BRICKS, STONES AND BONDS


styles of brick and stone laying

In the good old days, buildings were often built to be beautiful and a great deal of effort was taken when bricklaying. Fancy bondings, cut and moulded bricks and the use of different colours produced marvels such as St Pancras Hotel, pictured above.

Stretcher bond is the commonest bond used today and the least interesting in appearance. It can be made more interesting by laying a course of different coloured bricks or to lay such bricks to form a pattern on a wall.


Stretcher bond

Flemish bond consists of alternating headers and stretchers along each course with the headers centred on the stretchers above and below.


Flemish bond

English bond consists of alternating courses of headers and stretchers, with the alternative headers centred over and under the vertical joints of the stretchers.


English bond

American common bond is similar to the English Bond but the courses of headers are separated by approximately five courses of stretchers.


American common bond

Shown below are a selection of ornamental brickwork styles. Simple structures can be modelled using plastic building sheet but if we wish to replicate these marvels, we have to do it the hard way by using foam board. The results are well worth it though. Some of the detailing can be carved in modelling clay and added to the project.

 

 
 

stonework


Cotswold dry stone wall


Portland stone


carved stone Tracery windows

 

 

 


stonework can also be combined with brick
 

adobe

In hot dry climates, bricks are not fired and just dry in the sun. The buildings can then be plastered by mud mixed with a binder such as straw. This tends to produce buildings of a more organic appearance which increases as erosion takes place. Often, timbers protrude through the walls which are used as supports for planking to allow for easy re-plastering. Adobe has also been used for inside walls in Europe. Versailles palace is actually the largest adobe building in the world. The mud was extracted from what are now its ornamental lakes! The outside walls are clad in stone.


building in New Mexico


an adobe ruin is an interesting project to model


the engine shed at County Gate