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Late English Gothic: details

If the first impression of Gothic architecture is the soaring height achieved by its designers, the second impression must be of the elaborateness--and sometimes the wit--of the detail.

The west window of Bath Abbey, shown here, is a fine example of the way that the vertical supports within the window allowed both height and breadth.

The difference between the high Gothic style of the fourteenth century and the late Gothic of fifteenth century England can be seen by comparing the techniques used in vaulting. (See the next page to compare styles.)

And there was always the ingenuity and playfulness of the individual artist working on detail.