On a recent visit to Tryon, Godfrey Rubens stopped by the Tryon Daily Bulletin building and commented on the building design, saying he was astonished to see that the building was equipped with machiolations. Above is a photo Rubens supplied showing machiolations on Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, and below is a photo of the top of the Bulletin’s building. These machiolations are part of the defenses of medieval castles, Rubens said, and are constructed so that the building’s defenders may pour boiling pitch or oil on the attackers. “I understand [the Bulletin] building was a bank,” Rubens said, “so maybe the architect thought to frighten any possible robbers, though I find it hard to imagine the employees standing on the roof and hurling down boiling pitch.” (photos submitted by Godfrey Rubens)