Use of lead sheets in reconstruction of late medieval tower?
Upvote:2
Many medieval buildings had (and still have) roofs made of lead sheets. This was a very reasonable material for roofs, not vulnerable to corrosion. One disadvantage is that it is very heavy. Also this was a common material for all sorts of pipes and gutters and other metal details. Even in modern times (I mean 50 years ago) lead was commonly used for underground cables protection. You do not explain what exactly were the parts you have seen.
On the question why you have not seen this before, I do not have an answer. It is very common.
Upvote:2
Without seeing a photograph I cannot say for sure, but by far the most likely possibility is that what you are seeing are the remains of what was once a sheeted masonry wall.
In some cases masonry walls were covered with lead or copper sheets as a form of protection. In these cases a groove, called a "raglet", was made in the stone and the sheet of lead inserted into it, then flattened against the wall, and secured the same way on the other side, hammering it in tightly.
The reason why you see only a fragment left in the wall is because a metal scavenger has ripped off the sheeting and sold it for scrap, leaving behind just the strip in the raglet which he could not easily get out.
Upvote:2
In reference to the lead sheets between the Parthenon stones talked about by user3079666 Apr 15 '15 at 12:54, it was common in medieval and ancient masonry to place lead sheets between load bearing stone blocks. The lead would deform to fill the irregularities and evenly distribute the load, keeping the stones from failing due to the load being concentrated at the high spots rather than the entire surface.
I've personally saw lead sheets between load bearing stone blocks next to the main entrance of the Cathedral of St Louis on Bursa Hill (the site of Carthage) near Tunis, Tunisia. The lead was only visible where the edges of the stones had weathered away exposing the lead so I couldn't tell how widely the lead was used.
Upvote:3
In many cases, during early stone structures throughout the European region, there would be "I" (Capital) shaped groves used to connect stones together (half the "i" shaped grove in each side-by-side block) particularly during difficult portions of construction. In many cases these would be filled with molten lead and this lead link would help secure the stones together.
This is very well explained in the book: Castles: A Short History of Fortifications from 1600 B.C. to A.D. 1600, William Heinemann, Ltd., London/Toronto, 1939.
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