The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, vol. 06, No. 12, December 1900 The Cathedrals of England

This volume offers a compact yet richly illustrated tour of England’s most celebrated cathedrals, presenting a series of detailed plates that capture each stone’s character from sunrise to shadow. Designed as the twelfth issue of an architectural brochure series, it balances clear narrative with striking watercolors.

The author draws quick, vivid contrasts between English and continental Gothic, noting the long, lower profiles, bold transept projections, single western towers, and the distinctive Perpendicular traceries that replace French flamboyancy. He also points out how English cathedrals often sit in open greensward rather than cramped medieval streets, giving each building a breath of its own landscape.

Highlights include Lichfield’s harmonious red‑sandstone mass, Canterbury’s square east end, Durham’s river‑front silhouette, and the resilient west façade of Lichfield that survived civil‑war damage. Throughout, the text explains how centuries of Romanesque, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular styles interweave to create a uniquely refined English Gothic tradition.