Medieval Roof Materials

The vault is a parallel series of arches used to form a roof the most common form being a cylindrical or barrel vault vaults came into their greatest prominence in gothic architecture the dome is a hemispherical structure that can serve as a roof.

Medieval roof materials.

Today shingles are mostly made by being cut which distinguishes them from shakes which are made by being split out of a bolt. It turns out that clay roof tiles had their own name. Other material became available depending on the resources and wealth of the builder and included thatch oak shingles slates flag stone and clay tiles. The outer layer of a roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material and the nature of the supporting structure.

Castle roofs were timber framed and covered with various materials. Awareness of these and other traditions of roofing materials and their detailing will contribute to more sensitive preservation treatments. While american settlers imported slate for use in roofing as early as the 1600s quarrying slate on american soil did not begin until 1785 according to east coast builders. Roofing material is the outermost layer on the roof of a building sometimes self supporting but generally supported by an underlying structure.

The tiles replaced extremely fire prone thatched roofs. Around the edge of the room was a series of stone benches on which the members would sit. A building s roofing material provides shelter from the natural elements. Wood was cheap and the most available material.

Wooden shingle roofs were prevalent in the north american colonies while in central and southern europe at the same time thatch slate and tile were the prev. Unlike wood slate is a highly durable inflammable rot and insect resistant material. Thacktyle they were mentioned in london building codes as early as 1212 and were almost certainly in use earlier. Asphalt shingles and roll roofing were used in the 1890s.

Historically shingles were split from straight grained knot free bolts of wood. Also referred to as schist or shale building with slate roof tiles. The monastery needed a toilet reredorter and this is located in the east range. Domes have surmounted some of the most grandiose buildings of ancient roman islamic and post medieval western architecture.

Straw might seem like a very lightweight material and we hardly come across it when it comes to archeological digs of medieval settlements. But i never put clay roof tiles together with medieval england i assumed that roofs were thatch stone or slate. Thatching is another ancient roofing style using materials such as straw reeds sedge rushes or heather. An example of a large medieval barn can still be seen at cressing temple a site once owned by the knights templar.

While a thatched roof can incorporate most of the design styles used on this page including dormers the main roof is usually made of a single uninterrupted layer to avoid water leaking through.