Dutch gable

This article is about a gable roof with a parapet. For a roof with a small gable above a hip, see gablet roof.

Dutch gables of varying complexity decorate the garden facade of Montacute House built circa 1598

A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of a roof, like a normal gable (the picture of Montacute House, right, shows both types). The preceding is the strict definition, but the term is sometimes used more loosely, though the stepped gable should be distinguished from it. The term "Dutch gable" is also used in America and Australasia to refer to a gablet roof.

The Dutch gable was a notable feature of the Renaissance architecture which spread to northern Europe from the Low Countries, arriving in Britain during the latter part of the 16th century.^[1] Later Dutch gables with flowing curves became absorbed into Baroque architecture.

Examples of Dutch-gabled buildings can be found in historic cities across Europe. In Potsdam, Germany, 150 red brick houses featuring steep Dutch gables form part of the city's Dutch Quarter, while in Bruges, Belgium, a wide range of buildings featuring Dutch gables can be found. The style also spread beyond Europe, for example Barbados is well known for the Dutch gables on its historic buildings.^[2] Dutch settlers in South Africa also brought with them building styles from Holland which included the use of prominent Dutch gables but adjusted to the Western Cape region where the style became known as Cape Dutch architecture.

The formation of Dutch gables requires careful detailing, to weatherproof the junction of the roof with the inner face of the Dutch gable wall with a flashing (weatherproofing).

typical Arras façade

To the left is an example from northern France, Arras, where Flemish culture had a strong architectural impact.

A prominent Dutch gable on a house in South Africa in Stellenbosch

References

1. ^ The Domestic Architecture of Boston, 1660-1725. Abbott Lowell Cummings Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1971), pp. 1-16
2. ^ UNESCO.org The Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar

External links

• History and Evolution of Cape Dutch Architecture (with more pictures)