ORIEL WINDOW

'Oriel windows' are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic revival architecture, which jut out from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was also used in Victorian Architecture in the Queen Anne Style.
Oriel windows are seen in Arab architecture in the form of mashrabiya.
In the Hindu culture these windows and balconies projected from the street front, providing an area in which women could peer out and see the activities below while remaining invisible.

Contents

Origins

Origins

The origin of the word oriel is derived from the Latin word aureus which means "golden"; relating to the Golden Rectangle in which the Fibonacci spiral always makes a perfect oriel pattern or window.

★ Oriel College, Oxford took its name from a balcony or oriel window forming a feature of a property which occupied the site the college now stands on.

★ Oriel Chambers in Liverpool was a very controversial building when it was built, featuring an entire facade of glass oriel windows. It is seen as an early example of modernism.