Aisled and Quasi-Aisled Construction

A roof could span only a limited width, usually about eighteen feet and rarely more than twenty feet, without increasing the size of the timbers so much that it would become both impracticable and uneconomical. In order to increase the roof span and therefore the floor area, aisled construction was used, dividing the structure into a central nave with side aisles (42). This was achieved by the introduction of timber posts, known as ‘arcade-posts’, which supported the ‘arcade – plate’, a longitudinal plate running between each post for the full length of the building. The arcade-plate supported the common rafters which ran from the ridge of the main roof over the aisle to the wall-plate of the external wall. To increase rigidity, a tie-beam was introduced, spanning the building and sitting on top of the arcade-beam above the