Brick bonds

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A basic photographic illustration of various brick bonds found within Britain.

Stretcher bond

The simplest to lay, and therefore the most common, the bricks are laid flat long side to the face of the wall.

Header bond

Using only the header (end) of the brick as the facing wall. This is particularly strong as the width of the wall is the whole length of a brick.

Flemish bond

Bricks are laid flat one long side face and another to header end face. Also known as Dutch bond.


Variants have the header bricks at every third or fourth brick.

English bond

One course in stretcher bond, and one course in header bond.

English Garden Wall bond

Three courses of stretchers to one of headers.

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Flemish Stretcher bond

One course of flemish to three stretchers courses. Also called Garden wall bond but despite the name, most garden walls are built in flemish or stretcher bond.

Scottish bond

One course of headers to five stretcher courses.

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Rat-trap bond

Headers and stretchers laid on edge. Usually used for garden walls. Laid on edge as a money saving method, but not particularly strong compared with a conventional flat laid brick. Also known as Chinese bond.

Herringbone bond

Often used as infill to timber frame buildings, the bricks are laid at 45° in a zig-zag pattern.

Brick burr wall

Brick burr walls are most likely to be found in brick making areas. A brick burr (or burh) is a waste product of the brick industry. Two or more bricks fused together in the kiln as a result of an over-hot firing. The bricks are often distorted and some have a vitreous appearance. They not suited for structural use, so generally found in garden walls.

Basket bond

Bricks are laid in squares of three at 90° to each other square.

Other patterns

Ventilation holes

Brick details

Soldier Course
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Rubbed brick header


Arches


String Course


Lacing Course


Dentils


Quoins
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Corbels
Often used in chimneys, the brick steps out as the wall rises.

Circles


Decorative Bricks


Domes


Tumbled-in gable


Examples
This grand village hall has numerous brick details, including string courses, corbeling, circular window surrounds, arches, dentils, label moulds and Dutch gables.


★ section awaiting more examples and images ★

Decorative patterns

Using different colour bricks, and the different types of brick bonds above, many patterns can be achieved.

❖ Further reading

Wikipedia: Brickwork

If you can suggest more suitable geograph images, or corrections, please send a message.

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KML

  Images used on this page, © Copyright Oast House Archive, Graham Horn, Colin Smith, Penny Mayes, Bob Embleton, Richard Croft, Gareth Hughes, James Allan, Trudi Barr, Espresso Addict, Simon Carey, Wendy Carey, David Lally, Alan Murray-Rust, Brian Robert Marshall, Andrew Tatlow, Jonathan Billinger, Trish Steel and Dave Hitchborne; licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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