The Fire of 1174 and Reconstruction

The fire of 1174 consumed the East End of the Canterbury Cathedral and destroyed primarily the Choir, or Quire. The event of the fire of 1174 and the subsequent reconstruction, which lasted until 1184, was chronicled by the English Chronicler Gervase. Little is known about Gervase, but he provided a very important and detailed account of the fire of 1174, undoubtedly the greatest source of the event. As Gervase accounts, reconstruction of the Cathedral began almost immediately by a man named William of Sens, and eventually completed by his successor, William the Englishman.