A crinkle crankle wall, also known as a crinkum crankum, sinusoidal, serpentine, ribbon or wavy wall, is an unusual type of structural or garden wall built in a serpentine shape with alternating curves, originally used in Ancient Egypt, but also typically found in Suffolk in England.[1]
The sinusoidal curves in the wall provide stability and help it to resist lateral forces,[2] leading to greater strength than a straight wall of the same thickness of bricks without the need for buttresses.
The phrase "crinkle crankle" is an ablaut reduplication, defined as something with bends and turns, first attested in 1598[3] (though "crinkle" and "crankle" have somewhat longer histories).[4][5]
- ^ James, Trevor (1 October 2009). "Out and about looking at Crinkle Crankle Walls". The Historical Association. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Glossary – Terms: crinkle-crankle wall". Park & Gardens England. Parks and Gardens Data Services Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ "crinkle-crankle". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "crinkle". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "crankle". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 18 November 2019.