Copy of `Castles on the Web - Castle Terms`

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Castles on the Web - Castle Terms Category: Architecture and Buildings > Castles Date & country: 10/09/2007, USA Words: 251

Roofridge
Summit line of roof.

Rubble
Fill; unsquared stone not laid in courses.

Rustication
Worked ashlar stone with the faces left rough.

Salient
Wall projection, arrowhead.

Sally-port
Small heavily fortified side door from which the defenders can rush out, strike, and retire.

Saltire
Diagonal, equal-limbed cross.

Scaffolding
The temporary wooden frame work built next to a wall to support both workers and materials.

Scale
Carving resembling overlapping fish scales.

Scallop
Carved in a series of semi-circles.

Scappled
Cut to a smooth face.

Scarp
Slope on inner side of ditch.

Segmental
Less than a semi-circle.

Set back-off
Ledge on wall face.

Shaft
Narrow column.

Shell-keep
Circular or oval wall surrounding inner portion of castle; usually stores and accommodations inside the hollow walls.

Sill
Lower horizontal face of an opening.

Sleeper
Lowest horizontal timber (or low wall).

Soffit
Underside of arch, hung parapet, or opening.

Solar
Upper living room , often over the great hall; the lord's private living room.

Spandrel
Area between top of a column or pier and the apex of the arch springing from it.

Splay
Chamfer, or sloping face.

Spring
Level at which the springers (voussoirs) of an arch rise from their supports.

Squint
Observation hole in wall or room.

Stepped
Recessed in a series of ledges.

Steyned
Lined (like in a well).

Stockade
Solid fence of heavy timbers.

Stringcourse
Continuous horizontal moulding on wallface.

Tau cross
Plain T cross with equal limbs.

Tooth-in
Stones removed (or omitted) to allow another wall to be bonded into it.

Tracery
Intersecting ribwork in upper part of window.

Transom
Horizontal division of window; crossbar.

Trefoil
Three-lobed.

Truss
A timber frame used to support the roof over the great hall.

Tufa
Cellular rock; porous limestone.

Turning bridge
A drawbridge that pivots in the middle.

Turret
Small tower, round or polygonal; usually a lookout.

Tympanum
Space between lintel and arch over doorway.

Vault
Stone roofing.

Vitrified
Material reduced to glass by extreme heat.

Volute
Spiral scroll at angle of a capital.

Voussoir
Wedge-shaped stones in arch.

Wall-plate
Horizontal roof-timber on wall-top.

Wall-stair
Staircase built into the thickness of a wall.

Wall-walk
Passage along castle wall; may be roofed.

Water-leaf
Plain broad leaf moulding.

Wattle
A mat of woven (willow) sticks and weeds; used in wall and dike construction.

Wave
Sinuous moulding.

Weathering
Sloping surface to throw off rainwater.

Wicket
Person-sized door set into the main gate door.

Wing-wall
Wall downslope of motte to protect stairway.

Yett
Iron lattice gate.