Ministerial guidelines
Architectural Heritage Protection: Guidelines for Planning Authorities
Protected structures, architectural conservation areas, curtilage, and works to historic buildings.
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht · 2011 · 267 pages
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- Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 249 BIBLIOGRAPHY Charters of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) ICOMOS, International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (‘Venice Charter’) (adopted at Venice: 1966) ICOMOS, Charter on the Preservation of Historic Gardens (‘Florence Charter’) (adopted at Florence: 1982) ICOMOS, Charter on the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas (‘Washington Charter’), (adopted at Washington: 1987) ICOMOS, Guidelines for Education and Training in the Conservation of Monuments, Ensembles and Sites (adopted at Colombo, Sri Lanka: 1993) ICOMOS, Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance (‘Burra Charter’) (adopted at Burra, Australia: 1979, revised 1999) ICOMOS, Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage (adopted at Mexico: 1999) Further information available from www.international.icomos.org Irish: Architecture Bence-Jones, Mark, A Guide to Irish Country Houses (London: Constable, 1996) Bowe, Nicola Gordon, Caron, David and Wynne, Michael, Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1988) Casey, Christine and Rowan, Alistair, The Buildings of Ireland: North Leinster (London: Penguin Books, 1993) Clarke, Howard, ed., Irish Cities (Dublin: Mercier Press, 1995) Cox, R. C., and Gould, M. H., Civil Engineering Heritage: Ireland (London: Thomas Telford Publications, 1998) Cox, Ron and Gould, Michael, Ireland’s Bridges, (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2003). Craig, Maurice, Classic Irish Houses of the Middle Size (London: The Architectural Press, 1977) Craig, Maurice, The Architecture of Ireland from the earliest times to 1880 (London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1982) Cruickshank, Dan, A Guide to the Georgian Buildings of Britain and Ireland (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1985) Dunne, Mildred and Browner, Gerry (eds.), The Courthouses of Ireland (Kilkenny: The Heritage Council, 1999) Galloway, Peter, The Cathedrals of Ireland (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1992) Garner, W., Architectural Heritage Guides (Dublin: An Foras Forbartha). Including: Cobh (1979), Bray (1980), Carlow (1980), Kinsale (1980), Tullamore (1980), Ennis (1981), Galway (1985), Drogheda (1986). A number of county surveys were also published by An Foras Forbartha, which are out of print but may be available in public libraries Glin, the Knight of, Griffin, David and Robinson, Nicholas, Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland (Dublin: The Irish Architectural Archive and the Irish Georgian Society, 1988) Griffin, David J. and Lincoln Simon, Drawings from the Architectural Archive (Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive, 1993) Irish Architectural Archive, The Architecture of Richard Morrison and William Vitrivius Morrison (Dublin: Irish Architectural Archive, 1989) Howley, James, The Follies and Garden Buildings of Ireland (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993) Irish Georgian Society, Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, the journal of the Irish Georgian Society (Kinsale: Gandon Editions, 1998 - ) Kerrigan, Paul M., Castles and Fortifications of Ireland 1485- 1945 (Cork: Collins Press, 1995) Lamb, Keith and Bowe, Patrick, A History of Gardening in Ireland (Dublin: National Botanic Gardens, 1995) Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (2 vols) (London: 1837) Loeber, Rolf, A Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Ireland 1600-1720 (London: John Murray, 1981) McAfee, Pat, Irish Stone Buildings (Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 1998) McAfee, Pat, Irish Stone Walls (Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 1997) McCullough, Niall and Mulvin, Valerie, A Lost Tradition: the nature of architecture in Ireland (Dublin: Gandon Editions, 1987) McDonald, Frank and Doyle, Peigín, Ireland’s Earthen Houses (Dublin: A & A Farmar, 1997)
- BIBLIOGRAPHY Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 250 MacLoughlin, Adrian, Streets of Ireland (Dublin: Swift Publications, 1981) McParland, Edward, Public Architecture in Ireland 1680 – 1760 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001) Malins, Edward and Bowe, Patrick, Irish Gardens and Demesnes from 1830 (London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1980) Malins, Edward and Glin, the Knight of, Lost Demesnes, Irish landscape gardening 1660 – 1845 (London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1976) Morrison, Robin & Fitz-Simon, Christopher, The Irish Village (London: Thames & Hudson, 1986) O’Dwyer, Frederick, The Architecture of Deane and Woodward (Cork: Cork University Press, 1997) O’Keeffe, Peter and Simington, Tom, Irish Stone Bridges (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1991) Roche, Nessa, The Legacy of Light, a history of Irish windows (Wicklow: Wordwell Ltd. 1999) Rothery, Seán, A Field Guide to the Buildings of Ireland (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1997) Rothery, Seán, Ireland and the New Architecture (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1991) Rowan, Alistair, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (London: Penguin Books, 1979) Shaffrey, Maura and Patrick, Buildings of Irish Towns (Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 1983) Shaffrey, Maura and Patrick, Irish Countryside Buildings (Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 1985) Simms, Anngret and Andrews, J.H., eds., Irish Country Towns (Dublin: Mercier Press, 1994) Simms, Anngret and Andrews, J.H., eds., More Irish Country Towns (Dublin: Mercier Press; 1995) Williams, Jeremy, A Companion Guide to Architecture in Ireland 1837 – 1921 (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1994) Irish: General Construction Industry Federation, The Register of Heritage Contractors (Dublin: 2001) Dooley, Terence A. M., Sources for the History of Landed Estates in Ireland (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2000) Helferty, Seamus and Refaussé, Ray, A Directory of Irish Archives (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1993) Heritage Council, Heritage Appraisal of Development Plans – A Methodology for Planning Authorities (Kilkenny: 2000). For information on other Heritage Council publications see www.heritagecouncil.ie/publications Irish Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, The Place of Worship (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 1994) Irish Georgian Society, Traditional Building and Conservation Skills: Register of Practitioners (Dublin: 1998, revised 2000). Also available at www.igs.ie Irish Professional Conservators and Restorers Association Irish Conservation Directory, (Dublin: 1998) Nolan, William and Simms, Anngret, eds., Irish Towns – A Guide to Sources (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1998) Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, Guidelines for the Conservation of Buildings (Dublin: RIAI, 2001) Technical Guidance Ashurst, John and Nicola, Practical Building Conservation (5 volumes) (Aldershot: Gower Technical Press, 1988 reprinted 1998) Brereton, Christopher, The Repair of Historic Buildings: advice on principles and methods (London: English Heritage, 1991) Bristow, Ian, Architectural Colour in British Interiors 1615-1840 and Interior House-Painting Colours and Technology 1615-1840 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996) Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, Overcoming the Barriers, providing physical access to historic buildings (Cardiff: CADW, 2002). Further technical conservation advice available from www.cadw.wales.gov.uk Cork Corporation, Best Practice Guide, A practical approach to conservation based on experience in restoring one of Cork’s mid-18th century terraces (Cork: Cork Corporation, 1997) Davey, Heath, Hodges, Ketchin and Milne, The Care and Conservation of Georgian Houses (Oxford: Butterworth Architecture, 1986, reprinted 1991)
- Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 251 BIBLIOGRAPHY English Heritage, Framing Opinions Nos. 1-7 (London: English Heritage, 1991 - ). A series of advisory leaflets on window and door conservation. Further information available from www.english-heritage.org.uk Fawcett, Jane, Historic Floors: their care and conservation (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998) Feilden, Bernard, Conservation of Historic Buildings (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemannn, 1982, reprinted 1995) Foster, Lisa, Access to the Historic Environment – Meeting the Needs of Disabled People (Shaftesbury: Donhead Publishing Ltd., 1996) Historic Scotland, Conservation Publications (Edinburgh: TCRE Group/Sottish Conservation Bureau, 1992 - ). Series of technical advice notes, study reports, guides and conference proceedings. Further information available from www.historic-scotland.gov.uk Keohane Frank, ed., Period Houses – A Conservation Guidance Manual (Dublin: Dublin Civic Trust, 2001) Lawrence, David, The Care of Stained Glass (Kilkenny: The Heritage Council, 2004) Munn, Harry, Joinery for Repair and Restoration Contracts (Painscastle: Attic Books, 1983 reprinted 1989) Nash, W.G., Brickwork Repair and Restoration (Painscastle: Attic Books, 1986 reprinted 1989) Parissien, Steven, The Georgian Group Book of the Georgian House (London: Aurum Press Ltd., 1995 republished 1999) Pavía, Sara and Bolton, Jason, Stone, Brick and Mortar: historic use, decay and conservation of building materials in Ireland (Wicklow: Wordwell Ltd., 2000) Pearson, Gordon T., Conservation of Clay and Chalk Buildings (Shaftesbury: Donhead Publishing Ltd., 1992) Powys, A. R., Repair of Ancient Buildings (London: SPAB, 1995, first published 1929) Ridout, Brian, Timber Decay in Buildings (London: E & FN Spon, 2000) Robson, Patrick, Structural Repair of Traditional Buildings (Shaftesbury: Donhead Publishing Ltd., 1999) Sandwith, Hermione and Stainton, Sheila, The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping (London: Viking, 1991) Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB); Information Sheets and Technical Pamphlets (London: SPAB, 1986 - ). Further information available from www.spab.org.uk Stagg, W.D., and Masters, R., Decorative Plasterwork Repair and Restoration (Painscastle: Attic Books, 1983 reprinted 1986) U.S. Department of the Interior, Preservation Briefs Nos. 1 - 42 (Washington, DC: Preservation Assistance Division, National Park Service). Further information available from www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs Other British Standards Institution, Guide to the Principles of the Conservation of Historic Buildings, BS 7913:1998 (London: 1998) Kerr, James Semple, The Conservation Plan (Sydney: National Trust of Australia, 1982, revised 1996) Thornes, Robin & Bold, John eds., Documenting the Cultural Heritage (Los Angeles: The Getty Information Institute, 1998)
- GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 252 Glossary of Architectural and Building Terms Aggregate Material such as sand or small stones used, when mixed with a binder and water, to form a mortar or concrete. Anaglyptic paper An embossed, decorative paper used on walls, dados and ceilings, particularly popular in the late Victorian period. Anchor plate A plate, usually of metal, fixed to the face of a wall and to which the ends of structural reinforcement, or tie bars, are bolted. Also known as a tie plate. Apron A panel below another significant feature, particularly the area of wall beneath a window. Architrave In Classical architecture, the lowest part of an entablature immediately above the columns. The term is also commonly used to describe a moulded surround to an opening, covering the joint between the door or window frame and the wall face. Arris A sharp edge at an external angle produced by the meeting of two surfaces. Art Deco A term used to describe a decorative style popular in the 1920s and 1930s, identified with the jazz age and characterised by strong geometric design. Arts and Crafts An architectural, artistic and social movement begun in England by William Morris in the mid-nineteenth century to revive the traditional skills of the mediaeval craftsman and to encourage the use of local materials. Ashlar Cut stone worked to even faces and right-angled edges and laid in a regular pattern with fine joints. Balconette A small iron balcony fixed to a window sill for either decorative reasons or to hold a window box or plant pots. Bargeboard Inclined board fixed at the gable end of a roof to cover and protect the ends of the roof timbers. Highly decorated in some styles of architecture. Bell-cote A small housing to hold a bell. Blocking course The course of masonry erected above a cornice to visually and structurally anchor it. Brace A timber or steel element set diagonally between two structural members to strengthen the joint or to reinforce a structural frame. Bracket An element designed to support, or to give the appearance of support to, a projecting weight. Some brackets are also called corbels and, in Classical architecture, consoles. Cames Grooved metal strips, usually of zinc or lead, holding glass pieces together in lattice or patterned glazing or in stained-glass windows. Casement A window frame hinged at one side to open like a door. Cast iron Also known as pig iron, this is a ferrous metal formed by pouring into moulds which allows it to be made into decorative panels. Cast iron is also used for structural elements but, while it performs well in compression, it is weak in tension. Cement A binding material mixed with aggregate and water to form a mortar or concrete. The term is usually taken to mean an artificial cement such as Portland cement. Cheek The vertical side of a dormer window. Coade stone A ceramic material manufactured by Mrs Eleanor Coade and her daughter in Lambeth between 1769 and c.1840. It was widely used in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in architectural ornament and has proved extremely durable. Concrete A strong quick-setting material made from cement, aggregate and water. Concrete can be cast in situ or in precast units. It can be used alone as mass concrete or cast around steel rods to increase its tensile strength, when it is known as reinforced concrete.
- Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 253 GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Console A carved or moulded bracket used in Classical architecture. Coping A capping or covering to the top of a wall to prevent water entering the core of the wall. Corbel A projecting cantilevered block supporting elements over it such as a floor beam or truss. Cornice In Classical architecture, the highest projecting part of an entablature resting on the frieze. The term is also commonly used to describe any moulded decoration marking the junction between wall and ceiling. Cottage orné A picturesque, rustic house usually built to an asymmetric plan form and characterised by decorative timber features and elaborate thatched roofing. In Ireland, this building type usually dates to the first half of the nineteenth century. Coving A concave treatment of plaster at the junction between walls or ceilings. Cramp A metal strap or pin built into a wall to hold together elements such as adjacent blocks of stone. Cresting An ornamental finish, usually of iron, along the top of a screen, wall or the ridge of a roof. Sometimes known as ridge-combs when formed in terracotta. Cupola In Classical architecture, a small domed structure on top of a dome or a roof. Curtilage Although a word in common use and an important legal concept, curtilage has never been defined in law and so its meaning is open to interpretation (see Chapter 13 above). Dado The lower panelled portion of an internal wall, often surmounted by a moulded chair, or dado, rail. The dado rail was often used on its own, without the panelling below. Damp-proof course An impervious layer built into a wall a little above ground level to prevent rising damp or below window sills and above lintels to prevent water penetration of the interior of the building. Usually abbreviated to ‘dpc’. Demesne That part of the historic estate associated with a country house which was reserved for the personal use and enjoyment of the owner. Door leaf The openable part of a door. It may be connected by side hinges to a frame or slide horizontally. Dormer window A vertical window in a sloping roof with a roof of its own. Dovecote A building housing pigeons or doves usually with small perching niches in the walls. Often a feature of country house estates. Downlighter A light fixture fixed to or recessed into the ceiling casting light predominantly downwards. Downpipe A vertical pipe which carries rainwater from the roof to a lower level or to the ground. Dry rot The common name for the fungus Serpula lacrymans which feeds on damp timber in poorly ventilated spaces causing the timber to lose strength and to develop characteristic cuboidal cracking. Eaves The lower edge of a sloping roof which overhangs the wallhead. Electro-osmosis A system to prevent rising damp within a wall, consisting of anodes inserted into a wall and linked by earthed wires along the base of the building. A small electric charge run through the system is intended to have the effect of repelling water molecules rising through the wall. Enfilade A suite of rooms, with aligned doors, opening off each other in sequence, thus creating a vista through the rooms when all doors are open. Entablature The upper part of a Classical order, supported by columns or pilasters and consisting of three horizontal bands: architrave, frieze and cornice. Escutcheon A cover plate to a keyhole.
- GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 254 Faïence Glazed terracotta used as decorative cladding and usually fixed to the interior or exterior of a building in flat or moulded panels. Fanlight A semi-circular or semi-elliptical glazed area above a door. A similar rectangular feature is generally called an overlight but is often colloquially referred to as a fanlight Fascia A horizontal board. Usually given to the name-board above traditional shopfronts or to the flat vertical board that protects projecting ends of roof rafters at the eaves and to which the gutter can be fixed. Traditional eaves detailing in Ireland does not use fascia boards. Fenestration The arrangement of windows in a façade or other wall. Finial An ornamental capping to a pinnacle, spire, gable etc. Fire mark A plaque or plate issued by insurance companies and fixed to buildings to enable an insurance company to identify buildings insured by it. In Ireland fire marks usually date to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Fireskin The protective outer layer formed during the firing process on the surface of bricks and terracotta units. Flashing A flat sheet of impervious material, usually lead, zinc or copper, covering the junction between materials or elements of a building to prevent water penetration. Flitch beam A timber beam with an inserted metal plate (flitch plate) to reinforce its structural strength. Folly A fanciful building erected in a designed landscape often with no specific purpose other than to form an eyecatcher. French drain A trench filled with gravel or other loose material to collect ground water and deflect it away from a building. French window A pair of glazed external doors usually leading onto a garden, terrace or balcony. Frieze The central portion of a Classical entablature located below the cornice and above the architrave. Can be plain or decorated. Gable The area of wall at the end of a pitched roof between the level of the eaves and the apex, usually triangular in shape. Gallets See ‘pinnings’. Gargoyle A projecting water-spout designed to throw rainwater from a roof away from the wall. Often carved into grotesque heads of human or animal figures. Gauged brickwork Precisely-made brickwork laid with fine joints often of pure lime putty. Gesso A composition of gypsum and size which provides a smooth absorbent white surface. Used in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to add ornament to timberwork. Graining Also known as ‘scumbling’. A decorative paint technique imitating the grain of timber. Ha-Ha A ditch with one vertical side and one sloping side used in landscape design as a means of containing livestock while maintaining an uninterrupted view. Haunching The building up of a mortar fillet around an element such as a pipe or the base of a column. Hipped roof A roof which slopes on all four sides, i.e. without gables. Hopper head A receptacle for collecting rainwater from gutters and channeling it into downpipes. Icehouse An underground or semi-underground chamber built to store ice or snow throughout the summer and to provide a cold store to keep food products fresh. Usually associated with a large country house estate.
- Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 255 GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Indenting The process of replacing a damaged stone or part of a stone by inserting a piece of new matching stone. Intumescent A material used in strips or as a paint which expands on heating, such as in a fire, to seal gaps, prevent the spread of smoke and cut off the oxygen supply to the fire. Used to increase the fire resistance of doors or other elements of a building. Ironmongery The hardware associated with a door or window such as locks, hinges, handles and the like. Also known as door or window furniture. Joists Timber or steel horizontally spanning elements, usually in a parallel series, carrying floors or ceilings. Jostle stones Usually cylindrical stones set adjacent to the corners of buildings or gateways to protect from damage by the wheels of passing vehicles. Also known as ‘wheel guards’. Keystone The central stone of an arch, sometimes prominently decorated. Kneeler The larger stone at the base of a gable which restrains the inclined coping stones above it and keeps them in place. Also known as a ‘gable springer’. Laths Thin strips of wood, often chestnut or oak, forming a base for plaster. Lime-ash A floor-covering formed using the residue from the bottom of a lime kiln after firing, combining it with gypsum and water to produce a composite material which, when laid over a bedding material, formed a hard and durable flooring material usually for upper floors of a building. Lime, hydraulic Hydraulic limes contain a percentage of clay which produces a pozzolanic effect in mortars, that is, the mortars set chemically assisted by the presence of water. Hydraulic limes can be naturally occurring or can be artificially made. Lime mortar A mortar made from lime putty, aggregate and water that, on exposure to air, carbonises and hardens. Lime, non-hydraulic Non-hydraulic limes are pure, or almost pure, lime. Mortars made of non-hydraulic limes can only set through contact with air, a process known as carbonation. Lime putty A soft putty made from slaking quicklime in water. Used as a binder in most traditional mortars and renders prior to the invention of Portland cement. Limewash A form of thin lime putty used as a paint or protective coating. It differs from whitewash which is a mixture of chalk and water that does not carbonate. Lintel A horizontal beam, usually of timber, iron or stone, which spans across a structural opening. Louvre A series of horizontal sloping slats set in an opening which allow air and light to enter, but not rain. Lych gate A covered, usually timber, gateway with open sides at the entrance to a churchyard which traditionally provided a resting-place for a coffin. Mason’s mark A symbol or initial cut into stonework by the mason executing the work. Usually associated with mediaeval masonry. Mechanical damage Damage caused by impact. Mews Stabling with living accommodation above. Usually built at the rear of large town houses. Modern Movement A functional undecorated style of architecture associated with the first half of the twentieth century. Mortar The mixture of a binder (such as lime or cement), aggregate and water to form a substance used to bind stones or bricks together in a masonry wall. Mullion An upright between the lights of a window. Nail sickness The widespread failure of the nails holding roof slates in place, usually due to rusting.
- GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 256 Newel The large post at either end of a flight of stairs into which the handrail is fixed. Nogging The infilling between timber studs in a partition to strengthen and stiffen them. Nosing The projecting edge of the tread of a step. Oriel window A projecting or bay window to an upper floor. Overlight See ‘fanlight’. Parapet The part of a wall that rises above a roof or terrace. Pebble-dashing A decorative finish to external walls in which pebbles are pushed into or thrown onto wet render and left exposed. Pediment In Classical architecture, a form of decorative treatment of a gable, often with sculpture to its tympanum. Although usually triangular, can also be arched or segmental. Also used above door and window openings. Pilaster A flat column-like projection from a wall with the profile of the orders of the Classical language of architecture and carrying an entablature. Pinnings Also known as ‘gallets’ or ‘spalls’. Small pieces of stone or other material pressed into the mortar joints of a wall either as decoration or to reduce the amount of mortar required and thus reduce the danger of shrinkage. Plaster A surface covering for internal walls and ceilings. Traditionally made of lime, sand and water, sometimes reinforced with animal hair or straw, and applied wet. Plinth The projecting base of a wall or column. Portico A covered, open entrance in a Classical composition, with columns supporting the roof. It is often surmounted by a pediment. Portland cement An artificial cement invented by Joseph Aspdin in 1824 and so called because of its perceived resemblance to Portland stone. It sets rapidly and is very hard when set. Pugging A coarse material, usually sand or mortar, added between the joists of a timber floor or the studs of a timber partition to enhance sound insulation. Quarry In leaded-light glazing, a small square or diamond-shaped piece of glass. Quarry sap The moisture found in newly quarried stone which makes it easier to work. Quoin A dressed stone forming the corner of a building, often decorated or raised. Rafter A sloping timber roof beam running from eaves to ridge and supporting the roof-covering. Reconstituted stone A type of precast concrete which uses as aggregate a large percentage of stone particles. Redressing The cutting back of a material, usually stone, to a new surface. Render A mixture of a binder (such as lime or cement), an aggregate and water to form a coarse plaster which is applied to the external surfaces of walls (see also ‘roughcast’). Repointing The act of replacing mortar in the face joints of brickwork or stonework following either the erosion of the original mortar or its removal through raking out. Reveals The sides of an opening for a door or window, between the frame and the face of the wall. If cut at an angle, it may be called a splayed reveal. Ridge The apex of a pitched roof. Ridge-combs See ‘cresting’.
- Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 257 GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Roughcast A render covering for an external wall which is applied by throwing the mixture onto the wall. Also known as ‘wet dash’. Rubble masonry Walls made of rough unworked stones, often field boulders, of irregular size and shape. The stones can be laid completely at random or brought to courses. Rustication In Classical architecture, the treatment of a wall surface with strong texture. In ashlar, rustication is often achieved by forming deep grooves in the joints or by working the surface of the stone. Sash window A sash is one of a pair of glazed frames which slide past each other within a frame. The sashes can slide either vertically or horizontally but vertically sliding sash windows are by far the more common in Ireland, and are usually counterbalanced using pulleys and weights. Scagliola A composition of gypsum or sulphate of lime made to imitate marble. Scarfing The uniting of two pieces of timber to form a continuous length without increasing the depth or width of the beam at the joint. Secondary glazing The addition of an extra pane of glass inside the existing glazing. It differs from double-glazing in that secondary glazing is often held within a separate frame and is installed for reasons of acoustic insulation rather than thermal insulation. Sett A rough-hewn cube of stone or timber used for paving. Shake A timber roof tile, usually of oak or cedar, split along the fissures radiating from the centre of a piece of timber. Shelter coat A sacrificial coating of limewash or thin render applied to a surface to protect it from deterioration. Shingle A timber roof tile, usually of oak or cedar, sawn or cleft along the grain of the timber. Also used as a wall cladding. Sill guards A metal obstacle, sometimes decoratively treated, fixed to a ground-floor windowsill to prevent its use as a seat or to protect it from accidental damage. Size/Sizing A liquid sealant for coating wood or plaster to prevent paint or varnish applied over it being too much absorbed into the substrate. Solder Any easily melted alloy used for joining metals. Spalling The breaking away of small chips or flakes of stone or concrete. Spandrel A triangular panel in the corner between a vertical and horizontal structural member. Specification A written description of work to be undertaken, including the materials to be used, the method of work and the finishing technique. Splicing The letting-in of a small piece to repair a damaged element of joinery. Stall riser In a shopfront, the panelled area below the sill of the display window. String course A moulding or projecting course continued horizontally across the wall of a building. Strut Part of a truss taking vertical loading. Stucco A plaster containing gypsum, lime and marble powder. Can be used externally to imitate ashlar or internally in ceiling or wall decoration. Stud A vertical timber member forming the frame of a partition. Terracotta Literally meaning ‘burnt clay’, the term is usually used to describe a more finely grained ceramic than brick or tile and is used for wall facings, chimney pots and the like.
- GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 258 Terrazzo A hard flooring material containing marble chippings mixed with cement which is laid in situ, then ground and polished to a smooth finish. Tie A structural member which acts in tension. Tracery Ornamental intersecting timber or stone mullions and transoms in a window, panel or vault. Typical of the Gothic or Gothic-Revival styles. Transom A horizontal element of stone or timber between the lights of a window. Tread end The vertical surface to the side of a step in a staircase, sometimes decoratively finished with moulded or carved work. Truss A framed structure spanning between walls or columns and supporting a roof. Tuck-pointing A decorative form of pointing giving the effect of gauged brickwork. The joints are filled with a mortar matching the colour of the brickwork. A thin groove or tuck is then cut into the mortar and filled with white lime putty. Tympanum The area enclosed within a pediment, or the space between lintel and arch above, often carved or decorated. Veranda An open gallery or balcony on the outside of a building with a roof supported on light timber or iron posts. Verge The sloping edge of a pitched roof above the gable. Voussoir A wedge-shaped stone or brick forming part of an arch. The middle voussoir is called a keystone and is often carved and decorated. Wall plate A horizontal timber piece laid along the top of a wall to receive the ends of the rafters. Wet rot A generic term for fungi which feed on wet, or sodden, timber causing it to soften and lose strength. Wheel-guards See ‘jostle stones’. Wicket A small door or gate set within a larger one to allow pedestrian access while avoiding the need to open the full door or gate. Wrought iron A ferrous metal smelted and then worked, or wrought, by hammering. Much used for elements such as railings and gates. It can also be used for structural members but while it performs well in tension, it is weak in compression.
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