Crown post

One of the most famous examples is the crown post roof at Old Soar Manor, which showcases the typical design used in the 13th century.

In France, for example, the crown post system was studied in detail by the 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in his Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française.

The post itself is always in compression, transferring the load directly to the tie beam, thus providing additional stability and allowing for wider spans than would be possible with simpler designs.

[4] Today, crown post roofs are recognised as an important architectural feature of the medieval period, with many surviving examples protected under heritage conservation laws in the U.K. and elsewhere.

Restoration efforts often focus on preserving the original timber framing while ensuring structural safety using modern techniques.

Crown post roof in the solar at Old Soar Manor in 2009: the crown post is the upright above the tie beam . It carries a beam called the crown plate which in turn supports the collar beams. There are braces between the collar beams and common rafters and from the crown posts to these braces.
A crown post roof in the Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century (1856) (Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle a French language dictionary) by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc . A. section view, B. longitudinal view, C. curved brace, D. crown post, E. cambered tie beam, F. collar plate, R collar beam.