WILLIAM of Sens - b. 0 ?, d. ~1180 ?

French architect (French: Guillaume de Sens). He was the master-mason who built the first structure in the Early Gothic style in England.

William is one of the first cathedral architects to be known by name. Exact knowledge of his contribution was preserved in the report of an eyewitness, the monk Gervase, who described the destruction by fire (1174) of Canterbury Cathedral’s choir and its subsequent rebuilding by William. He was already famous at that time as a leading builder and “most subtle artisan” of Sens. Called to Canterbury in 1175, he was given the task of using the remaining foundation of the choir and extending it toward the east. He was also described as a “craftsman most skilled in wood and stone” who devised ingenious machines for lifting stone. William seems to have brought sculptors and glaziers with him to Canterbury.

William probably planned the whole choir, as well as other structural alterations, including the flying buttresses copied from Notre-Dame, which may still be seen on the north side. It is the interior design that is most significant, however. Here William introduced sexpartite vaulting, the form of the high arcades, and columns of stone in contrasting colours. His innovations at Canterbury are considered an early step toward the High Gothic practice of “dissolving” the walls between supporting verticals.

Interior view

Archbishop Thomas à Becket (1118-1170) was murdered in the middle of Canterbury Cathedral by Henry II’s men in 1170. A pilgrimage to his grave was quickly established and as early as 1173 Becket was canonized by the pope. One year later, in 1174, the cathedral burnt down. The rebuilding of the choir led to one of the most sensational building projects England had seen for a long time. The winner of the architectural competition was a Frenchman, William of Sens. Accepting the conditions of the monks of the cathedral monastery for retaining some parts (e.g. the crypt) of the old building, he created in the choir a French cathedral in the style he knew from his own country.

Although the new choir of Canterbury was built under spacial circumstances, it was nevertheless extremely influential and determined the development of English architecture for at least the next 75 years. All the larger churches tried to promote their own saint and to display their relics as effectively as Canterbury did St. Thomas à Becket. This led to a large number of new choirs which were inspired by the new style of building in Canterbury, choirs which mark the first phase of English Gothic.

The photo shows the choir looking east.

View the ground plan of Canterbury Cathedral.