ABSTRACT

Although the rebuilding of the Cathedral of London was undertaken by Bishop Maurice, perhaps as early as 1087, construction of the large building dragged on for well over a hundred years. As a result, and judging from the engravings of the interior by Wenceslaus Hollar, the first facade was probably partly Romanesque and partly Early English, or at least Transitional, in style. It is essentially still ‘visible’ in the engravings and drawings of Hollar, c. 1658, showing the west front after the alterations and additions of Inigo Jones during the years 1634–43. The facade finally completed for this building appears to have been of a modest character: it was basically a ‘sectional’ facade, that is, it was simply a west wall shaped as if following the result of a section cut across the nave and aisles. Drawings of cities in three manuscripts of the 14th century are also said to reflect Old St Paul’s.