Pages 41 - 59 Summary and Analysis

The construction of the roof continues as the frames are set up with trusses. The roof timbers are thickly coated in pitch to prevent them from rotting. Huge sheets of roofing lead are made on the ground and then hoisted into place. The lead sheets are used to cover the wooden frame making a weatherproof roof; they are attached with nails. Lead drain pipes are located around the roof and lead to stone gutters across the flying buttresses to down spouts located on the buttresses. The down spouts are stone sculptures made to look like frightening monsters—they are called gargoyles. When it rains, the water shoots out the mouths of the gargoyles. Page 43 illustrates a typical gargoyle, and page 44 shows an elevation schematic of a stone gutter leading across a flying buttress to a gargoyle down spout...