Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/528

Rh 470 tmeommon in France at very early periods. Viollet-le-Duc gives examples from St Germer and St Reini, and there is one of similar form at the west front of Rochester Cathedral. In the later Norman period, two examples have been cited, one from Bredon in Worcestershire, and the other from Cleevo in Glou cestershire. In these the buttresses run up, forming a sort of square turret, and crowned with a pyramidal cap, very much like those of the- next period, the Early English. In this and the following styles the pinnacle seems generally to have had its appropriate uses. It was a weight to counteract the thrust of the groining of roofs, particularly where there were flying buttresses ; it stopped the tendency to slip of the stone copings of the gables, and counterpoised the thrust of spires ; it formed the piers to steady the elegant perforated parapets of later periods ; and in France especially served to counterbalance the weight of overhang ing corbel tables, huge gargoyles, &c. In the Early English period the smaller buttresses frequently finished with GABLETS (which see), and the more important with pinnacles supported with clustered shafts. At this period the pinnacles were often sup ported on these shafts alone, and were open below ; and in larger work in this and the subsequent periods they frequently form niches and contain statues. About the Transition and during the Decorated period, the different faces above the angle shafts often finish with gablcts. Those of the last-named period are much richer, and are generally decorated with crockets and fmials, and sometimes with ball-flowers. Very fine groups are found at Eeverley Minster and at the rise of the spire of St Mary s, Oxford. Perpendicular pinnacles differ but little from Decorated, except that the crockets and finials are of later character. They are also often set angle-ways, particularly on parapets, and the shafts are panelled. In France, pinnacles, like spires, si cm to have been in use earlier than in England. There are small pinnacles at the angles of the tower in the Abbey of Saintes. At Roullet there are pinnacles in a similar position, each composed of four small shafts, with caps and bases surmounted with small pyra midal spires. In all these examples the towers have semicircular headed windows. . PISCINA, one or more hollows or cuvettes near the altars, with drains to take away the water used in the ablutions at the mass. They seem at first to have been mere cups or small basins, supported on perforated stems, placed close to the wall, and afterwards to have been recessed therein and covered with niche heads, which often contained shelves to serve as aumbries. They are rare in England till the 13th century, after which there is scarcely an altar without one. They frequently take the form of a double niche, with a shaft between the arched heads, which are often filled with elaborate tracing. PITCH OF A ROOF, the proportion of the height of a roof to its span. (See GABLE.) PLAN, a horizontal geometrical section of the walls of a building ; or indications, on a horizontal plane, of the relative positions of the walls and partitions, with the various openings, such as windows and doors, recesses and projections, chimneys and chimney-breasts, columns, pilasters, &c. This term is often incorrectly used in the sense of DESIGN, q.v. PL.YNCEER is sometimes used in the same sense as soffit, but i- more correctly applied to the soffit of the corona in a cornice. PLASTERING (Fr. pldtre, Ital. Monaco, Ger. Putzarbeil), a mixture of lime, hair, and sand, to cover lath-work between timbers or rough walling, used from the earliest times, and very common in Roman work. In the Middle Ages, too, it was used not only in private but in public constructions. On the inside face of old rubble walls it was not only used for purposes of cleanliness, rough work holding dirt and dust, but as a ground for distemper painting (tempera, or, as it is often improperly called, fresco},. a, species of ornament often used in the Middle Ages. At St Alban s Abbey the Norman work is plastered and covered with lines imitating the joints of stone. The same thing is found in the Perpendicular work at Ash in Kent. On the outside of the like walls, and often of wood-framing, it was used as rough cast; when ornamented in patterns outside, it is called pargetting. ILINTH (Gr. irXfi/0or, a square tile). In the Roman orders the lowest member of the base of a column is square and vertically faced ; this is called a plinth. PODIUM, strictly something upon or against which the foot may be placed ; and in this sense, probably, it was applied to the wall which bounds the arena of an amphitheatre, and is thereby at the feet of the most advanced of the spectators. Pfii.YTRiGLYpn, an intercolumniation in the Doric order of more than two triglyphs. (See MONOTRIGLYPII, DITRIGLYPH, and TRIGLYFH.) 1 OMMEL, a name given to any round knob, as a boss, a finial, &c. POPPY HEADS, probably from the French poupdc, the finials or other ornaments which terminate the tops of bench ends, either to pews or stalls. They are sometimes small human heads, sometimes richly-carved imngps, knots of foliages, or fi rials, and sometimes [GLOSSARY. fleurs-de-lis simply cut out of the thickness of the bench end and chamfered. PORCH (Gr. yapflrjf, Lat. porticus, Fr. porche, Ital. portico, Ger. Vorhallc), a covered erection forming a shelter to the entrance door of a large building. The earliest known are the long arcaded porches in front of the early Christian basilicas, called NARTHEX (which see). In later times they assume two forms one the projecting erection covering the entrance at the west front of cathedrals, and divided into three or more doorways, &c., and the other a kind of covered chambers open at the ends, and having small windows at the sides as a protection from rain. These generally stand on the north or south sides of churches, though in Kent there are a few instances (as Snodland and Boxley) where they are at the west ends. Porches are of very early use. Those of the Norman period generally have but little projection, and are sometimes so flat as to be but little more than outer dressings and hood-moulds to the inner door. They are, however, often very richly ornamented, and, as at Southwell in England and Kelso in Scotland, have rooms over, which have been erroneously called parvises. (See PARADISE.) Early English porches are much longer, or project much further from the faces of the churches to which they are attached, and in larger and more important buildings have very frequently rooms above ; the gables are generally bold and high pitched. In larger buildings also, as at AVells, St Albans, &c., the interiors are very rich in design, quite as much so, in fact, as the exteriors. Decorated and Per pendicular porches partake of much the same characteristics, the pitch of roof, mouldings, copings, battlements, &c., being of course influenced by the taste of the time. As a general rule, however, the later porches had rooms over them more frequently than in earlier times ; these are often approached from the lower story by small winding stairs, and sometimes have fire-places, and are supposed to have served as vestries ; and sometimes thero are the remains of a piscina, and relics of altars, as if they had been used as chantry chapels. It is probable there were wooden porches at all periods, particularly in those places where stono was scarce ; but, as may be expected from their exposed position, the earliest have decayed. At Cobham, Surrey, there was one that had ranges of semicircular arches in oak at the sides, of strong Norman character, which is now unfortunately destroyed. It is said there are several in which portkms of Early English work still are traceable, as at Chevington, in Suffolk. In the Decorated and later periods, however, wooden porches are very common, some plain, and others with richly carved tracery and barge boards ; these frequently stand on a sort of half story of stone work or bahut. The entrance porches at the west end of our cathedrals are generally called portals, and where they assume the character of separate buildings, are designated galilccs. Both these are more common on the Continent than in England. Many of the French cathedrals have the doors so deeply recessed as to be almost like open porches. These are called portails or portes abrites. Many, however, have detached porches in front of the portals themselves. The noblest example of an open projecting western porch in England, and probably in the world, is at Peterborough, of the Early English periol, attached to the Early Norman nave. PORTAL (Fr. porta.it, Ital. portonc), a name given to the deeply recessed and richly decorated entrance doors to the cathedrals on the Continent. PORTCULLIS (M. Lat. cataracta, Fr. Jicrse, coulisse, Ital. saracinesca, Ger. Fallgatter), a strong-framed grating of oak, the lower points shod with iron, and sometimes entirely made of metal, hung so as to slide up and down in grooves with counterbalances, and intended to protect the gateways of castles, &c. The defenders having opened the gates and lowered the portcullis, could send arrows and darts through the gratings, and yet the assailants could not enter. One of these constructions was in existence until modern times in a gateway at York ; they are said not to be older than the 12th century, and were probably (as their Italian name imports) invented as a defence against the sudden attacks of the Saracens on the coasts of that country. PORTICO (an Italicism of the Lat. porticus), an open space before the door or other entrance to any building fronted with columns. A portico is distinguished as prostyle or in antis according as it projects from or recedes within the building, and is further designated by the number of columns its front may consist of. (See DISTYLE, TETRASTYLE, HEXASTYLE, OCTASTYLE, &c.) PORTICU.S. In an amphiprostylar or peripteral temple this term is used to distinguish the portico at the entrance from that behind, which is called the posticum. POST AND PANE WORK, a name given to the carpentry framing of old wooden houses, panne in old French signifying any hori zontal piece of timber, as a head, sill, or purlin, though its use now is confined to the latter, sills and plates at present being called sabliercs. Where timber was abundant, and stone scarce and dear to work, timber-framed, houses naturally abounded. The posts or uprights seem iu early times to have been con-