Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Fleur de lys

Many older unreinforced masonry buildings are retrofitted with tie rods to counteract the lateral forces that tend to push their walls apart. Anchor plates on the outsides of opposing walls are connected by a steel rod that runs through the building. The vast majority of anchor plates I've seen are made in the form of an "X", but I've also seen them with a little more flourish. As they're normally visible on a building's exterior, they can add a decorative touch, like this one that I spotted in Ligueil a couple of weeks ago.

This anchor plate is in the form of the fleur de lys, one of the more recognizable icons of France.

4 comments:

  1. That's a particularly attractive and robust looking tie plate!

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  2. The FDL was also adopted by Sir Baden Powell for the Scouting movement he established.

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  3. I first saw it in Canada viz. Montreal. I didn't learn it was French until later on.

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