Crinkle Crankle Wall

Not Many People Know That (Number 5.)

Not Many people know that there is a Crinkle Crankle Wall in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, an ancient village on the River Lea.

There is a fascinating heritage trail through the village centre, and the rare Crinkle Crankle or serpentine wall, surrounding the old Vicarage garden is one of the many highlights.

Crinkle Crankle or 'Crinkum Crankum' - has its roots in old English meaning zig zag, and the term was applied to walls in the 18th Century. The few surviving examples are in East Anglia, and may be attributed to the influence of Dutch engineers working on draining the fens, who refer to them as snake walls.

The high, wavy walls are only one layer of bricks thick, are very stable and require no buttressing, so need fewer bricks than conventionally built walls.

Other examples can be found in the villages of Easton and Bramfield in Suffolk.

It is thought that the alcoves were ideal for growing soft fruit trees as the sun's warmth was trapped, and reflected back at the trees.

The bricks for this wall are similar but later than those at the nearby Someries Castle and would also have been produced locally.

The variety of colour of the bricks is due to the different firing temperatures in the brick kilns.
Not Many people know that the dark, bluish ones are common locally and known as bottle glaze bricks, but I'll save the information about them for another day.

You can view the other Not Many People Know That series by clicking here

Yippeeeeee it's Friday, have a super weekend blippers!! I will. x