From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Stephenson House
's courtyard formed by an ell
In
architecture
, an
ell
is a
wing
of a building perpendicular (at a right angle) to the length of the main portion (main range).
[1]
It takes its name from the shape of the letter
L
. Ells are often additions to a building. Unless sub-wings or a non-rectangular outline
floor plan
exists such a wing makes the building L-shaped or T-shaped "in plan" (shape from above/below), though if not central nor at one end of the building the T-shape will be an offset T. Where a building is aligned closely to
cardinal compass points
, such a wing may be more informatively described by its related side of the building (such as "south wing of the building").
Connected farms and large rural homes
[
edit
]
In
connected farm
architecture and homes that were the economic hubs of large grounds including in
Mediterranean
and northern European traditions, one or more ells (wings) will usually be extended to attach the main house or range to another building, such as a barn or stables, or a tower or chapel or defensive range in the case of a castle or palace. In formal and early modern settings it may take the form of a well-sunlit long
gallery
; or it may be a plant-growing section or open-sided walkway, if outdoors, a
colonnade
, plant-covered walkway (
pergola
) or the indoor analog, a gallery
conservatory
.
[
citation needed
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ching, Francis D. K. (1995). A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. p. 26.
ISBN
0-442-02462-2
.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
ell
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.