Tuesday 30 June 2009

ABC Wednesday : X for X shaped Wall Anchors

 
 

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Wall anchors were used in old buildings in the Netherlands to connect the beams of a floor with the brick wall to prevent the wall from bending outwards. They often had the shape of a couple of nummers to indicate the age of the building. Sometimes they had the shape of a letter like X or Y, or a simple I. When my guests and I took the trip under the city of Den Bosch, we saw a lot of old buildings and of course we couldn't overlook the wall anchors.Foreigners often ask what they are used for. For further information read this excellent article, by clicking on more

ABC is created by Denise Nesbitt and a team of experienced bloggers.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with X.

30 comments:

Marjolein said...

mooie foto's, ik wil er ook een keer naartoe!

photowannabe said...

This is fascinating. I never knew how that was done or why. That's what I love about blogging. There are new things to learn every day.
I'm posting very early today, which is Tuesday for me. Tomorrow will be too busy to sit in front of the computer for far too long. (:0)

The Weaver of Grass said...

We have them here in UK on old buildings, reader wil - we call them wall ties.

Vicki Lane said...

More charming pictures -- thanks, Reader Wil.

Brenda said...

I read the article about the anchors and early architecture of the brick buildings. It was really interesting and we have similar old buildings in the town where I live. The next time I am down on our Main Street I will look for these anchors on our buildings. Very interesting post Wil.

Dina said...

Great timing for this post, Wil. Just yesterday I saw such an iron on an old building in Jerusalem. Now that I learn from you they are called wall anchors (or wall ties), I'll know how to research it. Thanks for the link, too.
And your photos are beautiful, as always.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi Reader Wil,
What a good idea to use X-shapes. ha! How ae you? My ABC is up, quess whats my X?

Happy ABC from JoAnn

Arkansas Patti said...

What a clever idea. If we have them here, I have missed them but then I wasn't looking. Now I will be.
Just finished the movie of The Hiding Place that you mentioned a while back. I liked the book more but really enjoyed a small segment at the end of the movie of Corrie herself. What an amazing woman.

Cloudia said...

Cool!

Comfort Spiral

Rune Eide said...

Extremely interesting (and thank you for the link). I have seen them several places in several countries and wondered what they were. A day is never wasted when one learns something new.

Miss_Yves said...

Des photos très marquantes pour des bâtiments pleins de caractère.
En France aussi, ce systèmede construction est utilisé !
Merci pour la visite offerte par le diaporama ci-dessous !

Carol said...

Great Xs...and very interesting info...I've never heard of wall anchors..

Anonymous said...

It is rare to see them around here, Wil, but I have seen them but mostly a rod with a place on the end and a nut threaded on the rod over the plate. Serves the same purpose. The X ones made a nicer picture.

anthonynorth said...

I've never heard of wall anchors before. That was informative.

Leslie: said...

How fascinating! Do they still do this with new buildings?

Jane Hards Photography said...

I do remember these from the UK but had no idea what they were. You have got me on a mission now to see if we have any on the island's older building. Always learning especially on your blog.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Wil,

How interesting to learn about wall anchors. I had never heard of them before either. I agree with the other poster. We learn so much by reading blogs. How other people live, and about their hopes, dreams, and sometimes, sorrows.

You lead such an interesting life, too, Wil, always going to beautiful places. I am a lot like you, I love going places.

Take care!

Renie

Hildred said...

Something new every day, and very interesting as well!

Tumblewords: said...

I'd never heard of this - great X....

Louis la Vache said...

Good choice for the meme!

FitFoodieMegha said...

I never knew this..Wonderful Info. Thanks Ms.Wil! :)

Roger Owen Green said...

I was not familiar. Thanks!

Marie Reed said...

I have ALWAYS wondered what those were! I have asked many people but nobody could ever answer the question! Thank you so much!

Rose said...

Thank you for this great information, Reader Wil. I've just seen these anchors on several other posts this morning, but no one said what they were. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity! I've never seen anything like this before, perhaps they were used only in European construction?

Gordon said...

A truly interesting X post. I think I saw some on my trip to France, but had no idea what they were. Thanks for the info.

SandyCarlson said...

Now I know what they are for!

Tash said...

So unusual and interesting. Look like art pieces. Well done X post.

Marja said...

We had them too on our old house
They look quite good actually

jay said...

Great post! We have them here too, as I'm sure you know. We call them 'ties', because they tie the building together internally. There are many here in my village because a lot of the buildings are quite old.

Bradley Hsi said...

I remember these kind wall anchors on the old houses of Charleston, South Carolina. But I remember they were not in X-shape. Thanks for sharing.