Gothic architecture in France, England, and Italy . r annihilate it or divert it. Thelower thrust CD is annihilated by the enormous load of Thrustthe superstructure which overpowers it by direct vertical latedpressure: the upper is partly diverted by means of the Thrustflying buttress to the great buttress pier E, and partlyconverted into a downward direction by the thrust ofthe flying buttress at F. Everything depends on theimmobility of this great pier E, which is the ultimate immo-point dappui in which all the conflicting forces find rest, buttress pier1 This actually happened at S. Thomass
Gothic architecture in France, England, and Italy . r annihilate it or divert it. Thelower thrust CD is annihilated by the enormous load of Thrustthe superstructure which overpowers it by direct vertical latedpressure: the upper is partly diverted by means of the Thrustflying buttress to the great buttress pier E, and partlyconverted into a downward direction by the thrust ofthe flying buttress at F. Everything depends on theimmobility of this great pier E, which is the ultimate immo-point dappui in which all the conflicting forces find rest, buttress pier1 This actually happened at S. Thomass Church, Portsmouth, which itfell to my lot to repair. J. G. A. 4 5Q THE GOTHIC VAULT [CH. Ill Inwardthrust offlyingbuttress From this pier the nave vault might be stayed by asingle prop of timber without any flying buttress, and infact when we are called upon to rebuild a flying buttresswhat we do is to supply its place temporarily with justsuch a prop. But the stone arch EF is something morethan a prop : for were the nave wall away it is obvious. Fig. 18. the arch would fall inwards towards the nave by its ownweight. This weight therefore constitutes a thrust againstthe nave wall,—for thrust after all is only a matter ofweight,—and this helps to divert the thrust AB into amore vertical direction which is of course more easilyresisted. It is curious that this inward thrust of the ch. in] THE GOTHIC VAULT 51 flying buttress, which surely is of value, does not seemto have been appreciated by the French architects, whooften put a small shaft close against the nave wall tosupport the head of the flying arch at F, thereby pre-venting it from exercising any pressure on the wall, andtreating it merely as a prop to convey the thrust uponthe great buttress pier E1. Arrived at this point Gothic architecture may be End ofconsidered to have shaken off the last traces of Roman traditiontradition. It was bound by no formula of module andminute, by no stereotyped plan for house or temple
Size: 1334px × 1874px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorjacksont, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1915
