Needle is a building term with three meanings: a slender, steeply rising spire; a needle-shaped monument such as an obelisk; and the meeting stile fixed to one leaf of a pair of doors or windows that have no centre mullion. Which meaning applies is nearly always clear from the context.
1. The needle as a spire
A needle is a spire with a very steep, slender profile. Where an ordinary broach or pyramidal spire has a broad base and a squat silhouette, a needle rises almost straight over a great height. The structure is a timber spire frame with a king post at the centre, clad in slate, zinc or copper. On tall needles wind loading governs the design, not self-weight.
2. The needle as a monument
A free-standing, tall and narrow tapering monument in stone is also called a needle — the obelisk being the best-known form. Such markers were raised to commemorate battles, royal visits or civic anniversaries.
3. The needle in joinery
Where a pair of doors or windows has no centre mullion, the second leaf still has to close against something. That closing strip, fixed to one of the two leaves, is the needle. In English joinery it is more often called the meeting stile or rebated meeting stile.
Note that in temporary works the word “needle” has an entirely separate meaning: a horizontal beam passed through a wall to carry the structure above while the wall below is removed or underpinned.
Points to watch
- On external doors with a needle, weather resistance comes from the seals, not the strip itself
- The leaf carrying the needle always closes last and opens first; the flush bolts therefore go on the opposite leaf
- On a spire, regular inspection of the covering and the lightning protection matters more than of the frame itself
Related terms
- Spire
- Obelisk
- Meeting stile
- Double door
- Needling
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