Ceiling/ roof question

[stuff4jas]

I'm moving into a house that in the upstairs rooms the corners of the ceilings have an angle cutting across the corners where wall meets ceiling. I assume this is the rafters making this angle and was wondering what type of roof this is called and why they were built like this. Any info would be gratefully received.

 

[pinenot]

Their called coombed ceilings and can be within any number of roof design. The reason is to utilise the dead space of a loft, often used to be called the attic and in tenement buildings used to be the cheapest to rent, due to restricted head room in some areas. The attic windows or dormer windows, as we call them in Scotland, often were the servants quarters in the "Big House" and became fashionable with the artist/avant-garde brigade, some time ago and are now often incorporated into a house design - the so called one and a half design, where sometimes the windows were half within the buildings walls and half in the roof comes to mind...pinenot

 

[theoldun]

Back in the 50s when we used to hand cut and pitch on site, we called them raised ties, as the ceiling joists did not sit on the plate but were bolted on to the rafter to form the tie.
These days they are called raised tie truss.
When I was a lad, I asked the reason, and was told that they could save up to 12 course of brickwork and that they could be considered a focal point.
Thees days they are only normally used when you wish to drop the ridge height to satisfy some planning regulation.
Regards oldun

 

[stuff4jas]

Thanks everyone who replied, good to know what type of roof it's called.