Many of the Crinkle Crankle, Serpentine or Wavy walls in the country are in Suffolk.
This one isn't far from home, it's in the small town of Eye . A few others I know are in the villages of Bramfield, Bacton, and Easton and in Saxmundham town centre.
In Eye it is around Chandos Lodge
I was parked right by this one when I visited Bramfield church months ago. (The spots are rain on the lens)
It's thought the idea may have been brought here by Dutch Engineers who arrived in the mid 1600's to sort out the drainage of the Fens, the Dutch called them slangenmuur or snake walls. At that time the word crink meant 'twisty'. Some references say that Crinkle Crankle are Suffolk Dialect words that have spread across the country.
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The words Crinkle Crankle are an example of Ablaut Reduplications!!
(....Ablaut reduplication, or ablaut-motivated compounding, is a type of word formation of "expressives" (such as onomatopoeia or ideophones), in which words are formed by reduplication of a base and alternation of the internal vowel.)
There's lots more about the walls and the words on wiki of course and as usual someone in Suffolk with plenty of time has compiled a list!
I need to search and see if there are crinkle crankle walls near me!
ReplyDeleteThey are being built all over now
DeleteThere is one not far from here at Fakenham- but Suffolk definitely has the most.
ReplyDeleteIt's an odd thing I didn't realise - thought they were everywhere equally
DeleteThere's one around the kitchen garden at Deans Court in Wimborne, Dorset. They call it a serpentine wall and it was built by Napoleonic prisoners of war. Sadly the kitchen garden is very overgrown but the wall is superb.
ReplyDeleteHate seeing a neglected kitchen garden - a wall is so protective
DeleteSorry forgot to add my name, Penny!
ReplyDeletemy friend just moved to the general area and has been sharing these on Instagram.
ReplyDeleteOdd coincidence
DeleteGlad to see several of the ones in Sudbury and Long Melford are listed.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise they were so many
DeleteI remember seeing one of those walls many years ago and thinking it was a a one-off bit of eccentricity, but I was obviously wrong on that one. Chandos Lodge sounds like it belongs in a Sherlock Holmes story.
ReplyDeleteor a Poirot!
DeleteWe see very few brick constructions in Ireland. Most old houses are made of stone and rendered and painted. Modern homes are made of concrete blocks and rendered and painted.
ReplyDeleteNo stone except flint here but plenty of clay for bricks
DeleteThanks for that Sue , it's really interesting .A good way of saving money and having a stronger wall but also very attractive. Helen
ReplyDeleteI'll be spotting them everywhere now
DeleteHow very interesting! Thanks for sharing that. It makes me wish for a wall like that around my garden here in Tennessee. Phillis
ReplyDeleteThey do look good
DeleteThanks for sharing the crinkle crackle walls. I have often looked at these walls when we are travelling and we get stopped and I can have a good look at the scenery. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we had so many in Suffolk until writing this
DeleteReally interesting. I really enjoyed learning about the walls, and also about the fens and the Dutch engineers. The things that we see or pass by that we don’t know the history or the back story of never ceases to amaze me and I always enjoy learning. I enjoy Lucy Worsley’s tv shows where she delves into history. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025. Jean in Winnipeg
ReplyDeleteI've made a note to watch the latest of those Lucy Worsley programmes sometime on the catch up channel.
DeleteHope your year is a good one too
Crinkle crankle walls are cool. I love the wavy look. Cali
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we had most here
DeleteAnother new phrase for me, Sue. I don't know if we have any crinkle crankle walls in Naperville, IL
ReplyDeleteHope you can find out.
DeleteI just looked up serpentine walls and found that Thomas Jefferson copied the idea for his gardens at Monticello. It's a great concept.
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly more interesting than a straight wall
DeleteI loved seeing those walls when we were tourists in the UK. How interesting to learn the history behind them.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I enjoyed finding out more about them
DeleteSo interesting, I’d never heard of this before
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I didn't know we had more here than elsewhere
DeleteI noticed these walls near Carlton Colville Transport Museum (Nr Lowestoft) last September. They were the boundary walls for houses on a 1980/90's housing estate. I commented upon them to my partner. Although I had been to the area before, I had not noticed them. Thank you for the history.
ReplyDeleteJanet (Cardiff)