Page:Charles Moore--Development and Character of Gothic Architecture.djvu/148



instances of the constructive use of the pointed arch, or of the employment of groin ribs in vaulting, occur in England prior to the rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral by a French architect, which was begun in 1175. One instance, however,

FIG. 68.

occurs at an early date in Malmesbury Abbey, a building which is nearly contemporaneous with St. Denis in France. Here in the vaults of the aisles we have a distinct approach to Gothic construction. These vaults, though simple in form and ponderous in their parts, are yet certainly advanced