Malmesbury Abbey

The interior of Malmesbury Abbey is no less remarkable, for it was one of the earliest to adopt the pointed arch, first seen at Durham. The fact that both Malmesbury and Durham were served by the same Benedictine order is not significant. In earlier Cistercian Abbeys of Fountains and Buildwas, the nave arches were also pointed. The important factor was the economy given by the reduced amount of walling above the arch, and at first, in what has been called Transitional work, the pointed arch is used together with the Romanesque.