Flagpole accessories – every part explained

A flagpole is more than a tube. The pulley, halyard, cleat and base decide whether the flag is easy to hoist, whether it flies cleanly in the wind and whether the pole still stands safely after years. The names vary a little between suppliers; the overview below uses the common terms.

Overview of the parts

Top fitting, pulley and finial

At the top of the pole sits the truck, which closes the tube and carries the pulley. Many are designed to rotate, so the flag can turn with the wind without wrapping around the pole. A finial, such as a ball, often crowns the pole. The top is the part hardest to reach without lowering the pole; repairs there are described in the guide to flagpole repair.

Halyard and fittings

The halyard usually runs in a loop over the pulley. The flag is attached with clips, or with a toggle and rope sewn into the hoist of the flag. The Flag Institute mentions ropes, toggles and clips as the usual fittings of a flag. Plastic or covered clips make less noise against the pole than bare metal clips.

The Flag Institute also describes the British tradition of breaking a flag: the flag is hoisted rolled up and secured with a thin piece of cotton or a slip knot, and a sharp tug on the halyard releases it.

Cleat and internal halyard

With an external halyard, the rope is secured on a cleat. With an internal halyard, it sits behind a lockable door and a counterweight inside the pole keeps it taut, which makes it harder to lower or steal the flag.

Yardarm and gaff

Nautical flagpoles have a yardarm, a horizontal cross-piece, and sometimes a gaff, a short spar at an angle. According to the Flag Institute, the senior ensign flies from the gaff and the senior national flag from the starboard yardarm; a yacht club burgee can fly from the masthead.

Base and foundation

The pole stands in a foundation, usually concrete. It holds either a ground socket, into which the pole slides, or a hinged base, which allows the pole to be lowered. A hinged pole makes it possible to reach the top from the ground. The size of the foundation is set by the manufacturer according to the pole’s height, the flag size and the site. More in the guide to installing a flagpole.

Pennant and mourning cravat

• Pennant: according to the Flag Institute, a long, narrow streamer designed to be left flying day and night, so the pole does not stand bare.
• Mourning cravat: a black cravat or ribbon added at the top of the flag at the hoist when half-masting is unsuitable. In England, the planning rules allow a black mourning ribbon on the flag or flagpole where the flag cannot be flown at half-mast.

Lighting

Floodlights at the base of the pole or in the ground light the flag at night. According to the Flag Institute, flags may be flown at night when illuminated. In England, electrical installation work in homes falls under Part P of the Building Regulations, and Approved Document P explains when work has to be notified. More in the guide to flag lighting.