In this article, we examine the fragmentary remains of King John's Gloriette, a domestic palace at Corfe Castle (Dorset) built around 1201-5. Through analysis of the fabric and historical evidence we argue that the Gloriette was designed and built by a master mason with a detailed knowledge of contemporary work at Wells Cathedral and Glastonbury Abbey. The complex relationships between ecclesiastical and secular architecture are then considered, and suggestions are made about integrating "secular" architecture into broader narratives of medieval architectural history. We conclude by discussing the social context of castle patronage in the Early Gothic period and the iconography of the Gloriette vis-à-vis its possible architectural and literary prototypes.

In attempting to resolve the complicated archaeological problems and the design sources of the early Gothic choir of Pershore Abbey, this article examines issues that are fundamental to the understanding of early Gothic architecture in Britain. The issues discussed are the nature of the plan of the choir, whether it was intended to be vaulted or not, the most appropriate form for the elevation, and problems in consistency and inconsistency in taste.

The little-known former priory church of St. Michael at Ewenny (Glamorganshire) is here examined in the context of West Country Romanesque architecture. Documentary evidence dates the church between 1116 and 1126, and connects it with St. Peter's Abbey (now Cathedral), Gloucester. Details of the fabric are related to Gloucester and other West Country buildings. It is argued that the original high vault in the presbytery is the most precise extant reflection of the former Romanesque choir vault at Gloucester, and in its selective use of the diagonal rib it is a fine illustration of the purely aesthetic application of this motif.

In his article on "Hereford Cathedral" published in the Archaeological Journal in 1877, Sir George Gilbert Scott suggested that the Romanesque presbytery was originally covered with a high groin vault on the basis of the suitability of the broad pilasters on the piers for supporting transverse arches of such a vault. While Scott's case for a high vault has been generally accepted, it has not been seriously tested through a detailed examination of the fabric. This note presents new evidence in the masonry above the eastern crossing arch in support of a Romanesque high vault, considers the manner of its construction in relation to other vaults in the West Country School of Romanesque architecture, and examines the case for its being of groined or ribbed design.

The later medieval remodeling of the stylistically related abbey churches of Tewkesbury and Pershore has presented the architectural historian with the problem of ascertaining the nature of the original Romanesque design. One school of thought favors a four-story elevation for choir and transepts which would have entailed a wood roof; the other, while not agreeing on the number of stories, suggests the reconstruction of high barrel vaults. Detailed analysis of both fabrics in the context of West Country architecture after the Conquest and select French Romanesque structures will demonstrate the original existence of a three-story scheme with barrel vaults over the main spans.