Looking at Buildings

Glossary

Splayed: Of an opening: wider on one face of the wall than the other.
Splayed-foot spire: A variant of the broach spire, found in England principally in the south-east, in which the four cardinal faces are splayed out near their bases, to cover the corners, while oblique (or intermediate) faces taper away to a point.
Split cusp: In tracery in the Gothic style, a cusp or curved projection which has a v-shaped opening set within the apex. Also called a Kentish cusp.
Spring or springing: Level at which at arch or vault rises from its supports. Springers: the lowest stones of an arch or vaulting rib.
Sprocket: In a roof, a short timber placed on the back and at the foot of a rafter to form projecting eaves; hence a sprocketed roof.
Spur: Diagonal projection at the base of a moulding, column, or buttress (called a spur buttress).
Square panel: A form of timber-framed wall in which the main uprights (posts) and horizontals (rails) form large square or near-square compartments. Compare close studding.
Squinch: Arch or series of arches thrown across an interior angle of a square or rectangular structure to support a circular or polygonal superstructure, especially a dome or spire.
Squint: An aperture in a wall or through a pier, usually to allow a view of an altar. Also called a hagioscope.
Stack: A chimneystack.