Hood mould

Example of window mouldings

In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould (from Latin labia, lip) or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater. This moulding can be terminated at the side by ornamentation called a label stop.

The hood mould was introduced into architecture in the Romanesque period, though they become much more common in the Gothic period.

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References

• Burden, Ernest E. (2002), Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture, McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 213, ISBN 0-07-137529-5