LL-L "Architecture" 2003.09.22 (09) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 22.SEP.2003 (09) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Architecture"

> > From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Architecture
> >
> > While in the case of Scotsland they may be of "Flemish" origin, let me
> > mention that those "crawstep gables" are also extremely common in
> > Northern
> > Germany, not to mention the Netherlands.  They are indeed predominant
> > in
> > older architecture.  In the (once) wealthier cities in Northern
> > Germany and
> > elsewhere where there is a Hanseatic past, these are sometimes
> > incorporated
> > into a more elaborate style known as _Norddeutsche Backsteingotik_
> > ("North
> > German Brick Gothic").

I suppose there may be a tendency in Scotland to characterise anything from
the continental Lowlands as "Flemish".

Here's picture I took a few years ago of some buildings in The Scores, St
Andrews, Fife which shows what crawstep gables generally look like in
Scotland (if you're using IE6 remember to click on the magnifier button at
the bottom right of the picture):

http://sandyfleemin.org/scart/crawsteps.jpg

These aren't restricted to old or grand buildings, though. Anything from a
large church to a tiny farm cottage might be built this way, and I recently
noticed a newly built block of flats in North Berwick, East Lothian that had
crawstep gables.

Although these look simple and perhaps crude, I guess more thought goes into
them than a layman like me can really appreciate. A few years ago I was in
Peebles, Midlothian and there were some men working on the roof of the
church. They were using the crawstep gables to climb and reach different
parts of the roof. I was surprised at how huge the blocks were compared to
the size of the men. Yet on a farmhouse they're quite small, but _look_
about the same. I suspect that architects scale them either according to the
size of the building, or so that they have the same general appearance from
ground level.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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From: Pat Reynolds <pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Architecture" 2003.09.22 (03) [E]

Lowlands-L <lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net> writes
>Unfortunately, I do not know what the German or Lowlands Saxon (Low German)
>name for this sort of step gable is.  Who does?

I'd not heard crawstep as a term before - I know 'corbie step' as the
Scottish English term, and 'crow step' as the English English term.

The (unreliable) Boukundige termen (Haslinghuis, 1993) translates the
Dutch 'trapgevel' with the German terms as 'Treppengiebel' or
'Staffelgiebel', and the French terms as 'pignon a' gradins or pignon a'
redents.

The form is found around the Baltic, too.

Best wishes to all,

Pat

Research student, University of York.

--
Pat Reynolds
pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk
   "It might look a bit messy now,
                    but just you come back in 500 years time"
   (T. Pratchett)

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