Context 152 - November 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 27 Floorscape construction but with the addition of tar as a binder. See also bitmac and tarmac. mathematical pavior A type of paving brick (similar to a stable-block paver) incised with a distinctive design, made in buff and dark-blue variants in Somerset in the nineteenth century. metalled road One surfaced in road metal , in a late eighteenth century sense of the word metal , referring to the crushed rock that formed part of the system of building a sealed and waterproof road surface pioneered by the engineer John McAdam. Before that, metal referred to anything useful that had been extracted from the ground. The word comes from Latin metallum , a mine or quarry. pavement 1 (UK) The raised surface for pedestri- ans beside a street or road. The US equivalent is sidewalk , though pavement is used in some parts of the southern states. 2 (US, and UK highway engineers) The structure of a road, including its surface and underlying foundations. The gen- eral UK equivalent is roadway . 3 A paved surface. 4 An alley. From the Latin pavire, to beat hard. Paving Commission One of the local boards of improvement set up in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the UK by a locally specific Act of Parliament to pave, repair, light and clean streets and other public spaces, levying a rate on householders to pay for this.Their duties were later taken over by local authorities. pavior (also paver and paviour ) 1 A paving stone or other paving block. 2 A person who lays paving. pebble 1 A small stone, rounded by the action of water, ice or sand, as used in pebble paving. 2 (obsolete) A stone. Leases signed in the 1770s for the construction of houses in Bedford Square, London, specified that the carriageway in front of the houses should be paved with ‘Scotch Granite or Square Jersey Pebbles’. pebble paving Paving consisting of pebbles set in cement or some other binder. pitched 1 (of a roof) Set on a slope. 2 A characteristic of paving that is composed of cobbles that are set on edge to provide an even surface. pitching (especially Birmingham, England) n. A pave- ment, particularly one made from stones set on end or edge; a foundation of a road or pavement made from such stones. plainstones (Old Scots) A pavement. scoria block A particularly durable and robust block, used for building and paving, made (from the eighteenth century onwards) from scoria (the residue of metal-smelting processes). Scoria is Ancient Greek for excrement. sett A small rectangular quarried stone used for paving. Setts are often popularily called cobbles (see cob- bled).Wooden and rubber setts have also occasion- ally been used. See also belgian block. stable-block paver A durable paving brick indented with a grid of lines to shed liquid and provide good grip. stoneway (also stone tramway ) A paved surface consisting of two parallel tracks of stone for a vehicle’s wheels to run on, and setts between the slabs to provide a good grip for its horse’s hooves.They were used in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. tarmac 1 A generic name for asphalt surfaces. 2 A patented type of road-surfacing material com- posed mainly of compacted tar and aggregate. The word is a shortening of tarmacadam , a word combining tar- with the name of the engineer and road-builder John McAdam (1756–1836), who invented a process for building roads with a smooth, hard surface (macadam). wood-block paving Wooden blocks (usually treated with bitumen or creosote) used for paving streets as a cheaper and quieter (though less durable) alternative to stone and asphalt. See also blockhead, boyington paving and cassie. togher (Ireland) A roadway or causeway. From the Irish word tóchar. wheeler 1 A double track of large, flat stones (often granite) laid in an otherwise cobbled or setted street or other space, providing a smooth surface for the wheels of vehicles. See stoneway. 2 A cyclist. whinstone (also whin ) (Scotland and northern England) Any hard, dark-coloured rock.Whinstone is sometimes used for setts and as a building material. Whin is also a name for the gorse plant. A kerbless granite pavement in St Austell, Cornwall (Photo: Richard Guise) Setts and wheelers in Manchester (Photo: Rob Cowan)