The bow and beakhead of the 17th century warship Vasa seen from above. The small square holes on either side of the bowsprit are the toilets.
A beakhead is the protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship. It was fitted on sailing vessels from the 16th to the 18th century and served as a working platform by sailors working the sails of the bowsprit, the forward-pointing mast that carries the spritsails. The beakhead would be one the most ornate sections of a ship, particularly in the extravagant Baroque-style ships of the 17th century. The sides were often decorated with carved statues and located directly underneath was the figurehead, usually in the form of animals, shields or mythological creatures. The beakhead also housed the crew's toilets, which would drop refuse straight into the sea without sullying the ship's hull unnecessarily. Bow may mean: Look up bow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Vasa (or Wasa[2]) is a 64-gun warship, built for Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden 1626-1628. ... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ... Look up mast in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A form of sailing rig mainly employed on the Thames Sailing Barge, which uses two similarly sized spars to form the framework for the sail area. ... Forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Figurehead is a carved wooden decoration, often female or bestiary, found at the prow of ships of the 16th to the 19th century. ...
The tower, a substantial structure of stone rubble, is presumably contemporary, but the pointed lancets and the spacious triple arcading on the N and S walls suggest a remodelling around 1200, while the transomed, trefoil-headed double bell-openings of the upper storey must date from the 15thc.
The beakhead on the S doorway is a mixture of conventional bird beakhead, cats' heads, some with their tongues lying across the angle roll, and doglike heads carved as exaggerated caricatures.
Elsewhere in the county, the beakhead ornament is also found at Pitsford and Earl's Barton but all three appear to be by different workshops.
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