Today in History: Ely Cathedral Collapsed

On this night (February 12-13) in 1322 the central tower of Ely Cathedral collapsed. The Gothic cathedrals are the great architectural achievements of the Middle Ages. Some are so large that a sixteen story building could be set inside the central space. But building that high was often an experience of trial and error with vaults, arches and flying buttresses and this time the architect guessed wrong. They were very fortunate that the tower came down during the night and not during services.