Built by Abbot Serlo, the foundation stone was laid in 1089. The eastern arm was ready for dedication in 1100, and the nave was probably completed by about 1130. A very great deal of this Romanesque church survives including the entire crypt, much of the east end above it, the great nave piers and most of the north aisle. The Norman chapter house also mostly survives.

The Early English style is represented by the nave vault of 1242 and the screen at the north end of the north transept. Window tracery in the south aisle is typical of the Decorated style as are the thousands of carved ball-flowers and the elaborate stonework of the tomb of Edward II.

gloucester cathedral nave