A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called "...the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter". They are traditionally timber framed, using short beams projecting from the wall on which the rafters land, essentially a tie beam which has the middle cut out. These short beams are called hammer-beams and give this truss its name. A hammerbeam roof can have a single, double or false hammerbeam truss.
Interior of the Middle Temple hall and its double-hammerbeam roof
Westminster Hall in the early 19th century
A modern hammerbeam roof at Windsor Castle
The restored new single hammerbeam roof in the Great Hall at Stirling Castle.
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed arches, rib vaults, buttresses, and extensive use of stained glass. Combined, these features allowed the creation of buildings of unprecedented height and grandeur, filled with light from large stained glass windows. Important examples include Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. The Gothic style endured in England much longer than in Continental Europe.
Image: Lincoln Cathedral Presbytery, Lincolnshire, UK Diliff
Image: Canterbury cathedral wyrdlight
Image: Cambridge King's College Chapel Vault
Salisbury Cathedral (1220–1258) (tower and spire later)