A tourelle is a type of

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

, sometimes used in Chateauesque architecture. A general dictionary defines tourelle as "a small tower (as one springing from corbeling or

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

)". An architectural dictionary defines it more specifically as a " corbelled

, circular in plan, cone-roofed, sometimes containing a circular stair, set at the angle of a tower or wall at high level, and common in Scottish-Baronial architecture".''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture'' A distinction may be made between turrets that are atop corner towers going all the way down to the ground, vs.

s that project out and up. A tourelle is the latter.

References

Architectural elements {{architecturalelement-stub