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"The word corbie or corby, though obsolete in English, except as a heraldic term, has retained its place in the Scottish dialect, and in architecture to signify the succession of steps with which the gables of old houses are everywhere ornamented in Scotland. The fashion, like most of the other peculiarities of Scottish architecture, was no doubt borrowed, as was the term, from France." — Chambers, 1881

Corbie-Steps

"The word corbie or corby, though obsolete in English, except as a heraldic term, has retained its place…

A Crow-stepped gable is a stair-step type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a step pattern above the roof as a decoration and as a convenient way to finish the brick courses. "The word corbie or corby, though obsolete in English, except as a heraldic term, has retained its place in the Scottish dialect, and in architecture to signify the succession of steps with which the gables of old houses are everywhere ornamented in Scotland. The fashion, like most of the other peculiarities of Scottish architecture, was no doubt borrowed, as was the term, from France." — Chambers, 1881

Crow-stepped Gable

A Crow-stepped gable is a stair-step type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building.…