Transitional

Martin church near Horncastle in Lincolnshire, has a fabulous chancel arch.  This narrow arch is a text book example of the Transitional style, the moment when Norman architecture gradually gave way to Early English Gothic.  In this arch we have a blending of the two.  The responds are entirely Norman in character, with two orders of shafts topped with fairly standard Norman capitals, a pair scalloped and a pair with volutes.  A little bit of nailhead decoration is incorporated into these capitals too.  Then the whole thing is topped with an Early English arch, a steep pointed arch. The whole thing must be late twelfth or early thirteenth century.