glossary


This section contains definitions of terminology frequently encountered when dealing with historic buildings andmay assist when discussing insurancematters


A


abacus flatslab on top of a capital, usuallysquare in Classicaland Romanesque, circular or oval in Gothic.


abutment the solid part of a pier fromwhich an arch springs.


acanthus plant with thick scalloped leaves used as part of thedecoration of aCorinthian capital.


alcove a recess in a roomsometimes set aside for a bed.


annulet shaft-ring, found especially in Early English styles.


anthemion


ornament basedon thehoneysuckle andfrequently employed by Robert Adamandhis followers.


arcade rangeof arches supportedon piers or columns.


arabesque


geometricaland complicated decoration involving intertwined tendrils andfoliage. Used by the Greeks and Romans, it was a favourite theme of Robert Adam.


architrave


lowest of the three main parts of theentablature in classical architecture.


ashlar cut stone worked to even aces andright-angled edges.


attic top storey of a house In Classical architecture it is oftendefinedas such by aboldly projecting cornice at its base.


B


Bailey open space or courtwithin wallsofacastle, oftencalledaward in latemedieval castles.


18 Flat Living GUIDETO HeritageFlats Ball-flower


a fourteenth- centurydecoration comprising a globular flower of threepetals enclosingasmall ball.


Balustrade


series of balusters supporting a handrail or coping. Canbeusedto adorn aparapet or mark the divisions of agardenterrace.


Barge-boards


overhanging decoratedboards againstthe incline of thegable of a building.Many fine examplessurvive on half-timbered houses of the sixteenthcentury.


Baroque the architecture of the seventeenthand earlyeighteenth centuries, characterised by concave and convex wall surfaces. Sometimesthe rulesofclassical proportions


were deliberately distorted. Asymmetrywas also adeliberate characteristic of Continental Baroqueatits most extreme. In Englandthe term is limited to buildingsbetween about1660 and1730 at thehands of such architects as Wren,Hawksmoor, Vanbrugh,Talman, Archer, and Gibbs, andismuted by classicalrestraint in comparison with the Italians, Bernini, Borromini andGuarini.


Bastion projection at theangle of a fortification.


Battlement


parapetwith aseriesof indentations or embrasures known as crenels between raised portions or merlons. Such a parapetisdescribed as being crenelated.


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