Acanthus


Widespread throughout the Mediterranean, the ornate leaves of the Acanthus were the source of a stylised motif used in Greek and Roman art. First used in the Greek city of Corinth, the Romans favoured the flamboyant style and the leaves always form part of the Corinthian capitals. This example in glazed ceramic form on the pilasters of the Bull's Head at Wrockwardine Wood in Telford.

Architrave


The main beam resting immediately on two or more columns. It is the bottom or lower most element of an entablature and supports the frieze. So, for example, the architrave of this triangular door pediment is the small section resting on the capitals whereas the frieze is the section with the word 'Ales' carved in the stone. Another definition for architrave is a moulded or decorative band that frames a door or window opening.

Balustrade


A row of balusters with a rail or coping as the parapet of a balcony. The larger supporting section is called a pier. Balustrades are quite rare on pubs and are usually only found on very large or monumental buildings. This example can be found on The Britannia on the Lichfield Road in Aston, Birmingham.

Bas-Relief


A sculpture or carving that projects only slightly from the wall. The most likely form of bas-relief to be found on public houses is a design based on the name of the building - as in this example of The Swan.

Cartouche


A scroll ornament on a building, usually with roll-up ends and bearing an inscription. However, most examples of a cartouche on a public house feature simply the name of the pub or the date of construction and not an inscription.

Console


A console is an ornamental supporting bracket used largely for decoration rather than load-bearing. Generally formed with scrolls, the console is normally higher than its projection.

Cornice


The horizontal moulded projection crowning or finishing a wall. In classical architecture the cornice is the third or uppermost division of an entablature as in this example at the Dogpool Hotel in Stirchley.

Dentil


The best type of dentils to spot are the rectangular stone blocks used in older buildings but very often they are simply constructed with turned bricks to form a row of tooth-like cubes beneath the cornice or roofline as in this example on the Golden Lion in Bridgnorth.

Entablature


The entablature is part of the classical order above column, including architrave, frieze and cornice. Purists will refer to the ancient Greek types. For example the Doric that included a frieze of alternating triglyphs and metopes, or the Ionic and Corinthian with a frieze crowned by small blocks or dentils over a stepped architrave. You'll find entablatures on some of the more exotic Victorian and Edwardian public houses where neoclassicism tended to mix-and-match, combining elements from different orders - a bit like the Romans really!

Flemish-Bond


This name is given to bricks laid with alternating headers and stretchers so that the header [the short end] is centred above and below the stretcher. This form of bricklaying was first introduced to Britain in the late 17th century.

Grotesque


To be honest, you need to visit a church to get the full no-holds-barred grotesque vibe. There you will find the antics - or sculptures of animals and humans and the foliated gargoyles. They generally serve the role of a waterspout. Indeed, it is the non-practical versions that are known as grotesques. Strictly speaking, this is a keystone but the use of the foliated figure gave me an excuse to include it as a pub grotesque. You'll find many of these at The Seymour in Gloucester.

Keystone


The central voussoir in the curve of an arch that locks the whole together. This example is at the Waggon and Horses in Halesowen. The term Blockstone is generally applied to the central stone above a level window frame.

Pilaster


Following a trend in general retail during the mid-late Victorian period, thousands of pubs were re-fronted [see Fenestration] and wooden pilasters were used for decorative purposes. Essentially, a pilaster is a shallow rectangular column that projects slightly from the wall and is generally topped with a classical style capital. Although the great majority of pilasters were wooden, it is possible to find spectacular examples faced with ceramic tiles. This example can be found at the Golden Cup in Hanley.

Quoins


From the French word for corner, these are the dressed stones laid alternatively to accentuate the corners of a building. The practical use of quoins is to strengthen the corner of a building however false quoins are sometimes used to decorate a building.

 Sash-Window


A window frame, usually of wood, fitted with panes of glass that is generally moveable because it slides up and down with the aid of a strong cord. So here on this example at the Red Lion in Bromsgrove, there are two sash frames that move up and down independently.

 String-Course


A moulding or projecting course running horizontally along the face of a building. The course can comprise of a number of materials such as stones, tiles or bricks.

Table


Technically, a table is supposed to be of a rectangular shape or nature but who's really worried about a few rounded corners? In the non-pub world, the raised panel on a wall is designed to house either a sculpture or painting. However, in a similar fashion to a cartouche, a table on the frontage of a pub is generally used for the pub's name or, as in this case at Hanley, the emblem of the pub in bas relief. And in true potteries style, this table comprises seventeen individual ceramic tiles.

Turret


A small tower added to a building, often for decorative effect and usually on a corner. As in this example at the Waggon and Horses in Oldbury, the tower in Victorian and Edwardian designs is often octagonal. This building was erected by the Holt Brewery Company of Aston.

“There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at,
sculpture is art you can walk around, and architecture is art you can walk through.”
Dan Rice
Pub Quotations