A general view of All Saints church |
The early masonry at All Saints church in Laughton-en-le-Morthen
has a very complicated history, as seen in the jumble of stones and
styles used in the chancel and the north doorway, but this church is also quite remarkable for its late 14th century additions being built in one phase - in the same
Perpendicular Gothic
style and using the same dolomitic limestone.
The Norman and Perpendicular Gothic Style church |
It
is thought
that the rebuilding of the Norman church was undertaken
in
1377 by William de Wykeham – a renowned church builder of the time – and there
is a good
opportunity here to
study the architectural styles that,
given a reasonably precise date of construction, provide
a reference point against
which other churches in the region can be compared.
Without
supporting documentary evidence, the dating of historic
buildings
– which usually exhibit several phases of building and restoration
– requires a
good working knowledge
of the
styles
of the various structural and decorative elements, particularly the
windows and arches.
A general view of the windows to the south aisle |
In this respect, my investigation of the mediaeval churches in and around Rotherham continues to form a steep learning curve but, as a geologist, my skills in identifying building stones and analysing the different styles of masonry have been honed during the past year.
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