Introduction

The introduction provides a definition for the tower-nave form, and the basic assertion that the limited capacity, ostentatious form, and lavish construction of these buildings is a good indication that they were built for high-status, elite practice. The introduction then briefly surveys its discovery and previous works to have offered a synthesis and interpretation of tower-naves, and lays out the methodology used for their identification and inclusion in this book. Their basic division into ‘lordly’ and ‘monastic’ sites is explained as the means by which this study is structured, the first part of which synthesizes the evidence for the corpus of known towers, and the second part of which offers an interpretation of their development and social context.

Tower-nave churches in comparative perspective

This chapter seeks a broader perspective on the tower-nave form. It places lordly tower-naves in the general context of the construction of aristocratic towers across Western Europe, and contends that they exerted considerable influence over the form and architecture of early Norman castles. It traces the wider influence of tower-naves on the architecture of early Norman England in the construction of episcopal chapels and detached monastic belltowers, arguing that these buildings perpetuated the Anglo-Saxon association of towers with secular power and high-status devotion. The evidence for the adoption of tower-naves in Scotland is also considered.

Monastic tower-naves and tower-nave origins

This chapter traces the origins of the tower-nave form in Anglo-Saxon monasteries, where they occur from at least the early eighth century onwards. It seeks the architectural meanings underlying the tower form, which were drawn from Carolingian and Late Antique practice and related to high-status secular power and burial. Thus, many monastic tower-naves in England were constructed as private, often royal, chapels and burying-places, as a result of the expression of these meanings by their builders. The evidence for monastic tower-naves increases significantly during the mid–late tenth century, a period which coincided with the Monastic Reform, whose leaders were personally responsible for this apparent spate of tower-nave construction. These tower-naves were built in seeming fulfilment of key tenets of the Reform movement: the patronage of the king in monastic life, the regularization of burial practices, and the increased emphasis on the integrity of monastic space.

Conclusion

This final section summarizes the main conclusions of the book. It rehearses the number of known tower-naves and their categorization into ‘lordly’ and ‘monastic’ types. It traces their origins in Continental ecclesiastical architecture, and their more widespread adoption following the tenth-century Monastic Reform in England. Tower-naves went on to be constructed by secular elites at their residences, and to influence aspects of Norman architectural practice. The chapter concludes by suggesting directions for future research into this topic, particularly in elucidating further examples of tower-naves and the great potential for scholarship on Anglo-Saxon lordly residences more generally. It is appended with a provisional list of uncertain tower-naves, in the hope that future study can bear their origins out.

Tower-naves, lordly towers, and the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy

This chapter traces the construction of tower-naves at lordly residences during the late tenth and eleventh centuries, as part of a wider tradition of aristocratic tower construction in late Anglo-Saxon England. This is argued to have been driven by the increasing localization of social power in the hands of the aristocracy during this period, and their ambition to manifest their power in the landscape. The symbolic role of these towers is discussed, in legitimizing the social position of their lords, as is their usefulness in fulfilling their lords’ military duties. Several of the towers are placed within the context of wider landscapes of defence, in terms of their viability as refuges and watchtowers over war-beacons, assembly-sites, and routes of communication.

A corpus of lordly tower-naves

The synthesis presented here is of the twenty-four tower-naves which come from local rather than monastic contexts, the great majority from suspected manorial sites. Most of these towers still stand above ground, although the majority have not previously been the subject of detailed study. A summary of each tower is provided in alphabetical order, together with selected measured drawings produced as part of this study. Their development in the late tenth century is suggested, and it is concluded that these buildings were primarily a phenomenon of the eleventh century, spread across England to a relatively coherent architectural form.

A corpus of monastic tower-naves

The synthesis presented here is of the twelve tower-naves which come from monastic contexts, none of which now survive above ground, at: Hexham, York, Winchester (Old and New Minsters), Athelney, Glastonbury, Abingdon, Worcester, Thorney, Sherborne, Bury St Edmunds, and Canterbury. A summary of each tower is provided in the chronological order of their construction, together with references to previous scholarship. The upsurge in known examples associated with the tenth-century Monastic Reform is noted, and their common traits are traced: the high status of their patrons, and their common functions as funerary chapels, private chapels, and gateways.