SCA - West Kingdom College of Heralds

Heraldic Templates -- Architecture

The following links are to pages that contain images that you can use to help design your armory -- this set of images are for insects as they are used in heraldry. Note that very few insects appear in heraldry ...

Instructions (please read):

If you want to use this for your heraldic submission, or print it for any reason, click on the 'PDF File' link -- a new browser window will open, and you can print from there.
- If you want to use the image for your own armory submission, these should be sized to be close to the submission forms, and you can trace over them. For straight lines you might want to use a ruler to help.

Note that printing the GIF Files probably will not provide images that are the correct size for the heraldic submission forms.

Note: These are not done yet -- the links are here to make it easier for Hirsch, rather than having to keep adding them ... this is a work in progress.

The descriptions of the architecture below are all taken from The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry ...¹, and rather than having a 'footnote' for each, we have one. Note that not all of the detail in the Pictorial Dictionary has been included in the text given ...

Edifaces are usually made of stone, and may be drawn as masoned even when this is not explicitly blazoned. (For that reason, it needn't be blazoned.) Those edifaces with doors usually have the door facing the viewer.
Some edifaces, particularly castles and towers, may have special roofs which must be blazoned: a spired tower has a conical roof, a domed tower a hemispherical roof. (Sometimes the latter is onion-domed, as found on mosques.) Domes seldom occur as independent charges, but a few are found.

Altar     An altar is a stone block topped with a flame; the flame, though part of the definition of the charge, is nonetheless sometimes specified: an altar flammant. The heraldic altar appears to represent a Pagan altar, as opposed to the Christian or Jewish altars.

        PDF File

Arch     An arch is a stone archway atop pillars. It is a period charge, found in the canting arms of Arches, c. 1295. The default form is with a single arch, but double and triple arches are also possible: the double arch supported by three pillars, the triple arch atop four pillars, etc. If it is blazoned stooped, the pillars are resting on a base or plinth.
     There is also the triumphal arch, a monument erected by the Imperial Romans.

        PDF File

Beacon     A beacon is a signal tower, consisting of a ple, with a fire at the top, and a ladder to one side for those who feed the fire. The framework is usually metal or wood.

        PDF File

Bridge     A bridge is an ediface built over a river, gorge, or the like, to carry traffic. It consists of one or more spans, each span ending in a tower. The number of spans should be explicitly blazoned, single spans ... are the most common.
     The bridge is considered negligibly different from a castle in Society heraldry.

        PDF File

Castle     A castle is a fortress or stronghold, generally made of stone. It is an ancient charge, found in the canting arms of the King of Castile, c.1244. In early heraldry, no distinction was drawn between the castle and the tower; late medieval heraldry, and Society heraldry, distinguishes between the two forms.
     The typical form is of two towers, joined by an embattled wall with a gate; a castle triple-towered has a third tower issuant from the joining wall. The gate is usually shown closed, but this is an artistic detail; some early SCA blazons use the term friendly castle to denote one with an open gate. (The term is no longer used; the gate is now left to the artist.)
     The castle is sometimes blazoned a fortress or a citadel, especially for canting purposes.

        PDF File

Column     A column is a stone pillar, used as a structural support in a building. The default column is that found in Greco-Roman architecture; the exact type may be left to the artist, or it may be specified, e.g. an Ionic column or a Doric column. These guides are to the artist; the heraldic difference is negligable. The column is a period charge, used in Italy in the canting arms of Colonna c.1413; it is palewise by default.
     A similar charge is the obelisk, a four-sided stone stele terminating in a pyramid; it was used as a commemorative monument by the ancient Egyptians. It too is palewise by default.
A zule is a stylized representation of a column or support. Its original function is unclear: some scholars believe it to represent a balustrade pillar, while others consider it a table trellis. The charge was originally from Dutch armory (zuil is Dutch for "column"); it was introduced to England during the reign of William of Orange, where it was confused with the chess rook. Many texts thus give zule as a synonym for chess rook; but the two are actually distinct charges.

        PDF File

Dolmen     A dolmen is an ediface erected by the ancient Britons and Celts, consisting of a large flat stone laid across upright stones. Modern scholars still debate as to the purpose of the dolmens: suggestions include tombs, monuments, altars, or observatories (probably a combination of these).
     The SCA default dolmen is a trilithon; two uprights and one crosspiece. It is occasionally blazoned so, and certainly any other number of uprights or crosspieces must be explicitly blazoned.

        PDF File

Door     A door is an entrance to a room or ediface. It is hinged on one side, and usually has a ringed handle or keyhole on the other. It is left to the artist whether the hinged side is on the dexter or sinister side of the door. The door may be drawn without a frame; or it may be inset into an arch or wall.

        PDF File

Fireplace     A fireplace is an open place in a wall, lined with brick, in which fires may be lit to warm the room. The fire is evidently blazoned explicitly.

        PDF File

Fountain     A fountain is a spring of water. The term may refer to a stylized heraldic charge, or to a naturalistic structure. The unmodified term refers to an heraldic charge dating from 1418, defined as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure. When used in a blazon, it's unecessary to specify the fountain's tinctures; they're part of the definition, as with bezants If tinctures other than azure and argent are used, the whole must be explicitly blazoned: i.e., one does not blazon a fountain vert and Or, but rather a roundel barry wavy vert and Or. [More details on roundels and fountains of this style at Geometric Charges]
     When specified as natural or of three tiers, the term refers to a stonework ediface spouting water. In such cases, the tinctures of the fountain and water must be explicitly blazoned.

        PDF File

Gate     A gate is an entrance in a fence or wall; it usually swings on hinges. The default gate is a corral gate or field-gate, and it is sometimes so blazoned; this is a barred wooden frame, not solid like a door. It is found in the canting arms of Yates, c.1584.
     The gate's proper coloration, as with all wooden charges, is brown.
     There is also the gateway, two huge doors hinged on towers; this is found in only one SCA device.

        PDF File

Keystone     A keystone is the central stone found at the top of an arch, which has the job of keeping the two halves of the arch from collapsing. It has a stylized heraldic form.

        PDF File

Lighthouse     A lighthouse is an ediface with a fire on top, used as an aid to navigation.

        PDF File

Pavilion     A pavilion is a sumptuous tent, used for shelter at medieval tournaments. As an heraldic charge, it dates at least from 1481, in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors; it is also called a sperver. The pavilion is usually drawn with a circular floor plan and a conical roof; sometimes the roof is onion-domed. The door flaps face the viewer by default, and are tied back to reveal the interior.
     Also included in this category is the yurt, a Mongolian form of tent consisting of skins or felt on a framework of poles.

        PDF File

Portcullis     A portcullis is a heavy metal grille, used to bar the gateway of a castle. It is a period charge: a portcullis Or was the badge of Beaufort, 1427, from whom the Tudor kings inherited it.
     In period emblazonry, the portcullis is typically shown with its chains on either side, hanging to base; these need not be blazoned.

        PDF File

Torii     A torii is an ediface, a Japanese gateway to a Shinto temple. It consists of two uprights supporting a curved lintel, with a straight crosspiece below. It is a period charge, found in the Mon of Torii Mototada, d.1600.

        PDF File

Tower     A tower is a fortified ediface, roughly cylindrical with an embattled top; it is sometimes more fully blazoned a watch tower. The door faces the viewer by default; when blazoned proper, it is grey (i.e. argent), the color of stone. The tower is often drawn masoned, even when not explicitly blazoned so.
     The top of the tower is subject to variation: a tower triple-towered has three tiny towers issuant from its top. A tower may be domed, hemispherically by default, but sometimes onion-domed as is a mosque; or it may be spired, with a conical roof.
     A tower may be ruined, with the foundation intact but the top crumbled away; or it may have the top enflamed. Finally there is the siege tower or belfroi, a wooden siege engine which permits attackers to climb into a castle while safe from the defenders; it faces dexter by default, and its proper coloration is brown.
     Period heralds drew no distinction between the tower and the castle, considering the two to be equivalent; the exact blazon was often chosen solely for a cant, as with the arms of Tours, 1586. Society heraldry distinguishes the castle from the tower though not perhaps the tower triple-towered.

        PDF File

Wall     A wall is a stone barrier or fence. It may be found attached to an ediface, such as a tower or castle; there are examples of towers with a wall extending to one side. A wall may also stand alone, as an independent charge; examples date from 1413.
     The wall is embattled and throughout by default; it is very often issuant from base. A wall may be fortified, with watch towers; and it may have a port or gate; such details are always blazoned. ...
     As walls are assumed to be of stone, they are frequently drawn masoned, even when not explicitly blazoned.

        PDF File

Well     A well is a vertical shaft sunk into the earth, from which water is drawn. It is usually depicted as the ediface built around the hole to prevent accidents: a short masonwork wall, a cradle for a pail and rope, and a wooden cover or roof. The well is found in the canting arms of Hadiswell, 1586.
     There is also the Japanese well-frame or well-curb (igeta), used in Mon: four laths fretted as on a mascle.

        PDF File

Windmill     A windmill is an ediface for drawing power from the wind, consisting of a tower supporting four sails on a central axis. The sails are set saltirewise by SCA default.

        PDF File

Footnotes:
¹ The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry as Used in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., 2nd Edition, Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio, 1992, self-published.

Disclaimer: All of these drawings are intended for use in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., specifically for heraldic purposes. However, these pages do not delineate SCA College of Arms or West Kingdom College of Heralds policy. All attempts are made when describing or portraying the elements of armory used in these pages to be as accurate to both medieval and SCA usage as possible, but if you are not sure, you should check with the College of Arms or the College of Heralds. You may use these drawings "as is" for the purpose of designing heraldry for use within the SCA with this understanding. All decisions by the West Kingdom College of Heraldry and/or the SCA's College of Arms regarding the depictions used on your submission forms supercedes anything found here.

Heraldic Templates Main Page

Altar	An altar is a stone block topped with a flame; the flame, though part of the definition of the charge, is nonetheless sometimes specified: an altar flammant. The heraldic altar appears to represent a Pagan altar, as opposed to the Christian or Jewish altars.
		PDF File

Arch	An arch is a stone archway atop pillars. It is a period charge, found in the canting arms of Arches, c. 1295. The default form is with a single arch, but double and triple arches are also possible: the double arch supported by three pillars, the triple arch atop four pillars, etc. If it is blazoned stooped, the pillars are resting on a base or plinth. There is also the triumphal arch, a monument erected by the Imperial Romans.
		PDF File

Beacon	A beacon is a signal tower, consisting of a ple, with a fire at the top, and a ladder to one side for those who feed the fire. The framework is usually metal or wood.
		PDF File

Bridge	A bridge is an ediface built over a river, gorge, or the like, to carry traffic. It consists of one or more spans, each span ending in a tower. The number of spans should be explicitly blazoned, single spans ... are the most common. The bridge is considered negligibly different from a castle in Society heraldry.
		PDF File

Castle	A castle is a fortress or stronghold, generally made of stone. It is an ancient charge, found in the canting arms of the King of Castile, c.1244. In early heraldry, no distinction was drawn between the castle and the tower; late medieval heraldry, and Society heraldry, distinguishes between the two forms. The typical form is of two towers, joined by an embattled wall with a gate; a castle triple-towered has a third tower issuant from the joining wall. The gate is usually shown closed, but this is an artistic detail; some early SCA blazons use the term friendly castle to denote one with an open gate. (The term is no longer used; the gate is now left to the artist.) The castle is sometimes blazoned a fortress or a citadel, especially for canting purposes.
		PDF File

Column	A column is a stone pillar, used as a structural support in a building. The default column is that found in Greco-Roman architecture; the exact type may be left to the artist, or it may be specified, e.g. an Ionic column or a Doric column. These guides are to the artist; the heraldic difference is negligable. The column is a period charge, used in Italy in the canting arms of Colonna c.1413; it is palewise by default. A similar charge is the obelisk, a four-sided stone stele terminating in a pyramid; it was used as a commemorative monument by the ancient Egyptians. It too is palewise by default. A zule is a stylized representation of a column or support. Its original function is unclear: some scholars believe it to represent a balustrade pillar, while others consider it a table trellis. The charge was originally from Dutch armory (zuil is Dutch for "column"); it was introduced to England during the reign of William of Orange, where it was confused with the chess rook. Many texts thus give zule as a synonym for chess rook; but the two are actually distinct charges.
		PDF File

Dolmen	A dolmen is an ediface erected by the ancient Britons and Celts, consisting of a large flat stone laid across upright stones. Modern scholars still debate as to the purpose of the dolmens: suggestions include tombs, monuments, altars, or observatories (probably a combination of these). The SCA default dolmen is a trilithon; two uprights and one crosspiece. It is occasionally blazoned so, and certainly any other number of uprights or crosspieces must be explicitly blazoned.
		PDF File

Door	A door is an entrance to a room or ediface. It is hinged on one side, and usually has a ringed handle or keyhole on the other. It is left to the artist whether the hinged side is on the dexter or sinister side of the door. The door may be drawn without a frame; or it may be inset into an arch or wall.
		PDF File

Fireplace	A fireplace is an open place in a wall, lined with brick, in which fires may be lit to warm the room. The fire is evidently blazoned explicitly.
		PDF File

Fountain	A fountain is a spring of water. The term may refer to a stylized heraldic charge, or to a naturalistic structure. The unmodified term refers to an heraldic charge dating from 1418, defined as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure. When used in a blazon, it's unecessary to specify the fountain's tinctures; they're part of the definition, as with bezants If tinctures other than azure and argent are used, the whole must be explicitly blazoned: i.e., one does not blazon a fountain vert and Or, but rather a roundel barry wavy vert and Or. [More details on roundels and fountains of this style at Geometric Charges] When specified as natural or of three tiers, the term refers to a stonework ediface spouting water. In such cases, the tinctures of the fountain and water must be explicitly blazoned.
		PDF File

Gate	A gate is an entrance in a fence or wall; it usually swings on hinges. The default gate is a corral gate or field-gate, and it is sometimes so blazoned; this is a barred wooden frame, not solid like a door. It is found in the canting arms of Yates, c.1584. The gate's proper coloration, as with all wooden charges, is brown. There is also the gateway, two huge doors hinged on towers; this is found in only one SCA device.
		PDF File

Keystone	A keystone is the central stone found at the top of an arch, which has the job of keeping the two halves of the arch from collapsing. It has a stylized heraldic form.
		PDF File

Lighthouse	A lighthouse is an ediface with a fire on top, used as an aid to navigation.
		PDF File

Pavilion	A pavilion is a sumptuous tent, used for shelter at medieval tournaments. As an heraldic charge, it dates at least from 1481, in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors; it is also called a sperver. The pavilion is usually drawn with a circular floor plan and a conical roof; sometimes the roof is onion-domed. The door flaps face the viewer by default, and are tied back to reveal the interior. Also included in this category is the yurt, a Mongolian form of tent consisting of skins or felt on a framework of poles.
		PDF File

Portcullis	A portcullis is a heavy metal grille, used to bar the gateway of a castle. It is a period charge: a portcullis Or was the badge of Beaufort, 1427, from whom the Tudor kings inherited it. In period emblazonry, the portcullis is typically shown with its chains on either side, hanging to base; these need not be blazoned.
		PDF File

Torii	A torii is an ediface, a Japanese gateway to a Shinto temple. It consists of two uprights supporting a curved lintel, with a straight crosspiece below. It is a period charge, found in the Mon of Torii Mototada, d.1600.
		PDF File

Tower	A tower is a fortified ediface, roughly cylindrical with an embattled top; it is sometimes more fully blazoned a watch tower. The door faces the viewer by default; when blazoned proper, it is grey (i.e. argent), the color of stone. The tower is often drawn masoned, even when not explicitly blazoned so. The top of the tower is subject to variation: a tower triple-towered has three tiny towers issuant from its top. A tower may be domed, hemispherically by default, but sometimes onion-domed as is a mosque; or it may be spired, with a conical roof. A tower may be ruined, with the foundation intact but the top crumbled away; or it may have the top enflamed. Finally there is the siege tower or belfroi, a wooden siege engine which permits attackers to climb into a castle while safe from the defenders; it faces dexter by default, and its proper coloration is brown. Period heralds drew no distinction between the tower and the castle, considering the two to be equivalent; the exact blazon was often chosen solely for a cant, as with the arms of Tours, 1586. Society heraldry distinguishes the castle from the tower though not perhaps the tower triple-towered.
		PDF File

Wall	A wall is a stone barrier or fence. It may be found attached to an ediface, such as a tower or castle; there are examples of towers with a wall extending to one side. A wall may also stand alone, as an independent charge; examples date from 1413. The wall is embattled and throughout by default; it is very often issuant from base. A wall may be fortified, with watch towers; and it may have a port or gate; such details are always blazoned. ... As walls are assumed to be of stone, they are frequently drawn masoned, even when not explicitly blazoned.
		PDF File

Well	A well is a vertical shaft sunk into the earth, from which water is drawn. It is usually depicted as the ediface built around the hole to prevent accidents: a short masonwork wall, a cradle for a pail and rope, and a wooden cover or roof. The well is found in the canting arms of Hadiswell, 1586. There is also the Japanese well-frame or well-curb (igeta), used in Mon: four laths fretted as on a mascle.
		PDF File

Windmill	A windmill is an ediface for drawing power from the wind, consisting of a tower supporting four sails on a central axis. The sails are set saltirewise by SCA default.
		PDF File