UK Brick Bonds: Stretcher, Flemish and English Explained
A brick bond is the pattern in which bricks are arranged within a wall. Bonding affects appearance and historically helped distribute loads across masonry. For identification work, the bond can also provide context: it may help you understand the construction of a building, but it normally cannot identify the individual brick manufacturer by itself.
Stretcher bond
Stretcher bond is one of the most familiar modern patterns. The long face, or stretcher, of each brick is visible and vertical joints are staggered from one course to the next. It is common in modern cavity-wall construction where the visible outer leaf is not relying on a traditional solid-wall bond in the same way as older masonry.
English bond
English bond alternates courses of stretchers with courses of headers. A header is the short end of the brick visible on the face of the wall. The regular alternation gives English bond a distinctive horizontal rhythm and is commonly encountered in traditional solid masonry.
Flemish bond
Flemish bond alternates headers and stretchers within each course. The pattern produces a more interlocked appearance and is strongly associated with traditional brickwork. Look carefully at corners and returns because quoins and bonding arrangements can make the pattern appear different from the centre of the wall.
Other patterns
Garden wall bonds, rat-trap arrangements, decorative diaper patterns and variations of traditional bonds also occur. Some walls combine different patterns or use decorative brickwork around openings. A photograph of a whole elevation can therefore be useful context alongside a close-up of the brick itself.
Bond versus brick identification
Do not confuse the pattern of the wall with the identity of the brick. A modern brick can be laid in a traditional-looking pattern, while an older brick can be reused in later work. The bond tells you about the masonry arrangement and sometimes the building's construction history; the brick's dimensions, surface, frog and manufacturing characteristics provide evidence about the unit itself.
How to photograph a bond
- Take a square-on photograph showing several courses.
- Include a corner or opening where the bond changes if accessible.
- Take a separate close-up of an individual brick face.
- Photograph any frog, stamp or maker's mark.
- Record approximate brick dimensions if safe to do so.
Try the Find My Brick identifier for the individual brick, then use the bond as additional architectural context.