1. A massive horizontal beam in the ceiling of an early timber-framed house; usually joined at their ends to girts and supporting the floor above, or acting as a binding beam running in a transverse direction, connecting one post to another. After about 1750, they were replaced by a number of heavier floor joists, thus making it possible to plaster the entire ceiling as a single horizontal surface. Also called a summer or summertree. See illustration under timber-framed house.
2. Same as breastsummer.
3. Same as fireplace lintel or manteltree.
summerbeam
| Architecture: summerbeam |
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 | binding beam |
| flared post |
| timber-framed building |
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 | Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
