Quoin

[1] Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble,[2] while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner.

[3] According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, these imply strength, permanence, and expense, all reinforcing the onlooker's sense of a structure's presence.

Where quoins are decorative and non-load-bearing a wider variety of materials is used, including timber, stucco, or other cement render.

In a traditional, often decorative use, large rectangular ashlar stone blocks or replicas are laid horizontally at the corners.

This load-bearing quoining is common in Anglo-Saxon buildings such as St Bene't's Church in Cambridge, England.