Lapides Reclamaeunt: Art and Engineering at Lincoln Cathedral in the Thirteenth Century

Abstract

This paper examines the collapse of the crossing tower at Lincoln Cathedral, an event that took place in the 1230s and one that has not been explored in detail before. The absence of previous studies is curious, given the architectural importance of the cathedral and the interest attached to structural failures. Although the circumstances that led to the collapse are far from clear, it is argued that a contributing factor was the lightweight pier design furnished by the master mason of St Hugh's choir. The reconstruction of the crossing was carried out with considerable skill, and the process included the dismantling and subsequent reuse of original masonry. The implications of the collapse have more than local significance, for the events at Lincoln take us to the heart of medieval design, to the supposed empiricism of the architectural process and to the implied assumption that architects learnt from their mistakes. All too often they did not.