Roofline is the outline formed by the roof of a building against the sky, and by extension the collection of features at the top of a building, including eaves, gables, ridges, parapets, chimneys, dormers, finials and decorative boards. It is one of the most important elements in defining the character of a historic building and its street.
Each period has its characteristic roofline: the steep gables and clustered chimneys of Tudor and Jacobean houses, the hipped roofs and parapets of Georgian architecture that often conceal the roof altogether, the battlements of castellated and Gothic Revival houses, the mansard roofs of French-influenced buildings, and the decorative bargeboards, crested ridge tiles and finials of Victorian villas. Ornamental details such as terracotta ridge cresting, cast-iron finials, lead work, weather vanes and chimney pots are frequently found through architectural salvage, and matching them correctly helps restore a building's appearance. Changes to the roofline of listed buildings or in conservation areas normally need consent, and the loss of chimneys or original coverings can badly erode character. In the trade, the word also applies to the fascia, soffit and gutter boards at the eaves.
