Victorian Architectural Glossary

By | January 11, 2025
  • Balustrade: A row of small columns (balusters) topped by a rail, often found on porches, balconies, or staircases.
  • Bay Window: A window structure projecting outward from the main walls of a building, often polygonal or rectangular, creating additional interior space.
  • Bargeboard: Decorative wooden panels affixed to the projecting edges of gables, often intricately carved with lace-like patterns.
  • Brackets: Ornamental supports found under eaves or projecting features, often highly detailed in Victorian designs.
  • Corbel: A projection jutting out from a wall to support a structure above it, commonly seen under cornices or bay windows.
  • Cornice: A horizontal molding or projection at the top of a building or wall, serving as a decorative crown.
  • Cupola: A small, dome-like structure on top of a roof or turret, often used for ventilation or as a decorative element.
  • Dentil Molding: A decorative trim featuring small, evenly spaced rectangular blocks resembling teeth, commonly used under cornices.
  • Dormer: A window set vertically on a sloping roof, often with its own small roof, adding space and light to upper stories.
  • Eave: The overhanging lower edge of a roof, often decorated with brackets or other Victorian detailing.
  • Finial: A decorative, often pointed ornament at the peak of a gable, turret, or spire.
  • Fish Scale Shingles: Overlapping, rounded shingles resembling fish scales, often used on gables or upper-story walls for texture and interest.
  • Gable: The triangular upper portion of a wall at the end of a pitched roof, often decorated with bargeboards or other trim.
  • Gingerbread: Intricate wooden trim featuring scrollwork, lace-like patterns, and other ornate details, typically seen on porches, eaves, and gables.
  • Mansard Roof: A four-sided roof with two slopes on each side, the lower slope being steeper, creating a distinctive profile and additional living space.
  • Newel Post: The central or end post of a staircase banister, often elaborately carved or turned in Victorian homes.
  • Oriel Window: A type of bay window that projects from an upper story and is supported by corbels or brackets.
  • Pediment: A triangular or arched decorative feature above windows, doors, or porches, reflecting classical influences.
  • Quoins: Decorative stone or brickwork accents at the corners of a building, often contrasting in color or texture.
  • Sash Window: A window made of one or more movable panels (sashes) that slide vertically or horizontally, often featuring multiple panes.
  • Spandrel: The triangular space between the outer curve of an arch and a rectangular frame, often filled with decorative detailing.
  • Stickwork: Applied wooden trim that mimics the appearance of structural framework, common in Stick-style Victorian homes.
  • Stained Glass: Colored glass used in windows, often featuring intricate patterns or pictorial designs, adding a sense of artistry to interiors and exteriors.
  • Turret: A small, rounded tower projecting from a building, often cylindrical or polygonal, giving Victorian homes a castle-like appearance.
  • Veranda: A roofed, open-air gallery or porch extending along one or more sides of a building, often adorned with gingerbread trim.
  • Wainscoting: Decorative wood paneling on the lower part of an interior wall, adding texture and warmth to rooms.
  • Widow’s Walk: A railed rooftop platform, traditionally found on coastal homes, used for viewing the sea or as a decorative element.
  • Zigzag Ornamentation: A repetitive pattern of angled or zigzag lines, often seen in tilework, brickwork, or decorative moldings.