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English Gothic went its own way in the construction of west fronts. Only relatively seldom do we see the twin-towered fronts so common in France. In their place English cathedrals and monastery churches were content with a simple straight façade, or else they competed with each other in the construction of lengthy showpiece fronts, the so-called screen façades. Such a façade is only indirectly connected with the nave opening up behind it. The façade extends across the whole building, and the towers are either set back at the sides, or rise up from just behind the wall of the façade.
The Gothic screen façade constructed on the west transept of Peterborough Cathedral is a complex design with huge arched openings. It was based both on a Romanesque façade with monumental portal niches and on a Roman triumphal arch. The towers stand back behind the gigantic arches, and statues are found only in the gables high above.
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