Types of Buttresses

What the buttress does

It thickens or braces a vulnerable load path, especially where roofs and vaults push outward. This explains a general masonry relationship, not the stability of a particular wall. Embedment, backing, concealed anchors and altered loads require building-specific investigation before the force path or condition can be judged.^[2][3]

Paoay Church massive masonry buttresses. In “What the buttress does”, this view records the form, material and setting discussed in the passage. Source image dated 2012; that date records the image, not the original construction. Negdelacruz, Paoay Church massive masonry buttresses; CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

Flying buttress roots and gargoyle. Some of the flying buttress roots and a gargoyle on the Notre Dame de Paris, created for more than just decoration, with a purpose to shed water away from the gothic architecture. In “What the buttress does”, this view records the form, material and setting discussed in the passage. Source image dated 2013; that date records the image, not the original construction. Eutouring, Flying buttress roots and gargoyle; CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

A buttress adds mass, stiffness or a counteracting load path where a wall receives lateral force. A solid attached buttress thickens the wall locally; a flying buttress carries thrust across an open gap through an arch to an outer pier. Pinnacles can add downward weight that helps stabilise the pier, although their symbolic and visual roles are inseparable from engineering. Exposure is read at ledges, upper beds and wall junctions. Water lingering on a projection can drive salt movement, frost damage or corrosion of hidden cramps, while sheltered returns may preserve tooling lost from the face. Uneven decay can therefore disclose orientation and repair material as readily as age.

Historical development

Ancient retaining walls and vaulted buildings used thickened supports, but medieval church building made buttressing especially legible. Romanesque walls often absorb thrust through heavy masses. Gothic systems align external buttresses with internal vault bays and sometimes expose flyers above aisle roofs. Later revival buildings copied these forms, occasionally with little structural necessity. The surviving sequence is shaped by repair as much as invention. Projecting stones, corner dressings and textured wall surfaces were repeatedly reset, refaced or copied, and later metal anchors can make an old profile perform in a new way. A defensible history therefore follows the dated wall campaign, the bond with adjacent masonry and documented repair rather than treating a familiar silhouette as a period label.^[2][3]

Decorated English Buttresses stylesofarchitec00rick 0251. Illustration from An attempt to discriminate the styles of architecture in England : from the Conquest to the Reformation : with a sketch of the Grecian and Roman orders : notices of numerous British edifices :and…. In “Historical development”, this view helps identify buttress architecture detail. Source image dated 1848; that date records the image, not the original construction. Rickman, Thomas, 1776-1841, Decorated English Buttresses stylesofarchitec00rick 0251; Public domain. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

Terminology and common confusions

A shallow wall projection may be a pilaster, whereas a buttress is identified by stabilising work. Ornament cannot settle the distinction; wall section, bond and the direction of thrust must be examined. ^[1][3]

Conservation and alteration

Conservation begins with water and movement. Open joints, failed copings, salt crystallisation and incompatible hard cement repairs can accelerate stone or brick decay. Repair should retain sound material, use compatible mortar and address the source of displacement before rebuilding a visually tidy surface. Repair may introduce indented stone, new mortar, pins, cramps, anchors or local rebuilding. Each intervention should be dated where possible, and cleaning must retain tooling, paint and weathering that help distinguish campaigns.^[3][4]

Notre Dame de Paris Flying Buttresses. Flying buttresses of the Notre Dame de Paris, tying in with the Gothic Architecture and was one of the first buildings to have this kind of architectural support. In “Conservation and alteration”, this view helps identify gothic flying buttress. Source image dated 2013; that date records the image, not the original construction. Eutouring, Notre Dame de Paris Flying Buttresses; CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

Leasingham, St Andrew's church (40069257872). Late 12th C onwards and chancel rebuilt in 1863. In “Conservation and alteration”, this view helps identify masonry buttress church. Source image dated 2016; that date records the image, not the original construction. Jules & Jenny from Lincoln, UK, Leasingham, St Andrew's church (40069257872); CC BY 2.0. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

Repeated photographs, joint and moisture surveys, and—where movement is suspected—measured monitoring can distinguish old distortion from active change without sacrificing sound historic masonry. Conservation is included here as historical evidence: repair changes the object presented to readers and may reveal relationships that a supposedly pristine image conceals.

What the buttress reveals about the building

At King’s College Chapel, perpendicular buttresses are integrated with a highly vertical exterior and fan-vaulted interior. At Earth and brick walls, low buttresses can be repair additions, so joints and foundations must be distinguished from original fabric. Together, these cases show that the buttress is not a detachable motif: it participates in material, access, environmental control, structure or display according to its setting.^[1][4]

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Spinkhill by Andrew H. Jackson. Catholic church. In “What the buttress reveals about the building”, this view helps identify masonry buttress church. Source image dated 2014; that date records the image, not the original construction. Andrew H. Jackson, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Spinkhill by Andrew H. Jackson; CC BY-SA 2.0 uk. Resized proportionally; no crop, retouch or upscaling.

Comparing the buttress examples

Durham Cathedral and Chartres Cathedral illustrate distinct settings: heavy external supports belong to a Romanesque system of thick walls and early stone vaulting. By contrast, flyers and outer piers correspond to high-vault thrusts while leaving clerestory walls open for glass. King’s College Chapel differs because perpendicular buttresses are integrated with a highly vertical exterior and fan-vaulted interior. Finally, Earth and brick walls shows that low buttresses can be repair additions, so joints and foundations must be distinguished from original fabric.^[4][6]

Frequently Asked Questions