studied in great detail; medieval buildings admired for their creativity; and much contrast was made of old and new. These Victorian texts, by the likes of Pugin, Ruskin and Morris, still dominate our view of medieval buildings.

Browse the RIBA British Architectural Library catalogue| (opens in a new window)

Drawings

There are very few architectural drawings surviving from the medieval period. A mere handful can be found in the RIBA British Architectural Library. However, there are many drawings that can help us understand medieval buildings.  Drawings from later centuries often depicted medieval buildings, later adapted or lost altogether. Especially useful are drawings dating from the Victorian era. With the Gothic Revival medieval architecture became extremely fashionable, and fragments of medieval buildings were copiously studied.

Browse the RIBA British Architectural Library catalogue| (opens in a new window) 

Photographs

Obviously photography only developed many centuries after the end of the Middle Ages. However, photographs can be a fantastic source for research, as they record the treatment of, and reactions to medieval buildings. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, many medieval buildings have been transformed in the name of scholarship and fashion. What’s more, they capture buildings demolished as a result of bomb damage, ignorance and developers’ progressive plans.

Browse the RIBA British Architectural Library catalogue| (opens in a new window)