54. ON THE OLDER FORMS OF 



ing the roofing material in France in early centuries. Vi- 

 truvius, the famous Roman architect, in the first century 

 of our era says : "The Gauls to this day build their houses 

 of boughs, reeds and mud, with roofing of oaken shingles 

 or of straw. Even at Massalia we may observe roofs 

 made without tiles, of earth kneaded, as it were, with 

 straw." "It appears from Orderic's narrative (1090 A. D. ) 

 that the roof of the castle was covered with shingles of 

 wood instead of slates or tiles. This is still the case with 

 respect to many of the towers of the country churches in 

 the Lieuvin and the Roumois." 



"The working of plaster quarries, the use of tiles for 

 roofing houses and afterwards the discovery of slate . . . 

 entirely changed the appearance of houses. It was only 

 in the fifteenth century that slate was used. In 1465 it 

 was just begun to be known of." (Cherul, Dictionary 

 of Institutions, Manners and Customs of Prance. ) 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



In England two kinds of roofing-tiles are in use : the 

 flat tile, which is the form most commonly seen, and the 

 pan tile, which is found widely distributed. This tile is 

 also known as the Flemish tile, this name implying that 

 it was first introduced from Flanders. 



The cheapness and excellent quality of slate and its al- 

 most universal use have evidently checked the development 

 of the roofing-tile. One sees no attempt at architectural 

 effect in the treatment of the roof, but the tiling is done 

 in that durable manner which characterizes English work 

 in general. The head of the pan tile has two nibs instead 

 of the usual single one, and the tiles are adjusted with 

 greater care to the roof. 



In the collection of building material at the South Ken- 

 sington Museum may be seen a great variety of roofing- 



