These are finials. Nice word, isn’t it? Finniiaallls. Before moving to Corner Cottage, I was vaguely aware of finials as something to do with the banisters on a staircase, but as with so many things from worms to weeds to utes, hadn’t ever been compelled to consider them in any particular detail.

But this cottage, built in 1910, conforms to what in Australia is called the Federation style. Apparently, around this time the established, more formal Victorian architectural styles had become softened by the requirements of the Aussie climate, producing a unique colonial genre.

Unsurprisingly, once you start reading up about this stuff, it rapidly leads you down a series of rabbit holes which could become all-consuming if you let them. Being of a rather claustrophobic nature, I’d prefer not to burrow too far into this one – suffice to say, Corner Cottage displays most of the features of the genre: decorative timberwork, verandahs, a dominant roofline, chimneys, and leadlight windows.

Our finials satisfy the requirements for decorative timberwork and a dominant roofline: they serve to decorate and emphasise the gables of the roof, drawing the eye upward and giving the roof an emphatic terminal point.

It’s quite a common feature of various architectural styles – just think of those curlicues on the roofs of Chinese temples or atop the gothic spires of many a European cathedral. Never knew what they were called, but there they were, all along.

Other kinds of finials include those ornate glass, wrought iron or turned wood end bits at the ends of curtain rods or the onion domes on the corner uprights of staircase handrails with their testicle-crushing effect on anyone having a go at sliding down the banisters. Present an architect or designer with an unadorned end of a straight line, vertical or horizontal, and they’ll want to whack a finial on.

But what’s the point – and will we ever reach it? Well, Corner Cottage has a few rather humble finials, in keeping with its Federation pedigree. They were installed a few years ago during a lengthy renovation and despite their humble  dimensions and basic shape, did their job proudly and without fuss. That is, they did until a few particularly windy days toward the end of last year, when their tips gave up the ghost and were found languishing in the garden – fallen from their noble eminences.

A short examination of the fallen finials revealed why.

There was barely any length to that bit of dowel that should have been anchoring them – basically, they just didn’t have enough purchase to withstand the pressure of the wind. So onto the DIY list it goes: re-erect the finials to their former proud stature. Easy job, if a little vertigo-inducing: all it’ll take is a ladder, a drill, a longer bit of dowel, and some strong glue.

The best part of all this is of course that it requires the purchase of new toys – to whit, a drill. I do have a rather vintage Bosch hammer drill, which has served our needs very nicely over the last couple of decades – but the power cord is clearly way too short for the task at hand and an extension cord would need to be unfeasibly long. I can hear my legion of critics chorus, “get a cordless one!” And it’s a good point – but have you seen how much they cost?

My luddite soul demanded an analogue solution – a nice manually-powered drill like my dad had (and never used). That would fit in nicely with the Federation theme of my task, after all – and at a cool A$ 14.99, fit in nicely with the state of my budget. Of course, Bunnings came through – I walked past all the shiny, high-tech offerings from Makita, Black & Decker and Ryobi and found this modest Chinese-manufactured item neglected in a corner.   

So – we have the drill, we have the finials, we have good, strong carpenter’s glue, and a bit of dowel all ready to go. When it’s a little less windy than today, the ladder will be deployed and we’ll restore a bit of Federation dignity to our rather forlorn-looking eaves. When they’re back up there those finials, understated though they may be, will be staying put – and looking at them will be all the more pleasurable now we know what they’re called and what they do.