A ridge turret is a turret or small

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

constructed over the ridge or apex between two or more sloping roofs of a building. It is usually built either as an architectural ornament for purely decorative purposes or else for the practical housing of a clock, a bell or an observation platform. Its function is thus different from that of a

roof lantern A roof lantern is a daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight structure. A lantern roof w ...

, despite a frequent similarity of external appearance. It can have a flat roof but usually has a pointed roof or other kind of apex over. When the height of a roof turret exceeds its width it is usually called a tower or

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

in English architecture, and when the height of a ridge turret's roof exceeds its width, it is called a

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

in English architecture or a flèche in French architecture.

Images

Mairie Ars Moselle.jpg, Ridge turret on Ars-sur-Moselle town hall, France Kloster Einsiedeln IMG 6353.JPG, Ridge turret on Benedictine abbey in

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area ...

, Switzerland Greenlane Clinical Centre Old Buildings I.jpg, Ridge turret on Greenlane Medical Centre in

Greenlane Greenlane is a central isthmus suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is bounded by Epsom to the west, Newmarket to the north, Remuera to the east and One Tree Hill to the south. The Greenlane shops are situated at the intersection of Great Sout ...

, Auckland, New Zealand. Rapperswil - Liebfrauenkapelle - Schloss Kräutergarten 2011-08-06 15-08-24.jpg, Ridge tower of the Liebfrauenkapelle in

Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...

, Switzerland Predigerkirche - Künstlergasse 2011-08-10 09-48-22.jpg, The high ridge turret of

Predigerkirche Zürich Predigerkirche is one of the four main churches of the old town of Zürich, Switzerland, besides Fraumünster, Grossmünster and St. Peter. First built in 1231 AD as a Romanesque church of the then Dominican ''Predigerkloster'', the Basilica was ...

, its clock tower in the background. Architectural elements Roofs Turrets {{Architecturalelement-stub