Byland Abbey, North Yorkshire: The West Front and Rose Window reconstructed

Abstract

Study of the architecture of the west front of the church at Byland Abbey shows that during its erection many changes of design were made. An enlargement of the central doorway caused the level of the galilee porch roof to be raised followed by a major revision to the design which involved the introduction of different buttresses. The three lancet windows were widened internally after their construction had begun while, at the same time, the head of the window in the south aisle of the nave seems to have been raised. A stair turret from the south aisle vault space to the nave clerestory was abandoned when it was on the point of completion; this, together with uncapped shaftings between triple lancets, indicates that the original intention was to build three graduated lancet windows in the gable. These were abandoned in favour of the great rose window. The remaining fragments of its tracery together with two masons' drawings of its design have enabled an almost total reconstruction of its form to be made. A brief comparison with other rose windows in the region, including two of earlier date, reveals that although there was a preference for wheel designs, there was no common form of construction, each window having its own individual characteristics.