10 The Eleventh General Meeting. 
France and Rome, that he had had little time to think about 
English Gothic. Still, having been familiar with it for many 
years, he could not refuse to say afew words. Salisbury Cathedral 
was a beautiful specimen of pure, early English Gothic—he did 
not at all connect it with the Pointed style, which some people 
were in the habit of describing as Gothic. He believed that Gothic 
architecture was essentially English. In England we had purer 
and more distinct Gothic than anywhere else. The character of 
the mouldings, and the lightness of construction, were its distinctive 
features, as compared with the Roman and Byzantine styles. Cir- 
cumstances and convenience guided the form of arch at all times, 
and an arch was therefore no guide to the age of a building. He 
had lately been studying Suza’s Church, near Paris, which had 
been described as a wonderful specimen of Gothic architecture, 
but in reality it was not so. As to Salisbury Cathedral, there was 
not a vestige of the Romanesque about it anywhere. The stone 
vault was not necessarily a Gothic feature. Lightness, elegance, 
rich moulding, and clustered columns were its essential features. 
Almost every stone in Salisbury Cathedral was an example of our 
own national style. He thought that, on the whole, Mr. Wyatt 
was to be thanked for his alterations. In some respects he was 
wrong in principle, and he (Mr. Parker), would like to have collared 
him for much that he did, but still it must be confessed that he had 
left a complete unity of style in the building, which was not to be 
found anywhere else. The Cathedral was built towards the second _ 
quarter of the 13th century. There were earlier examples, but it 
was during the peaceful reign of Henry II. that the Gothic style 
was developed; and afterwards perfected in this country, at the 
end of the 12th century. The Choir of Lincoln built between 
1192 and 1200, he believed to be the earliest Gothic building in 
Europe, and this style is not oriental: it belongs exclusively to 
Western Europe. The ornaments and sculpture introduced from 
Syria by the Crusaders on their return, came into general use about 
the middle of the 12th century, and they may have introduced the 
Pointed arch, but not the Gothic style, the details of which are 
quite distinct from any other. No doubt the windows of Salisbury 
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