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John James

UNSW, Faculty Of The Built Environment, Adjunct

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Phone: 61 431616227
Address: 10 Redgum Close, Bega, NSW 2550, Australia

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Papers by John James

Building program for Notre-Dame d'Etampes 1105-1190s

Notre-Dame is a major medieval building, yet after many attempts its history has not been resolve... more Notre-Dame is a major medieval building, yet after many attempts its history has not been resolved. John James built a detailed model to examine the process described by the stonework itself. This shows a medieval building, with all its limitations and dreams, being erected in biannual sections. By building the model in real time, year by year, we see that the aisles had to be built before the clerestory walls to stabilise the upper vaults. We also note their decision to complete the huge central space of the Chamber before the choir. It separated the nave from the choir and connected the main church with the mortuary chapel over the bones of the dead. Through this space ran a line of sight from the south door to a uniquely large window over the chapel. The line was later honoured as the central focus of the church and was so important that the eastern extension with four chapels and a theatre was aligned on it. King Louis VII had been raised alongside this church and just before he became king he brought his wealthy bride Eleanor of Aquitaine to Notre-Dame. With royal funding the enormous eastern end was rebuilt. No documents remain to explain the sightline, nor the great chamber, nor why such resources should have been dedicated to what is now a parish church. This important question has been explored by John James in "Glory and Tragedy in Notre-Dame d'Etampes".
This work is now being translated into French, and is planned as an eBook some time in the future..

Mortar, Measure, Masonry

The Worlds of Villard de Honnecourt: The Portfolio, Medieval Technology, and Gothic Monuments,, 2023

Because there were technical differences between medieval practice and modern none of our assumpt... more Because there were technical differences between medieval practice and modern none of our assumptions of the past are meaningful. The built no more than8 to 12 courses per season, and on large jobs less. They measured nothing and therefore could not pass precise instructions to others. The designs for templates were extracted from whatever had been already built. Therefore, when a mason came to a new job he devised his own designs on anything not already started.
It follows there were no architects, no master plans save as sketches and no working drawings.
Under these conditions how were the great works designed and built?

Canterbury Cathedral a history through capitals

John James, The Creation of Gothic Architecture - an Illustrated Thesaurus: The Ark of God, vols 1-2, Part A: "The Evolution of Foliate Capitals in the Paris Basin 1170 to 1250", London and Hartley Vale, 2002., 2002

The recorded dates for Canterbury Cathedral verify the dates for the capitals, and these show how... more The recorded dates for Canterbury Cathedral verify the dates for the capitals, and these show how the formal more abstract way of carving was supplanted by the foliate way during the 1170s. The percentage of formals versus foliates indicates the year of carving with some precision. This date marks one of the major boundaries in the creation of gothic imagery. For a full discussion on these boundaries see https://www.academia.edu/31619429

The New Guard and 3 planned coup d'etats in

ISAA Review, 2023

In 1932, a group of ex-army conservatives known as the New Guard made three attempts at a coup d’... more In 1932, a group of ex-army conservatives known as the New Guard made three attempts at a coup d’état to take over the administration of NSW and imprison the ministry of the Lang Labor Government. This paper tells the story of these three attempted coups. In spite of the violent language and the savage militancy of the New Guard, we can say that Australians of the depression were not ready for dictatorship. Seven New Guard Council members were to be charged with sedition but, in the way we know so well, the indictment was dropped when their conservative friends were elected to the state parliament.

Funding the Early Gothic Churches of the Paris Basin

Parergon, 1997

Chartres to the southwest—an area of less than 200 by 140 ktiometres with Paris lying in the west... more Chartres to the southwest—an area of less than 200 by 140 ktiometres with Paris lying in the western haU. Ninety percent of these churches Ue within the geological formation k n o w n as the Paris Basin, consisting of a limestone caUed calcaire. There is excetient butiding stone beyond the Basin, mainly in hard chalk and sandstone, but few butidings with Gothic motifs were butit from other than calcaire until the 1220s.

Four similar windows in the Chartres transepts 1

When I wonder how the complex geometric systems used by the masters were evolved, I think of thes... more When I wonder how the complex geometric systems used by the masters were evolved, I think of these four windows. In them a simple design became increasingly complex and was gradually integrated with major elements beyond the staircase it illuminated. We can see he was trying to link a small item with the greater parts, to create a web of connections that would bind the building into a whole. If he were eager to pursue this process in the small unit of a staircase window, then we should consider how he would approach the larger and more vital structural parts of the building. There are four windows in the transept porches that look out from the stairs. They are easily accessible from the outside [a]. They were installed by the master Bronze in 1198. The slight 'improvements' to the geometry suggest they were designed in the following order: that into the SE stair was the first as its layout is the simplest, then the SW, followed by the NW and NE on the other side of the building. This order of construction is consistent with the order of other elements in the cathedral. Generally, windows in medieval stairs are larger on the inside than out-possibly following the reasoning that the smaller the outside the more effectively it would keep out the rain, and the larger the inside the more light will be spread into the room.

Multiple contracting in the Saint Denis chevet

Gesta, 1993

There is compelling evidence that the Saint-Denis ambulatory was built by two very different team... more There is compelling evidence that the Saint-Denis ambulatory was built by two very different teams of masons. The large windows were built first and the double ambulatory followed. The first master intended groin vaults, and the second turned that into rib vaults. There is comparable work by both masters in twenty other contemporary buildings, so their work in Saint-Denis was NOT a deliberate essay in a new gothic style, but the fortuitous conjunction of two different builders. Also, the design was no repeated elsewhere for another 20 years.
It was therefore NOT the iconic design by Abbot Suger.

Flying buttresses in France from the 1150s to 1180.

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1992

The lithic evidence from some 20 churches shows that the flying buttress was first used in the 11... more The lithic evidence from some 20 churches shows that the flying buttress was first used in the 1150s, immediately after the Second Crusade. This reflected a new way of thinking about structures that had been stimulated in the first place by the rib - a view from seeing the building as mass to seeing it as a collection of axes, or as lines of stress. This was the first time in history that masonry had been conceived as if it were timber.

The mystery of the great labyrinth at Chartres

Comparative Religion, xi 1977, 92-115.

The labyrinth set into the floor of Chartres cathedral measures almost thirteen meters across. It... more The labyrinth set into the floor of Chartres cathedral measures almost thirteen meters across. It is the single largest decorative item in the building, larger than the rose windows and larger than the sculptured doors. In many churches the prelates placed them in prominent positions as testaments to their faith, but it took the eighteenth century to recognise their essentially pagan origins. They destroyed many of them: at Reims, Sens, Arras, Auxerre and St. Omer, and in the next century at Amiens and Caen. Yet would the Middle Ages have used a pagan motif without ensuring that it had a Christian message? And would they have given it such prominence in the centre of the nave if its Christian qualities had not superseded its pagan ones? I feel that after the sacred relics and the cathedral building itself, the labyrinth was the most
meaningful cult-object of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Its sacred nature is indicated by the names given it throughout Europe of 'Chemin de Jérusalem', 'Iherusalem' and 'City of God'.

The discipline of Toichology

Archeologists dig out and remove their evidence. we can do that as historians of existing structu... more

The peaked arch, and the earliest domical rib vaults in the Paris Basin

Among the first pointed arches in northern France are some derived from the East where wood for f... more

Could Suger have built the whole choir in only four years

Sumner Crosby printed a well-known section that showed an elevation not unlike Saint-Germain-des-... more Sumner Crosby printed a well-known section that showed an elevation not unlike Saint-Germain-des-Prés with a gallery, clerestory and high vault. Yet he wrote that "even my own enthusiasm for Suger's abilities questions the possibility of his erecting such a complex structure, especially one so novel, in such a short time".

Nomenclature, clear and simple.

Nomenclature, should be so clear and simple that you can visualise the form of the church from th... more

Medieval mortar and the constraints of formwork

There are three important aspects of mortars: the fabrication of the materials, the amount of shr... more There are three important aspects of mortars: the fabrication of the materials, the amount of shrinkage, and time needed for initial set. Modern mortars are made from cement or lime. Cement can set harder than the materials it joins, so that movement in the structure may not be taken up in the joints but in unsightly rupturing of the stones themselves. Lime mortar, being invariably weaker than stone or brick, will be the first to crack when there is settlement, so that the movement takes place along the joints. This leaves the base material of the construction unharmed. Cement mortar is rarely used today in renovations. Modern mortars are hydraulic, for they set through the interaction between lime and water. The process was invented by the Romans, though rarely used by their successors until the eighteenth century. In the Middle Ages chalk or limestone was quarried in lumps which were burnt in a kiln to remove the carbon dioxide and the water. The chemical removal of the carbon dioxide ensured that the calcium and magnesium carbonates in the stone would not recombine until carbon dioxide was added, thus preventing setting. After burning, this material is called quicklime. The quicklime was then placed in pits and slaked with water, causing a violent reaction as the water boiled and sent steam into the air. During this process the lumps of chalk broke down into a uniform, soft and rather greasy paste, which was then strained and put into bins. It has a fatty consistency like putty. To ensure that the entire mass was thoroughly slaked, it remained in the pits for at least two weeks, though two months was considered better. Properly prepared and protected from the air under a thin layer of water, the lime remained fatty, which is the word we use when it is easy to work. Drying should not be confused with setting. Water did not help the material set, but made it plastic enough to be worked. The set occurred through contact with carbon dioxide in the air. 2 The hydration we expect from modern limes did not occur, because after the boiling, little hydrocity was left. This is why the lime mortar that has been isolated in pockets of the construction away from the air has remained unset indefinitely. 3 However, the disadvantage of quicklime is that it shrinks as the moisture evaporates. Even if sand is added, the shrinkage is only slightly reduced. Consequently, in bulk construction (as in thick walls and vaulting cells) there was a maximum permissible rate of construction so the core could achieve some degree of set before being loaded. Even in the thinner beds between courses of ashlar the setting took a long time, though it was accelerated by adding materials which contained air, such as crushed tiles or bricks, carbon, volcanic ash, and at times animal blood or urine. These necessary delays had to be taken into account in every building, and are mentioned in some contracts for towers. 4 In constructing walls, the slowness of the set produced two practical problems. First, as more stones were placed onto the wall, the mortar in the lower courses could be squeezed out. Second, in thick walls where the space between thin slabs of ashlar facing were filled in with rubble and mortar, the newly placed wet fill could push outwards and dislodge the facing. If the mortar beds were too thick, the strength of the mortar became critical to the stability of the building. It has been suggested that the collapse of the crossing tower at Winchester in the eleventh century could be attributed to the enormously thick joints, which can still be seen in those parts of the tower which remain. 5 To minimize compression of the mortar, spacers such as oyster shells were sometimes placed in the bed joints. Pebbles and the larger aggregate in the mortar may have been intended to serve the same purpose but were less predictable. No evidence has been found in the Paris Basin for spacers before the sixteenth century. 6 These difficulties were greatly exacerbated in arches and vaults where the stonework had to be supported on centring. The purpose of centring was to support the voussoirs until an initial set had occurred. This set had to be at least sufficient to hold the weight of the stones without allowing the mortar to be squeezed out of the joints. The time needed for this set and the amount of the shrinkage is a little difficult to calculate, yet it is imperative to our understanding of the erection process to know something of these problems. When the cloister arches were rebuilt at Canterbury it was discovered from the geometry of the voussoirs that the arches had settled about 15 mm. over a span of four meters. 7 If the arches had been loaded before settlement was complete, the voussoirs would have dropped away leaving a big crack between the arch and the spandrel over it, which would then have been unsupported. This settlement would have been noticeable in masonry, and the cracks would have allowed the frost to penetrate between the voussoirs. If the span had been greater these cracks could have caused major structural distress.

Study of imposts for portals in northern France the the early C12th.

there are tao types of imposts. tney were carved by some of the best men in the team. These conne... more

A theory on levels at Mogneville

The capitals are set at seriously different levels. There is logic in each level, but nothing app... more The capitals are set at seriously different levels. There is logic in each level, but nothing apparent that would justify the 400mm difference between opposite sides of the crossing. Large consequences flowed from this difference, the most obvious that the arches between these capitals had to be exceptionally stilted on the low side. Not noticeable from underneath, but very clear from the nave. Many of the churches we visited have these imbalances. Most immediately recognized in the bases, where one side of the building will be a course or more above the other, such as Monthodon. I think this has to do with the sacredness of existing structures, which may have been destroyed or rebuilt since then. Every part of the church was consecrated as it was built. These were important ceremonies, and in many cases are the only records that have survived. Consecration sanctified the structure. It aligned the work with God's purpose and, in the mystical sense, became Divine. Once stones had been placed in a campaign they do not seem to have been touched in any later work, even if the design was radically changed in later campaigns. No one tidied up the older work that was out of step with the new. This may have been an economic decision, but it may also have been because once placed into the building it was consecrated and could not be touched. The second consideration is that not all alignments-of parts or whole elements-followed pure geometric forms. The angle between the sides of the apse at Auvers, measure 80 degrees, rather than 90, for example. The inclination of the bases at Glennes were twisted away from the square in order to align with something, though we were not clear on what. In the geometric studies at Chartres I found a logical purpose in most of the irregularly shaped elements. The geometry would be formed on its own principles-such as relating to structure-but would then be 'distorted' so the sides would be aligned on important nearby elements. For example, the octagons under the choir flyers were not true octagons, but were twisted to connect with the clerestory piers or the faces of the external buttresses. Like the worshiper, the mason is trying to connect his work with God. Making connections is essential element in any sacred journey. We would say today that every part is connected to every other part, and if I knew Latin I am sure we would find similar phrases from the texts. So, in laying out the structure they would be mindful of other parts and would want to integrate the old with the new. How better to do that than by a little twisting of sides or modifying of heights. And the major tool in accomplishing this task would have been string. Any work on a building site involves string as much as a square or a compass. String makes sure all the faces are in a common alignment. It connects. It was through the use of string at Chartres that I established the relationships between 'misalignments' and where they were connected. To return to the different levels at Mogneville I would postulate that the different heights were attempts to make connections with the nave. There are remnants of a much earlier structure on the south wall. There are parts of a possible arcade and a clerestory window that would have formed a much smaller building with a somewhat lower floor level. The height to the top of a wall suggested by the height of the old clerestory window arch could have been exactly that of the lower capital. Thus, by lowering the capital on one side they would have connected the new work with the old. They would not have intended to demolish the nave at that time. It was the consecrated 'home' for the congregation. The choir, the crossing and its new tower were not an add-on but an integral extension of the older edifice that had served them so well. Not to have attempted such connections-for I am sure there were others-would have separated the new from the old. The separation would not only have been visual but psychological. They may not have been noticed after a while, but at the time were part of the mind set of the builders, part of the discussion between mason and client, and part of the appreciation for the new structure encouraged among those who were going to pay for it.

Discrepancies in medieval architecture, careless or deliberate, and Chapel in the White Tower, London

Careful measurements of Chapel in the White Tower, London disclose a fundamental design technique... more

How many built all the churches

A attempt to calculate the percentage of the population engaged in church building construction i... more

Strap-X (1086-1127), carver - DRAFT

This master was the originator of one of the more popular designs for capitals in northern France... more

The Strapper Master DRAFT

Strapper created one of the major designs used by many carvers across northern France after the s... more