Fan vault

A fan vault is a form of vault used in the Gothic style, in which the ribs are all of the same curve and spaced equidistantly, in a manner resembling a fan. The initiation and propagation of this design element is strongly associated with England.

Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, England: made from local Bath stone, this is a Victorian restoration (in the 1860s) of the original roof of 1608

The earliest example, dating from about the year 1351,[1] may be seen in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral.[2] The largest fan vault in the world can be found in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

The fan vault is peculiar to England. The lierne vault of the cathedral of Barbastro in northern Spain closely resembles a fan vault, but it does not form a perfect conoid. John Harvey (1978) suggests Catherine of Aragon as a possible source of English influence in Aragon.[3]

Birth of the fan vault

The fan vault is attributed to development in Gloucester between 1351 and 1377,[3] with the earliest known surviving example being the east cloister walk of Gloucester Cathedral.[4] Harvey (1978) hypothesises that the east cloister at Gloucester was finished under Thomas de Cantebrugge from the hamlet of Cambridge, Gloucestershire, who left in 1364 to work on the chapter house at Hereford Cathedral (also thought to have been fan vaulted on the basis of a drawing by William Stukeley).[5] The other three parts of the cloister at Gloucester were begun in 1381, possibly under Robert Lesyngham.

Other examples of early fan vaults exist around Gloucester, implying the activity of several 14th century master masons in that region.

Structure

The ribs of a fan vault are of equal curvature and rotated at equal distances around a central (vertical) axis, forming the conoid shape which gives rise to the name. In between sequences of conoids, flat central spandrels fill the space. According to Leedy (1980), the fan vault was developed in England (as opposed to France and other centres of Gothic architecture) due to the manner in which English rib vaults were normally constructed.[6] In an English rib vault, the courses are laid perpendicular to the rib while in France they are laid perpendicular to the wall.

Buildings with fan vaulting

Medieval and Early Modern

Gloucester Cathedral, cloisters, earliest fan vaulting begun 1373 by Abbot Horton
King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the world's largest fan vault (1512–1515)
Bath Abbey, Somerset, nave and chancel (1860s restoration; originally by William Vertue)
Brasenose College, Oxford, Chapel ceiling – a spectacular example of plaster pendant fan vaulting
Canterbury Cathedral, crossing tower by John Wastell, Henry VI's chantry chapel
Christ Church, Oxford, staircase to the great hall
Church of St Andrew, Mells, Somerset, porch[6]
Church of St John the Baptist, Axbridge, Somerset, crossing[6]
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Muchelney, Somerset, under the tower[6]
Church of St. John the Baptist, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, porch and north chapel
Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, Dean's Chapel
Convocation House, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, main gateway
Ely Cathedral, Bishop Alcock's chantry chapel
Eton College Chapel (the vault dates from 1958)
Hampton Court Palace, Great Gate and oriel window in the Great Hall
Henry VII's Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, 1503–1509[7] (with pendants, by William Vertue)
Lincoln's Inn Chapel, undercroft[8]
Manchester Cathedral, under the tower
Milton Abbey, Dorset, crossing (by William Smyth)[3]
Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, retrochoir
Red Mount Chapel, King's Lynn
Sherborne Abbey, Dorset, quire c. 1430, nave c. 1490 (by William Smyth)[3]
St Andrew's Church, Cullompton, Devon, south aisle
St Bartholomew's Church, Tong, Shropshire, chantry chapel[6]
St David's Cathedral, Wales, Trinity Chapel
St Mary Aldermary, London (by Christopher Wren)
St Mary's Church, North Leigh, Oxfordshire, Wilcote chantry chapel[6]
St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, Devon, aisle
St Stephen's cloister at the Palace of Westminster (1529)[9]
St. George's Chapel, Windsor, crossing, Urswick chantry chapel
Tewkesbury Abbey, cloister (only one bay remains)
University College, Oxford, gatehouse vaults
University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, porch
Wells Cathedral, crossing (by William Smyth)[3]
Winchester Cathedral, Beaufort and Waynflete chantry chapels
St. Mary’s Church, Putney, Bishop West chapel

Gothic Revival

Centre Block, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa
Eastnor Castle, drawing room
Grand Theatre, Leeds
Harkness Tower, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US[10]
House of Lords lobbies, committee staircase, in the Palace of Westminster
John Rylands Library, baconcy, Manchester
Middlesex Guildhall, Westminster
Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona
Basilica Minore de San Sebastián, Manila, Philippines
St John's, Edinburgh
St Mary's Church, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Saint Patrick's Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, US (apsidal fan vault)
Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London
Unitarian Church in Charleston, South Carolina, US
Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC, US (Children's Chapel)
Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol
Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ontario

Church of St. John the Evangelist, Edinburgh
Grand Theatre, Leeds
Confederation Hall, Canadian Parliament Buildings, Ottawa
Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham

References

"Britannia: Architecture of Gloucester Cathedral". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
"Pevsner Architectural Guides fan vault design". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
Harvey, John (1978). The Perpendicular Style. London: Batsford.
David Verey, Gloucestershire, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1976)
Aylmer, Gerald (2000). Hereford Cathedral : A History. The Hambledon Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780826436283.
Leedy, Walter (1980). Fan Vaulting: A Study of Form, Technology and Meaning. Arts+Architecture.
Art and Architecture fan vault example from Henry VII Lady Chapel
Teller, Matthew (2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-84353-301-6. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
Westminster Palace Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine – English Heritage images
Harkness Tower Memorial Hall

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[1] "Britannia: Architecture of Gloucester Cathedral". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2006.

[2] "Pevsner Architectural Guides fan vault design". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2006.

[harvey-3] Harvey, John (1978). The Perpendicular Style. London: Batsford.

[4] David Verey, Gloucestershire, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1976)

[5] Aylmer, Gerald (2000). Hereford Cathedral : A History. The Hambledon Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780826436283.

[leedy-6] Leedy, Walter (1980). Fan Vaulting: A Study of Form, Technology and Meaning. Arts+Architecture.

[7] Art and Architecture fan vault example from Henry VII Lady Chapel

[Teller2004-8] Teller, Matthew (2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-84353-301-6. Retrieved 7 August 2014.

[9] Westminster Palace Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine – English Heritage images

[10] Harkness Tower Memorial Hall

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