Book 8

This work is a history of the building of Norwich Cathedral, in particular of the original Norman structure of the 11th and 12th centuries. It analyzes the documentary evidence, quoting extensively from the relevant medieval texts, and examines the jigsaw puzzle presented by the archaeology of the fabric. These two chapters are used as tools for understanding the Norman structure as an example of sophisticated architectural design, from the architect's brief to the way in which he fulfilled it. The building is also considered in terms of contemporary techniques of construction and geometry, and the architectural and social context of Anglo-Saxon and Norman England in which it was formed.