The east side of the Abbey was tore down by King Henry III in 1245 to be rebuilt in the High Gothic style. One of the architects on the project was Henry of Reyns who was inspired by the Reims, Amiens, and Chartres Cathedrals. All three had been built in France in High Gothic style. The Abbey has the highest vault in London at 102ft. Although in comparison Amiens has a height of 144ft. The east side of the Abbey was finished in 1269.
When building in High Gothic style there were three main things to accomplish to have height, to seem light in weight, and to be bright. The height of 102ft of stone was accomplished by pointed arches and flying buttresses. Having most of the Abbey's skeleton or support system only visible from the outside makes the building appear light weight to the visitor. On top of that these innovations allowed for bigger windows creating a brighter environment.
I chose this photo of the east apse because I feel it best demonstrates the High Gothic architecture of the Abbey. Part of High Gothic architecture was making it so the viewer would feel like they were zooming for the heavens. The Westminster Abbey East Apse is bright, tall, and its seemingly carved out ceiling looks as if it weighs nothing at all. I only wish I could float up to the top.
Citation:
The Dean and Chapter of Westmister. www.westminster-abbey.org. Westminster Abbey, 2013. Web. 18 June 2013.
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