A new cathedral church was built by Archbishop Lanfranc between 1071 and 1080, which included NE and SW transepts with chapels on their east sides and a central tower. The chapel in the SW Transept was dedicated to St. Michael. During the late 12th or early 13th century a flight of steps were added to the SW transept leading down to the western entrance of the crypt below, also at this time the SW transept was partially re-floored.

Major rebuilding works in the Cathedral were undertaken between the late 14th and late 15th century. This work saw the main body of Lanfranc's nave demolished west of the crossing in 1377 leaving the two western corner-towers standing. After the completion of the new nave and aisles in 1405 it was the turn of the SW transept to be rebuilt with a vaulted roof. This took place between 1420-1428. St. Michael's Chapel was also rebuilt at this time by Margaret Holland.

After the re-construction of the new nave, aisles and transepts, the last major addition to the fabric of the Cathedral was the re-builduing of its central tower or Angel Tower, which was commenced on 4th August 1433, when the first stone of the new work was placed, under the new Prior William Molashe (1420-1438). However, once the crossing piers had been cased up, the work seems to have stopped, and there was probably a temporary boarded ceiling at the high vault over the crossing from c. 1435 to c. 1490.

John Newman, 1969, The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent (Monograph). SKE7874.

Ingram Hill, D., 1976, Christ's Glorious Church, The Story of Canterbury Cathedral (Monograph). SKE30200.

Blockley, K., Sparks, M. & Tatton-Brown, T., 1997, Canterbury Cathedral Nave, Archaeology, History and Architecture (Monograph). SKE29723.