Oriel window
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An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Supported by corbels, brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an upper floor, but is also sometimes used on the ground floor.
EtymologyEdit
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term oriel is derived from Anglo-Norman {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and Late Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, both meaning "gallery" or "porch", perhaps from Classical Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("curtain").
HistoryEdit
Oriel windows became popular in the 15th century. They allowed more sunlight into a room compared to conventional flat windows, and were therefore popular in northern countries such as England.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They also could increase the usable space in a house without changing the footprint of the building.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Oriel windows are seen in Arab architecture in the form of mashrabiya and in Turkish are known as şahnişin or cumba. In Islamic culture, these windows and balconies project from the street-front of a house, providing an area in which women could peer out and see the activities below whilst remaining out of line-of-sight.<ref> KENZARI, B. and ELSHESHTAWY, Y. (2003), The Ambiguous Veil: On Transparency, the Mashrabiy'ya, and Architecture. Journal of Architectural Education, 56: 17–25. doi: 10.1162/104648803321672924</ref>
Notable examplesEdit
- Oriel College, Oxford, took its name from a balcony or oriel window forming a feature of a building which occupied the site the college now stands on.<ref>University Challenge, BBC TV. Broadcast 8 August 2016</ref>
- Oriel Chambers in Liverpool was a very controversial building when it was built, featuring an entire façade of glass oriel windows.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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GalleryEdit
- Barnard Castle's round tower, 2007.jpg
A 15th-century oriel window at Barnard Castle in County Durham, England.
- Myrtle Street Flats (San Francisco).JPG
Oriel windows in San Francisco, California, USA
- Prior Bolton Oriel Window.jpg
16th-century oriel window in the City of London, Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great
- Bradford City Hall by J Illingworth.jpg
19th-century neo-gothic oriel window on Bradford City Hall
- Bruges - Bay window.JPG
Masonry oriel window above a canal supported by corbelling, Bruges, Belgium
- Perssonska gården (Gäddan 1) 2012-09-27 14-12-05.jpg
Ground-floor oriel window, Perssonska gården, Hedemora, Sweden
- Oriel chambers.jpg
Oriel Chambers, Liverpool, by Peter Ellis, 1864
- Maison bleue.jpg
Massive half timbered oriel window on a pre-1581 house, Bouxwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France
- Gave Aspe Oloron-Sainte-Marie.jpg
Oriel windows with brackets in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France
- Exeter College Bay Window in Turl Street.jpg
An oriel window in Turl Street belonging to Exeter College, Oxford
See alsoEdit
- Bay window for more details
- Bow window
- Bretèche
- Turret window