The shopfront fascia or frieze is the area that runs above the shop window and commonly holds the signage.

The slightly protruding moulded section above the fascia is the cornice and provides some protection from rainwater. It is often removed or omitted in modern shopfronts to increase the fascia size.

Below the fascia there is often an architrave which helps to frame the fascia top and bottom. Again, this is often omitted or removed to increase fascia size. Together, these three elements are known as the entablature.

Seven Dials has many shopfronts with wide entablatures which enable the installation of window boxes. These entablatures should always be retained. New shopfront designs should, where possible, continue this attractive and useful tradition.

Traditional fascias run the width of the shopfront whether enclosed by pilasters with capitals or supported by pilasters with brackets. Where the shopfront is wider than average, the fascia may be spilt into two, either side of a central door. Some traditional fascias are tilted downward to allow for easier viewing of the signage.

Fascia boards should not be removed from traditional shopfronts. The fascia should be appropriate to the age and architectural details of the building. Modern applied box fascias, which project from the face of the building, and the addition of new fascias over the top of existing fascias are clumsy, often obscure historical detail and are not appropriate for a conservation area.

The cornice may be protected by a lead weathering over the top surface, neatly dressed into the brickwork or structure above.