They may be dark today because electricity bills are expensive, and lighting a whole building for the odd visitor would be wasteful, but by their contemporary standards, post-Conquest English churches are far from dark. Indeed, they're impressively light.

The Gothic style of architecture arrives in England in the twelfth century, and proliferates rapidly. The preceding Romanesque style favoured by the Anglo-Saxons and in post-Conquest Anglo-Norman builds is impressive in its own way, but is characterised by its thick pillars, and heavy, semicircular arches. You can still see surviving Anglo-Saxon Romanesque at Canford Magna Church just outside of Wimborne Minster, as well as at Winchester Cathedral. At Canford you can get a good feel of the relatively heavy and brooding nature of Romanesque arches, but Winchester Cathedral is particularly useful because you can compare the Romanesque section (around the base of the tower at the crux of the Cathedral) to the Gothic - and later perpendicular - sections.

Gothic is a much more sophisticated style that is typified by its use of 'ogives' or pointed arches over the circular arches of Romanesque, allowing for the use of ribbed vaulting rather than barrel. Combined with the flying buttress, these improvements balancing weight far more effectively and allowing for much taller, thinner walls, higher ceilings supported by finer pillars and far more spaced-out supports, allowing for the placement of vastly bigger windows than those found in Romanesque structures. The overall effect is a much taller, lighter and airier building that is generally more aesthetically pleasing.

Gothic evolves throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, until the fourteenth century sees the development of the 'Decorated Gothic' and later 'English Perpendicular' styles. Catalysed in part by the vast funds flowing into England from the Hundred Years War, Decorated Gothic is an incredibly widespread architectural trend across English churches and cathedrals, with Exeter and York being prominent examples. Often split into 'Geometric' and 'Curvilinear' periods, the 'Decorative' period features increasingly fine columns with taller and more ornate vaulting, and larger windows decorated with fine tracery.

Perhaps influenced by the Black Death, Perpendicular sees the intricacies and ornamentation of the 'decorated Gothic' style abandoned in favour of a much greater focus on vertical lines and height. The ensuing buildings are less ornate but are notable in their height and airiness and the design revolving around the interplay of light and the vertical lines from their long windows. Good examples are Gloucester Cathedral and, perhaps the most visually stunning, Kings College chapel in Cambridge. These are buildings specifically designed to capture as much light as possible. A huge number of English medieval churches are built in either the Decorative or Perpendicular style.

We also have to be aware of our tendency to conceive of religion in our modern, post-Enlightenment consciousness, in which 'worship' is a far more inclusive and interactive experience. Medieval religious practice is far more of a spectacle at which it is in your interests to be present rather than something you 'choose' to take part in. Indeed, much of the service may take place behind the rood screen, out of sight of the congregation. A medieval congregation would not be expected to follow an order of service or read from a hymn book; but stained glass windows combined with murals, rood carvings, tapestries, banners, incense and icons would provide a stunning visual display that was both educational, but also served to make a 'house worthy of God'.