What comes to your mind when you think about the United Kingdom? The Queen? Tea? Driving on the other side of the road? How about wiggly walls? Wiggly walls, also known as “crinkle crankle” walls, is a type of garden wall that's built in a unique snake-like shape. They're quite popular in the UK and often leave visitors wondering why on earth the walls were built in such a distinctive shape. Well, apart from looking rather funky, there’s actually a rather simple explanation — it takes less bricks to make a wavy wall than it does a straight one. If you’re wondering why, it’s because a “crinkle crankle” wall can be built one brick wide without toppling over like a straight wall would. Wavy walls was a technique known to the Egyptians some 4,000 years ago, but it wasn't introduced to England until the 17th century. Conditions in the UK are challenging. The ground is notoriously soggy, wet, and unstable, making it difficult to build on. The wavy walls proved more adaptable to the conditions, and with their series of alternate convex and concave curves, they offered less of an exposed target to the winds. The bonus is that it takes fewer bricks to build a wavy wall because a curvy wall gains all the support it needs from its winding shape, while a straight wall needs to be strengthened using buttresses in the form of a wide footing. There you have it………the crinkle-crackle wall explained!
