Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 115 (1985), 263-275 A unique facade in Great Britain: the west front of Holyrood Abbey J Philip McAleer* SUMMARY The early Gothic facade of Holyrood Abbey was originally distinguished by two large towers. Although many large churches British builtthe in Isles during previousthe (12th) centurytwo had western towers, they were generally built over the westernmost bays of the nave aisles. In the case of a buildingsfew datinglaterthe to 12th earlyand 13th centuries, towersthe flanked lastthe baysthe of aisles, thereby creating widea 'screen' fagade. position towersThe the Holyroodof at distinctlywas different from either of these types. The towers were placed both outside the line of the aisle walls and in westplanefrontthe the of wall:of they were tangent corners aislesthe theirthe of to onlyof by one corners. As a result, a shallow open space was created between them, in front of the west portal. In this regard, Holyrood appears haveto been exceptional Britishthe in Isles. closestThe parallels thisfor arrangement are found at several churches on the Continent which are widely separated geographically group,and,a as without obviousany connection with each other. unusualThe system of passageways within westthe front Holyroodof also further contributes uniqueits to character. Althoug facade Augustiniae hth th f eo n abbey churc Holyroodf ho , Canongate, Edinburghs i , longeo n r complete, what does remai morf o s ni e than routine interest suggestt i r ,fo mossa t unusual arrangement facade 1.Th e stands adjacen muce th o ht later Palac Holyroodhousf eo e and, indeeds it , integrity was severely compromised by the construction of the existing north range of the Palace. In spite of this encroachment, the complete design of the original fagade can be easily visualized from thirdo tw se thath t remain wese :th navte walnortd th ef an larg lo e h th aisl ed towenorthe an th t ra t .I positioe ith s f thio n s tower relationshin i , aislee th o ,pt nave wesd an , t wall , f particulathao s i t r interest. The tower is almost free-standing, but not quite, as it overlaps the north-west corner of the north aisle. Thus, most of its mass proj ected beyond the face of the north aisle wall and in front of the west wall balancina f .I g towe restores r i sout e th hn d o side resule ver,th a s ti y broad west front, much broader than the actual width of the nave and aisles. The west wall would have been framed by the flanking towers kina d opef d o porchr an , nshalloai a r o , w court, would have been created between them wese fronn th i , tf o tdoor . It was not unusual during the century or more preceding the construction of the west front of Holyrood Abbey (followin introductioe gth monumentaf no l architecture int Britise oth h Islea s sa resul Normaf o t n penetration largr fo ) e monasti wels c a cathedra s a l l churche hav o sfasadet d eha s featurin weso gtw t towers 1200c y t leasB a .,fagade 0 3 t f thio s s typbeed eha n built r wero , n ei building, includin e Augustiniagth n abbey f Bristolo s , Bourne, Dunstable, Kirkham, Llanthony *Facult f Architectureyo , Technical Universit Novf yo a Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 264 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1985 Prima, St Germans and Worksop. However, in all these buildings, the towers were placed at the end of the nave aisles, flanking the westernmos2 t bay of the nave, so that a unified facade composition resulted same wese th th :en i nave t wese plan s walth th towersf e wa ts o ela facth f effece eo Th . t would have been quite different fro facade verme th se yHolyroodf en o clearl ca e lookiny yon b s ,a t ga the fagades of Durham Cathedral or Worksop Priory, to choose two of the normal type that are well preserved3. It is true that by 1200 another type of two-tower facade had appeared which has a somewhat greater resemblanc Holyrood'so et . Thi bessw typtno exemplifies ei wese th ty db fron f Wello t s Cathedral4. There, the towers are located in a position flanking the last bay of the aisles, rather than being placed over them. The result is a fagade much wider than the main body of the western arm of churche th Holyroodt a s a , comparisoa t .Bu Wellf n o Holyroo d san d once again reveal significansa t difference in effect, because the west wall of the nave and aisles at Wells is in the same plane as the west face of its towers. At Wells, and at other buildings where there were flanking towers, such as St Botolph's, Colchester (als Augustinian oa n priory), Earls Colne, West Acre Albant ,S s (never built), anthee dth n cathedra Coventryt la , therporch-liko n s ei e space betwee towerse nth earliese Th . f to these facades with flanking towers seems to be that of St Botolph's, traditionally dated c 1160-70, but possibl earl s y1140-50c a s ya . Jus t impossibl begus w whe earliese no wa th s t n i i s sayo wa tet t I . Augustinian house in England, as the rule was introduced, c 1095-1107, to a community of secular canons that had been established c 1095. Too little survives of the churches at Earls Colne and West Acre, the latter also Augustinian, to allow a date for them more precise than the late 12th and early 13th centuries, respectively buildine tower.Th e Albant th S f g t o begu ss a swa n under Abbot Johe nd Cella (1195-1214), but was soon abandoned. The facade of Coventry Cathedral probably was begun secone inth d quarte 13te th hf ro century , somewhat later tha actuae nth l constructio Welle th f nso facade. The Abbey of Holyrood had been founded in 1128, by King David I of Scotland. Traces of the first church built after that date have been found in excavations: it was a small aisleless structure, with transep flat-ended tan d chancel.This little buildin replaceds gwa , beginning century e lateth t i n ri d ,an is the remains of this second building that survive today. Of the successor to the first church, only parts of the nave still stand. Its building history, as it has been reconstructed (RCAMS 1951,130), is somewhat unusual, t uniqueeveno f ni . Construction appear havo st e begun wit norte hth h aisle wall and proceeded westward includo st wese eth t wall. The nave nth e piers were begune wels th a ,s a l south aisle. This orde adopteds rwa , instea buildinf do fule y gth l ba widtnave y aisled b th ef y an h o sba from eas westo tt , becaus firse eth t lons churca possibles r gretainea s fo he wa us nav s n d:it i e underlies at least the four east bays of the existing south aisle, and part of the parallel space of the nave. The later builders were working around the early nave by beginning on the north and working west and then soute ove bacd th ho ran t k east. worThiw skne seem havo st e been begun about 1190 norte .Th h strine aisl linth e f th ego walbuilcourso s t p wa lu t e belo aisle wth e windows groune th , d coursef so the north-west tower were laid and the west wall was carried as far as its south arcade respond. By the beginning of the 13th century, the north wall had been carried up to its full height, the west wall was being raised, and the south aisle had been begun. The nave arcades were started about 1220 and by 125c triforiue 0th m leve beed lha n reached wese Th .t tower wesd san t walalsd olha been carriep du same th eo t leve thay b l t time. This reconstruction of the building sequence, based primarily on stylistic analysis, does appear correce b broa s o it t n ti d outlines. However closa , e examinatio fabrice th f no , especiall wese th t ya norte th f ho aisled en , does sugges possibilite th t othef yo r minor building break campaignsr so d an , the alteration of intentions. Some of the discontinuities in the masonry to be described have been dismissed as constituting any 'real break' in construction, or a 'significant pause' in building, and MCALEER: UNIQUE FACADE IN GREAT BRITAIN: THE WEST FRONT OF HOLYROOD ABBEY | 265 ILLUS 1 Holyrood Abbey: exterior, junction of ILLU S2 Holyrood Abbey: interior, junctio nortf no h north aisle wall (left easd an )t wal f towelo r aisle wall (right) and east wall of tower (left) (right) (photo: author) (photo: author) instead it has been suggested that they are evidence that a new master-mason took over whose 'activities must have been confined to the W wall of the nave and the W front . .' (Wilson in Gifford etall984, 133-4). On the exterior, there is a definite break in coursing in the angle between the west end of the lower part of the north aisle wall and the east face of the tower (illus 1). At the same time, it should be observed tha mouldine tth g profile aisl e base samth e eth f e e th walf o basthos e s o e th a th f lar e f o e o tower, on which they are continued one course higher.