The Crossing

Two of the four arches which support the central tower are rounded. These are Norman and much older than the other two arches which are more pointed. Pointed arches are built in the Perpendicular style.

All of the arches were rounded when the Cathedral was first built. But in the year 1450 the tower collapsed during a great storm. When it came to repair the tower, fashions had changed. The first two arches were rebuilt in the latest Perpendicular style. Other Perpendicular arches were built along the nave to match. But King Edward VI seized the Cathedral’s money during the Reformation and the last two Norman arches could not be rebuilt.