GRP Finials, Roof Spires, Gable Features & Crossbars
GRP FINIALS & ROOF SPIRES - The finial or roof spire is an architectural device employed on grander houses to emphasise the apex of a gable. Originally these were used in the
classical Greek style and known as Acroterion, in gothic architecture they were known as crockets and can be seen today adorning the tops of cathedral
buttresses. Finials, also known as roof spires or pinnacles, are fitted in the centre of the apex of a gable or porch roof.
Normally their top section stands proud of the ridge tiles along the gable. Traditionally they were carved in wood or formed in metal with the ends finished as a spike, arrowhead or ball. The shafts being shaped with chamfered scrolled edges to give a classic style to the end of a building. We now manufacture these in lightweight Grp, or as it is more commonly known fibreglass / glassfibre. They replicate traditional designs but will not rust or rot, are maintenance-free and require no painting, merely occasional cleaning with a damp cloth. Being lightweight, this ensures that they are easy to fit and require no structural substructures.
We produce our finials either in 2D or 3D - 2D is a one-part moulding, gel coat to face side whilst the back is ply overlaminated
with fibreglass and finished in a white gel flowcoat (or to colour of choice). The item is flat-backed and ideal in situations where it is fixed to the
gable end and there is little possibility of the back being on view. 3D finials are a two-part moulding bonded in the centre with
internal fixing blocks that allow it to be bolted or screwed to the roof structure or barge boards. This is ideal in situations where the finial can
be viewed all around.
Finials can be fitted with bracing bars, crossbars or tiebeams. The longer ones are often called King posts or Queen posts. We offer them both straight and curved in variable lengths as well as diagonals to form a crowsfoot pattern. The crossbars have solid timber inserts at their ends and in the middle for fixing purposes.
We also offer, to order, studded bars and fixing backplates to allow finials, crossbars and diagonals to be fastened securely at their central
point in mid air.
Colour is normally white but we can offer any BS or Ral colour to match your scheme.
Should you be unable to find the exact products that are suitable for your project from our range we can produce any bespoke gable features to your drawings or design.
Aberdeen 3D Finial |
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Large Gothic style finial, three dimensional , joined on the length showing detail front and back with spike and octagonal bell prism ends. The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Aberdeen MFF/AN - length variable 1830 - 2830mm with 180 x 180mm octagonal shaft. |
Norwich 2D Spire Finials |
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75mm Wide, 30mm Deep - View Diagram Spike on both ends. Two dimensional. Flat back. No detail on reverse. Norwich MFF11 - 890mm length Norwich MFF16 - 1600mm length |
Salisbury 2D Spire Finials |
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70mm Wide, 35mm Deep - View Diagram Spike and ball. Two dimensional. Flat back. No detail on reverse. Salisbury MFF6 - 650mm length Salisbury MFF8 - 820mm length Salisbury MFF10 - 1020mm length Salisbury MFF15 - 1500mm length Salisbury MFF21 - 2100mm length Salisbury MFF26 - 2600mm length |
Oxford 3D Spire Finials |
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Spike and ball. Three dimensional. Joined on the length, showing detail front and back. The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Oxford MFF3D/65 - 650mm length Oxford MFF3D/82 - 820mm length Oxford MFF3D/102 - 1020mm length Oxford MFF3D/150 - 1500mm length Oxford MFF3D/210 - 2100mm length Oxford MFF3D/260 - 2600mm length |
Chichester 3D Spire Finials |
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70mm Wide, 70mm Deep - View Diagram Spike and plain end. Three dimensional. Joined on the length, showing detail front and back. The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Chichester MFFD/7/18 - length variable from 700-1800mm |
Coventry 3D Spire Finials |
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130mm Depth x 150mm Width - View Diagram Extra large finial, spike on both ends of variable width shaft, 3 dimensional, joined on the length showing detail front and back.The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Coventry MFF3D/31 - 3100mm Length |
Durham 3D Finial |
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70mm Wide, 70mm Deep - View Diagram Ball on both ends. Three dimensional. Joined on the length, showing detail front and back. Shaft has plywood encapsulated within the laminate to both front & rear faces to allow for screw fixings. Durham MFF3D/79 - 790mm length Durham MFF3D/12 - 1200mm length |
Lincoln 3D Spire Finials |
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95mm wide x 95mm deep - View Diagram Spike on ball and ball ends with square shaft. Three dimensional. Joined on the length, showing detail front and back. The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Lincoln MFF3D / 110 - 1100mm Length Lincoln MFF3D / 150 - 1500mm Length |
Truro 3D Spire Finial |
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90mm x 90mm - Overall Shaft - View Diagram Spike and ball ends with corbelling detail below spike. Three dimensional. Joined on the length showing detail front & back. Shaft has plywood encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back to allow for screw fixing. Truro MFF3D/125 - 1250mm length |
Wakefield 3D Spire Finials |
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95mm Wide, 95mm Deep - View Diagram Spike both ends with octagonal shaft. Three dimensional. Joined on the length, showing detail front and back. The shaft has plywood inside encapsulated within the laminate to both front and back faces to allow for screw fixings. Wakefield MFF3D/13 - 1300mm length Wakefield MFF3D/17 - 1740mm length |
Tower 3D Spire Finials |
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600mm high, base diameter 200mm - View Diagram Three dimensional. Joined on the height showing detail all round. Base flange can be drilled for fixings. Tower MFTF/600 |
| PRODUCT | DETAIL | CODE |
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Tie Bar 1000mm max. Length. M10 + nuts + penny washers. Outer white plastic sleeve. |
SS1 Diagram |
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Spacer Block - 200 x 60 x 30mm. Made from recycled plastic that will not rot, can be sawn, drilled and screwed. Use behind a finial to space it out from overhanging
tiles on a gable end and, also use to ensure finial is plumb when fitting to a crossbar, as the crossbar is usualy seated behind the bargeboard and the
finial to the front. To achieve depths greater than 30mm the blocks can be joined together. |
SB1 |
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Fastenings Pack – Each pack contains two 'turbo exterior threaded screws' with a razor sharp tip designed to cut it's own
pilot in wood. Always though drill a pilot hole in the Grp finial and spacer blocks first. The pack also contains two correctly
sized screw caps in either black or white. Pack A - 70 x 5mm to suit Norwich and Salisbury finials. Pack B - 100 x 6mm to suit Oxford, Chichester and Durham finials. Pack C – 150 x 6mm to suit Lincoln, Truro and Wakefield finials |
FP1 |
GABLE FEATURES - By combining or "mixing and matching" our finials and crossbars a unique gable feature can be created to almost any bespoke design.
The addition of diagonals creates a crowsfoot design.
To fix together in your own chosen individual style we supply all of our gable features as individual items. At the centre point where the bars meet we provide a pre-drilled backing plate to join the bars together.
All the bars have solid timber bonded within the laminate to facilitate fixing. In the larger gable features we
offer a stainless steel threaded tie-bar bonded into the centre of the back of the finial or Kingpost which can then be fixed to the gable wall.
Both types, straight or curved, of bars / posts are moulded in glassfibre open moulds. This means they have three face sides. The back side is overlaminated to form a 3D bar but the reverse side has a gel flowcoat finish. Colours can be varied to match any Ral or BS number.
CROSSBARS & QUEENPOSTS
Crossbars & Queenposts are features seen on a gable end originally as a tie bar, or bracing bar, to structurally hold the two sides of the open end of an apex roof and stop the roof spreading. They are usually fitted with an upright which can be a plain bar or a finial. When put together they are known as King or Queen posts.
We manufacture these bars / posts in lightweight, maintenance-free grp in both straight and curved lengths. As standard we offer four widths of both straight or curved although we can make bespoke to any sizes including individual radii for the curves. Lengths and depths are variable to suit your gable feature.
In normal fitting of these crossbars the ends are fixed and hidden behind the bargeboards. We bond timber grounds, within the laminate, into the ends of each bar to enable screws or bolts to be secured firmly. We further bond a block into the centre where the finial or King post crosses and attaches to it. This can be fastened into directly or have the option of a stainless steel bar bonded in to use as a wall tie. GRP crossbars and Queenposts are simple to install and provide a long lasting effect – much longer than than traditional metal or wood features.
Straight Crossbars & Queenposts
| PRODUCT / CODE | DESCRIPTION | DIMENSIONS Max. Length x Width x Max. Depth |
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| Victoria Straight Queenpost MFQ70 |
Our narrowest straight bar. Works in mixed Gable features with the curved MFC 3 and MFC 4. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber inserts bonded within for fixing to finials and bargeboards. | 3200mm x 70mm x 70mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) Straight Crossbar diagram Straight bar size image |
| Victoria Straight Queenpost MFQ100 |
Hollow glassfibre construction. Closest curved match is the MFC 3. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 2900mm x 100mm x 100mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) Straight Crossbar diagram Straight bar size image |
| Victoria Straight Queenpost MFQ125 |
Hollow glassfibre construction. Three face sides with flowcoat finish to reverse. Timber inserts for fixings. | 4200mm x 125mm x 100mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) Straight Crossbar diagram |
| Victoria Straight Queenpost MFQ150 |
Hollow glassfibre construction. Works in Gable features with the curved MFC 2. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 3050mm x 150mm x 150mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) Straight Crossbar diagram Straight bar size image |
| Victoria Straight Queenpost MFQ220 |
Our widest and longest straight bar - matches the curved MFC 1. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 45000mm x 220mm x 150mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) Straight Crossbar diagram Straight bar size image |
| Backing Plate MFBP |
5mm thick predrilled GRP plate used as a fixing plate on the reverse side of Gable features to tie together finials, Queenposts and diagonals. | Dimensions and shape vary depending on width and number of bars used to create the Gable feature. Diagram |
Curved Crossbars & Queenposts
| PRODUCT / CODE | DESCRIPTION | DIMENSIONS Max. Length x Width x Max. Depth |
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| Mary Curved Queenpost MFC1 |
Our narrowest curved bar with or without decorative ends. Works well with the straight Queenpost MFQ 70 in Gable features. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber inserts bonded within for fixing to bargeboards & post. | 2400mm x 85mm x 60mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) MFC1 diagram Curved bar size image |
| Mary Curved Queenpost MFC2 |
Width works with the straight Queenpost MFQ 100 in Gable features. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 2000mm x 95mm x 75mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) MFC2 diagram Curved bar size image |
| Mary Curved Queenpost MFC3 |
Dimensionally works well in conjunction with the straight Queenpost MFQ 150 in Gable features. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 2000mm x 130mm x 100mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) MFC3 diagram Curved bar size image |
| Mary Curved Queenpost MFC4 |
Our widest curved bar with a fairly shallow radius width. Matches the straight MFQ 220 in Gable features. 3D with three face sides and a gel flowcoat finish to the reverse. Timber as above. | 36000mm x 220mm x 100mm (length and depth can be varied to suit) MFC4 diagram Curved bar size image |
| Backing Plate MFBP |
5mm thick predrilled GRP plate used as a fixing plate on the reverse side of Gable features to tie together finials, Queenposts and diagonals. | Dimensions and shape vary depending on width and number of bars used to create the Gable feature. Diagram |
Useful Information
Download a diagram of the Aberdeen Finial
Download a diagram of the Norwich Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Oxford / Salisbury Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Chichester Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Wakefield Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Coventry Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Lincoln Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Tower Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Durham Spire Finial
Download a diagram of the Truro Spire Finial
Download a diagram of Straight Bars
Download a diagram of MFC1 Curved Bar
Download a diagram of MFC2 Curved Bar
Download a diagram of MFC3 Curved Bar
Download a diagram of MFC4 Curved Bar
Download a Gable Feature Assembly Guide (for Finials, Crossbars and Diagonals)