Gothic describes the dominant architectural style of medieval buildings

in Europe between the mid-12th and the early 16th centuries.

What is Gothic architecture?
The name Gothic was coined in derision by Italian Renaissance
architects because it did not follow the style of the Romans.
Where did Gothic architecture begin?
Gothic architecture first emerged in Paris, France.
Abbot Suger at the Basilica of Saint-Denis wanted to create a church
that was an earthly expression of heaven.
He assembled masons, stained-glass artists and sculptors to build a new
façade and choir for the church.
This work would inspire a series of great Gothic cathedrals and
churches, initially in northern France.
The Gothic style would eventually spread throughout Europe. But
while England enjoyed many artistic contacts with the continent, it took
until the 1170s for the first whole Gothic building to begin construction.
Early English Gothic Period
The Early English Gothic period lasted from the late 12th century until
midway through the 13th century, according to most modern scholars. By
1175, the Gothic style had been firmly established in England with the
completion of the Choir at Canterbury Cathedral by William of Sens.
The most significant characteristic development of the Early English
period was the pointed arch known as the lancet.
Using the pointed arch, walls could become less massive and window
openings could be larger and grouped more closely together, so architects
could achieve more open, airy, and graceful buildings. At its purest, the
style was simple and austere, emphasizing the height of the building, as if
aspiring heavenward.
Decorated Gothic Period
The Decorated Period in architecture is traditionally broken into two
periods: the Geometric style (1250–1290) and the Curvilinear style (1290–
1350). Decorated architecture is characterized by its window tracery,
which are elaborate patterns that fill the top portions of windows. The
tracery style was geometric at first, and flowing in the later period during
the 14th century. Vaulting also became more elaborate, with the use of
increasing numbers of ribs, initially for and later for aesthetic reasons.
Perpendicular Gothic Period
The Perpendicular Gothic period is the third historical division of
English Gothic architecture and is characterized by an emphasis on
vertical lines. The Perpendicular style began under the royal architects
William Ramsey and John Sponlee, and lasted into the mid 16th century.
The Perpendicular style grew out of the shadow of the Black Death, a
disease that killed approximately half of England’s population in 18
months between June 1348 and December 1349 and returned in 1361–62
to kill another fifth of the population. This epidemic dramatically impacted
every aspect of society, including arts and culture, and designers moved
away from the flamboyance and jubilation present in the Decorated style.
Architects were also responding to labour shortages resulting from the
plague and therefore relied on less elaborate designs.
Where to see Gothic architecture in England
The following examples trace the development of Gothic architecture
in England.
1. Canterbury Cathedral, Kent
The most distinctive imported feature was the extensive use of
coloured marble shafts and decorative elements. In England, this was
achieved by using Purbeck Marble, a shell-rich limestone that could be
polished.
2. Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire
The design of Lincoln was based on extensive use of decorative
columns, with an intense linear decoration extended up to the elaborate
vaults.
3. Westminster Abbey, London
For the reconstruction of Westminster Abbey, France was again turned
to for inspiration.
But like Canterbury Cathedral, the building also has elements derived
from contemporary English sources.
 The most crucial French import at Westminster Abbey was bar tracery.
4. St Etheldreda’s Church, London
St Etheldreda’s Church in London probably dates from the 1280s.
Although small in size, St Etheldreda’s was at the forefront of
fashionable architecture, displaying the most sophisticated types of
window tracery.
5. Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
The Octagon Tower at Ely Cathedral is an engineering and
architectural ‘tour de force’, whether seen from the air or when looking up
from inside.
This vast structure could not have been built in stone.
6. Wells Cathedral, Somerset
Wells Cathedral is one of the most striking in England. It features a
beautiful early Gothic nave and transepts, with an east end transformed
later in the early 14th century.
The joint between the early cathedral and the new work can be seen in
the solid masonry above the main arcades.
Joy’s approach to enriching the internal elevation was to create niches
that look hewn out of the solid stone rather than applying shafts to the
surface.
He completed his masterpiece with a net vault. Its surface is adorned
with a mesh of lozenges that are more decorative than structural.
7. Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire
The choir at Gloucester Cathedral is one of the earliest works in the
Perpendicular Style. This style is named after the grids of tracery that
spread out from the window designs onto the wall surfaces.
The east window may be the largest Gothic window anywhere in
Europe and almost fills the entire width of the choir.
8. Cirencester church, Gloucestershire
The parish church of Cirencester is one of the wool churches in the
Cotswolds. They are named because profits from the lucrative wool
business allowed parishes to rebuild their buildings with lavish new
structures.
 Like many wool churches, it has a tall main arcade on elaborate piers.
The large Perpendicular clerestory windows give the nave an atmospheric
interior.