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

oriel - small curved or angled window section, projecting outward from wall and supported by brackets.

Palladian window - window consisting of central arched sash flanked by smaller side lights, not arched; aka: Venetian or Diocletian window.

pantry - small room where food, dishes, etc., are kept.

parapet - low wall around roof or platform.

parged, parging - covering of exterior element, such as a chimney, with mortar or form of stucco.

pebbledash, pebble-dash - external plaster or stucco normally consisting of two coats in
which pebbles or gravel are thrown into second coat before it has set.

pediment - low-pitched triangular end or gable above portico, door or window.

pendant - hanging ornament.

pent roof - visor-like roof that projects from wall.

pergola - open grid, supported by rows of columns or other upright members, for growing vines, etc.

piano window - small horizontal window high in wall of main level, under which upright piano can be placed on interior wall; generally in living or dining rooms.

picket fence - fence with vertical pointed flat, square or round members.

pièce-sur-pièce - French Canadian type of log construction favoured by the Hudson’s Bay Company: a dressed timber frame structure with horizontal log infill, the logs notched at both ends and slid down the uprights.

pier - vertical supporting member, frequently battered and beneath posts or columns, as on porch or verandah.

pilaster - flat column against face of wall; usually projects no more than one-third to one-half its width.

pitched roof - roof with sloping sides.

pointing - finishing of rough mortar joints in masonry with special fine, strong mortar, shaped with special tools, usually coloured to contrast with brick or masonry.

porch - small, projecting, covered entrance to building; may be open, screened, or glass-enclosed.

porte-cochère - covered area over driveway at building entrance.