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Label stop The name given to the lower end of a drip mould. Usually a short horizontal section of the same form as the drip mould, but sometimes a carving of a human head, a grotesque animal, or a bunch of leaves. Related Words Drip mould Laminated beam A timber beam made up of relatively thin strips of wood, glued together. Much used in modern church building.   Lancet A tall, narrow, generally pointed window. The term is also applied to round-headed windows of similar proportions.   Lath and plaster A way of finishing interior walls and ceilings, in which vertical wooden battens are fixed to a masonry or brick wall, or to ceiling joists. Closely-spaced parallel strips of wood - laths - are then nailed to the battens, and plaster applied to them. The plaster oozes out at the back of the laths, forming a key, so that when dry it does not fall away from them. Related Words Batten; Brick; Joist; Masonry; Plaster Lead A softish, heavy metal, with many applications in building. Used for covering flat or low-pitched roofs, for flashing, lining box gutters, and sometimes for rainwater hoppers and downpipes. It can also be used for ridging. If properly designed, it is an excellent material for most roofing work.   Related Words  Box gutter; Down pipe; Hopper head Leaded glass A term used to describe glazed openings filled with glass panes set in a framework of lead cames, but where the panes do not have designs painted on them.  Related Words Cames Light (window) A term used in describing the major subdivisions in a traceried window, thus a two, three-light window, etc. Related Words Tracery Lightning conductor A band, usually of copper, running from the top of a tower, spire or steeple to the earth at its base. In the event of a lightning strike the electric charge is conducted harmlessly to earth, avoiding damage to the building. Related Words Copper Lime mortar, render, limewashing Lime is a term used to cover two compounds of the metal calcium. Quicklime is made by heating limestone or chalk, to drive off carbon dioxide. When water is added to quicklime heat is given off and it becomes slaked lime. If slaked lime is mixed with sharp sand in the right proportions it can be used to make the joints between stones or bricks, mortar, or applied to a wall surface as a render. Pure lime mortars and renders take some time to harden properly, and the use of hydraulic lime is sometimes necessary to achieve a durable result. Lime mortars and renders have to be accurately specified, mixed and applied in the right conditions, but they are better for the health of buildings than their cement-based alternatives. Lime can also be used, in a mixed solution and suspension, as a coating for masonry or render, known as lime wash.     Related Words Hydraulic lime; Mortar; Render Limestone Stone formed from the skeletons of marine animals. Limestone does not occur sufficiently widely in Scotland to be used as a building stone, but was commonly 'burned' to make quicklime for lime mortar, render, etc. Related Words Lime mortar, render, limewashing Linostone A commercial product which has been used to coat superficially-decayed or discoloured masonry to improve its appearance. It is impervious to moisture, but if the stone behind becomes damp it can quickly rot away.   Lintol, lintel The top member of a rectangular window, door, or other opening. Lintol is the traditional Scots building term.   Loft Used in two senses: 1. An attic. 2. A gallery, especially one occupying an arm of a long rectangular or T-plan church. The gallery facing the pulpit in a T-plan church was often reserved for the principal landowner, or heritor, responsible for the building and for paying the stipend of the minister. It was in these circumstances known as the 'Laird's loft'.   Louvres, Louvre Slanting boards fitted into an opening, allowing air and sound to pass through, but preventing the passage of rainwater. Commonly fitted to the belfry stages of towers and steeples. Related Words Belfry stage; Steeple Low relief Used of sculpture, meaning flattened rather than fully realised. The French - 'Bas relief' - is also used.    Related Words Classical; Pilaster Lucarne A canopied opening in a spire. Related Words Spire, spirelet Lych gate A covered gateway at the entrance to a churchyard.