ABSTRACT
The paper begins by asking why the replacement of the Anglo-Saxon church at Peterborough was undertaken so late in the sequence of rebuildings following the Conquest. It then sets out the documentary evidence for building activity between the appointment of Ernulf as abbot in 1107 and the laying of the foundation stone in 1118, and considers whether the structure was begun in 1118 or earlier. Next the church is examined in terms of its various parts, proceeding from east to west. In the east arm the subjects include the types of the arcade supports and the form of the lost vault over the apse. In the transept, particular attention is paid to the character of the east aisle and the proof that there was a west aisle in the original design. In the nave, the discussion concerns the odd piers of bay 2, those of bays 8 and 9 with the twin towers they were intended to carry, and Abbot Benedict’s completion of the arm. The paper concludes with an assessment of the sources of the building and its importance for future developments.
