The Early Building-History of St. Andrews Cathedral, Fife, and its Context in Northern Transitional Architecture

Abstract

SummaryStructural and stylistic analysis of the earliest remains of St. Andrews cathedral reveal the following building-sequence: east and south presbytery walls: north presbytery wall: choir-aisle walls: choir piers, south transept west wall, and nave south wall: presbytery clerestory. Documentary evidence implies work began in 1162 and proceeded without major interruptions until 1178 at least. The date and style of those architectural details attributable to the initial constructional phases imply the existence of a hitherto unrecognized phase in the transitional architecture of northern Britain which antedates the Byland group of designs. The influence of St. Andrews on the abbeys of Arbroath and Jedburgh, and the priories of Hexham and Tynemouth emphasizes the seminal importance of its design, which is in part due to its historical position as the national shrine and mother church of the Scottish kingdom.