1. Community Archaeology Ac vity Sheet
BRICK BONDS
Bricks can be laid in a variety of ways to provide strength, stability and
decora on. The way bricks are laid out is known as a bond and over me
dis nc ve bond pa erns developed.
Instruc ons
Set up the Lego™ brick wall as shown below:
Now spend a moment thinking about its construc on.
What do you think? Does it have a good structure? Does it look nice? Is this how you would
build a wall? If not, why not? Perhaps there is a be er technique?
Now have a go at building a be er wall. Experiment with different ways of laying the bricks and see
how many different pa erns, or bonds, you can make.
Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each pa ern—are some methods stronger than
others? Do some look nicer than others? Do some take longer to build than others?
Finally, think about which method you would choose to build different structures. For example,
which one would you choose for a house? Or how about for a storage shed or an important public
building? What are your reasons for your choices?
How did you do? Turn over to see how many of the bond pa erns you made.
2. Stretcher Header English
Flemish Sussex English Garden Wall
Header Bond—a very
strong bond, mainly used
for curved walls such as
in a bow window.
English Bond used to good decora ve effect.
This is the oldest form of bond and was
popular un l the late 17th century.
Flemish Bond—a very
popular bond, par cularly in
the Georgian period.
Diaper-pa ern
brickwork, using
black, over-fired
bricks.
Stretcher Bond—the most
common bond in modern
buildings.
HOW DID YOU DO? HOW MANY OF THESE BONDS DID YOU MAKE?
Brick Bond
Patterns
