Meetings 2011

Seminar: Monday, December 12, 2011, 7-9 pm at CASBS (6-7 brown-bag)

Medieval Matters lecture: Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 7:30 pm at Geology 105, Building 320, Stanford. Free and open to the public. (Members-only reception 5:15-6:30 at Memorial Church Round Room) [audio] [flyer]

Grafton talk

Seminar: Thursday, October 13, 2011, 7-9 pm at CASBS

Special seminar/forum: Sun Oct 2, 2011, 11:30-12:30. Parish Hall, Foothills Congregational Church, Los Altos

Seminar: June 6, 2011. 7-9pm, CASBS

Seminar: April 7, 2011

Great pavement

Special seminar: Mar 17, 2011, Stanford Green LibraryJohn Mustain: Stanford Special Collections library.

Medieval matters lecture: Feb 23, 2011. 7:00-9:00 pm, Geology Corner (Bldg. 320), Room 105, Stanford. Free and open to the public. [audio]

Seminar: Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, 7-9pm at CASBS

De Re Metallica, 1556

Details of specific seminars

Tim Tatton-Brown: Westminster Abbey - The Marble and Porphyry Pavements & Deconstructing the West Front

October 13, 2011, 7-9 pm. What follows is the handout.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

PRINCIPAL BUILDING PHASES

1. Edward the Confessor - Rebuilt earlier Anglo-Saxon church and monastic buildings, c. 1050-65

2. Late 11th century - early 12th century- abbey nave completed, and the two western towers added (c.1100) - also chapter-house, dormitory (with undercroft and barrel-vaulted through passages), reredorter, frater (and ? west range and original cloister west walk) and kitchen built-under abbots Vitalis (1076-c.85) and Gilbert Crispin (c. 1085-1111/18). ? Timber-building to south-west of kitchen (earth-fast post).

3. Later 12th century - Infirmary (? Hall) and chapel built, c1160-70 and ? parts of earlier abbot's lodging (in west range) by abbot Laurence (1158-73). Edward canonized 1161, and remains translated to new shrine (in ? rebuilt eastern arm) in 1163.

4. 13th century - new Lady Chapel started, 1220, and Miserecord made. New eastern arm of abbey church (presbytery, transepts and chevet) built for Henry III, 1246 - c. 1255, followed by 4 eastern bays of nave (for Choir), 1260s. New Shrine, with Cosmati work, c. 1268-9. Vestry, St. Faith's chapel, vestibule and chapter house built; by 1250s and north-eastern part of new vaulted cloister made.

[Great Fire -- 1298 -- destroyed roofs of dorter, frater, infirmary, etc..]

5. Earlier 14th century - dorter and frater rebuilt (new windows) and reroofed, and east cloister continued (south part) by abbot Byrcheston (1344-9). Also west doorway porch to nave/west front (1340s).

6. Later 14th century - South cloister rebuilt and vaulted (1351-66) followed up west walk after 1367. Abbots' house rebuilt (Jerusalem chamber' finished by 1372, and great ('college') hall and kitchen by 1375. Infirmary rebuilt, with lodging chambers, 1364-93. Continuation of western nave rebuilding c. 1375-1388. 'Cellarium' and 'Cawagium' rebuilt with northern gatehouse and passage to cloister (1387-1388 and 1390-1). Prior's house also built east of great kitchen, also Granary (1384-5), Brewhouse (1389-90), Malthouse (1390-5) and southern gatehouse (Mill Gate) with bridge over millstream (1385-6).

7. 15th century - work on nave triforia, 1413-22, but nave not completed till c. 1468-90 and 1501-6, and south transept cased up and new rose window and high gable built c. 1450-62.

8. Early 16th century - Nave clerestory and great west window glazed, 1507-10, and nave repaved in marble, 1510-17, and more work on western towers, 1513-16 and 1528-32, under abbot Islip (1500-32). Also chapel of St. Dunstan rebuilt (c.1500), and new Lady ('Henry VIII') chapel, 1503 - c.1510, and parts of abbots' house (Jerico Parlour, ? Chapel Pew, etc..).

TIM TATTON-BROWN