Exeter Cathedral and Buckfast Abbey: Visions in Stone

Exeter Cathedral and Buckfast Abbey: Visions in Stone Described as England’s most beautiful Decorated Gothic cathedral by English Heritage, Exeter Cathedral is a striking example of this style of Gothic architecture. In terms of aesthetics, acoustics and engineering it marks a high point in medieval cathedral building. The aim of the lecture is twofold: firstly, to illustrate the defining features of Decorated Gothic at Exeter; secondly, to look more closely at the cathedral as a product of its own time, revealing insights into the spirit of the age of the great cathedrals. Buckfast Abbey is a unique example of a medieval monastery beautifully rebuilt to its original design and use. Founded in 1018, it has now passed its millennium year. Nearly four centuries after its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539, the Abbey was rebuilt by a small group of dedicated monks in a project lasting just over 30 years. Using archive photographs from the 1880’s to the late 1930’s, this lecture will tell the story of Abbot Vonier’s great vision and how against the odds this was realised in stone. Mark Cottle was born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School in Cornwall and Birmingham University. He has spent his career, at home and abroad, in teaching, training and lecturing.