2.5.4 Buildings

Question 1

How did the Normans construct cathedrals?

Answer 1

• Cathedrals were very expensive. The building projects created work for the local craftsmen and members of the guilds.
• Building castles or cathedrals is dangerous work. Peasants were often used as ‘forced labour’ to construct the buildings and many must have died on the construction sites.

Question 2

Churches in Norman England

Answer 2

• The Norman Earls disliked Anglo-Saxon wooden churches. With their Roman/Norman architecture, they built churches, cathedrals, and monasteries using stone, instead of wood.
• This made Norman cathedrals and religious houses more impressive than Anglo-Saxon ones.

Question 3

Buildings in Norman England (4)

Answer 3

• The Norman Earls and aristocrats spent their money and wealth on buildings in their local Earldom to show their power.
• Castles were usually used to intimidate and control the local population.
• Cathedrals were built in the Norman style of architecture - which was similar to the way that the Romans built Rome. (Romanesque style).
• Cathedrals were very elaborate and very expensive. Durham Cathedral and Ely Cathedral are examples of Norman cathedrals.

Question 4

Who benefited directly from the creation of new buildings in Norman England?

Answer 4

Craftsmen