Victoria Heritage Foundation

A-B • C-D • E-F • G-H • I-J • K-L • M-N • O-P • Q-R • S-T • U-V • W-Z

canopy - wide projection over doorway or window.

cantilever - projecting beam or other member supported only one end.

capital - decorative (moulded, turned or carved) top of column or pilaster.

casement - window hung on frame by hinges on one of its vertical sides.

chamfered - angled or edge cut on diagonal (bevelled).

cladding - exterior wall covering of various materials.

clapboard - thin, angled (thicker on bottom than top), board used to cover the exterior walls of timber-framed buildings; weatherboarding.

clerestory - upper row of small windows or openings above main windows of a level, used for light and ventilation.

clinker brick - misshapen, overburned brick, used as decorative elements on Arts & Crafts buildings.

colonette - small column, usually decorative.

column - vertical member designed either to carry weight of projecting upper level or used as decorative element; consists of base, shaft and capital.

coping - protective capping of brick, stone or metal on the top of a wall.

concrete block - concrete moulded into blocks, sometimes patterned to replicate masonry.

corbel - projecting block or bracket built into a wall, used to support something above.

corbelling - series of projections, each extending further outwards than the last, frequently found on the tops of chimney stacks.

corner board - board placed vertically over siding at the corner of an exterior wall to provide a neater appearance and protect the ends of the siding.

cornice - projecting ornamental moulding along the top of a building, wall or arch.

course - continuous layer of horizontal wood or brick.

cove - concave junction between ceiling and wall.

crawlspace - area inside raised foundation, used for ventilation and access to floor
timbers, pipes, etc.

crenellated - having battlements, a pattern of repeated indentations.

cresting - moulded, turned, carved or cut row of decoration along roof ridge.

cross-axial - building plan with overlapping sections or wings at right angles to one another.

cupola - small structure on a roof, used as lookout or for ventilation, frequently hemispherical on circular or polygonal drum.

cutwork - carpenter decoration in which part of the wood is cut away, as in embroidery cutwork.

dentil - a small, ornamental block used in rows, resembling a row of teeth.

dentilated (denticulated) - ornamented or embellished with dentils, as in a cornice or gable moulding.

dormer - structure containing windows, which projects from roof slope, and has a flat, sloping (shed), gabled, hipped or other shape of roof.

double-coursed shingles - two rows of shingles laid close together, creating a rhythmic pattern, more frequently used on walls than roofs.

double-bevelled siding - exterior wall cladding of boards with horizontal edges in middle and on bottom.

double-glazed - window with two panes of glass set apart in the same sash.

double-hung sash windows - window with two sashes hung in same frame; by use of
weight-and-pulley system, one sash goes up and the other, down.

dowel, dowelling - pin of metal or wood used to secure two members together.

drop finial (pendant) - ornamental feature placed inside apex of roof, below wall overhang, etc.

drop siding - horizontal exterior wall cladding with tongue on top outer edge which fits into slot on bottom of board above; aka: channel siding.

duckboard - platform of slats or duckboards laid on cold or wet surface to form pathway.

duroid - type of asphalt shingle.