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Features / Roofs, vaults & domes

Roofs, vaults & domes

Hammerbeam roof

An open timber roof in which short beams project from the top of each wall, carrying posts and braces, so a wide space can be roofed without a beam tied right across.

Where to look
Wooden brackets jutting from the wall tops, often carved.
Styles
On the drawings
Not marked on the drawings.

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Cross-section of a vaulted building with a nave, two aisles and flying buttresses. Each label links to its feature. NAVE AISLE AISLE RoofPinnacleFlying buttressButtressAisleRib vaultClerestoryTriforiumArcadePierNave
Cross-sectionFor orientation: Hammerbeam roof is not drawn here.