Research into Dutch Gables of the 17th and 18th Centuries
Having spent over 16 years in estate agency in Thanet, I was naturally interested in property (especially older examples). Having noted that after the coming of the railways in the early 19th century, there was a building boom in the Thanet resorts roughly coinciding with Queen Victoria’s reign. This gave me the idea that in retirement I would record all the pre-Victorian farmhouses, cottages and other buildings of note still standing in the Isle of Thanet.
I chose a Society member’s cottage to start with and noticed that it had what I understood to be a Dutch or Flemish gable to the east. In that gable was a large ‘M’ in flint in the brickwork.
Hope's Lane, Ramsgate
Intrigued, I enquired of the owners as to the date of the building and what the ‘M’ stood for. They thought it dated from the 17th century and the M possibly stood for Maxted, an old Thanet name. I knew of others in Thanet and decided to find out more to see if I could date the building more accurately. Thus started a project that is ongoing, has spread to all of East Kent and further afield into East Anglia as it is apparent that they occur mainly in the east of eastern counties. This has enabled me to give a talk to the Society on this subject on my initial findings. I have received help from Kent County Council’s Heritage department and in turn I am helping to update their records.
I had always believed that religious refugees from the former Spanish Netherlands were responsible for the numbers in this area. Research into the history of the main period of building of these distinctive features on local buildings has altered my understanding of the reasons why the gables feature so largely in Eastern England. It is not as straightforward as is generally believed and consequently the investigation has now incorporated social and historical elements.
To this end, the date of the properties was important - fortunately, as can be seen from the photo below, some properties of this period have the date prominently displayed.
Lamb's Cottage, Sarre
Look closely and you can see the date of 1691 in flint built into the brickwork, with metal wall ties in the form of M and W and below these there is a stone panel inserted repeating the date and initials. Unfortunately this proved to be the exception rather than the rule. Combining research into written records and visual observation whilst covering the roads of Kent has revealed approaching sixty examples in Thanet alone plus knowledge of something like twenty lost i.e. no longer existing due to a variety of reasons.
Knowing that in Roman times schools of mosaics have been identified by careful study, I have attempted to do the same with Dutch gables with encouraging results and by getting an accurate date where possible, hoping to identify changing styles. To find out the results I am afraid you will have to await my book which is in preparation.
‘The Oldest House in Ramsgate’
The above house, unfortunately, tucked behind the pet shop in Queen Street and next to a car park and public toilets, has a notice on it describing how the wife of a local builder helped to save it from demolition, but it is still in need of some loving care and attention. There is another former farmhouse tucked away in what’s left of Thanet’s countryside that is desperately in need of renovation to stop its demise.
But there are many lovingly restored and maintained examples, some were one up, one down cottages and others quite grand houses whilst others have origins going back to Elizabethan times or earlier and have been added to, altered and generally changed beyond recognition. The distinctive curves atop the gable are of a relatively limited number of shapes but the combination of those shapes are almost countless. Fortunately, although the curly gables stopped being built in the 18th century, there have been revivals and a grand 20th century example can be seen on the seafront in Broadstairs.
 Seven Sisters Road, Broadstairs
For anyone wondering why this project is on an archaeological society website, firstly, we are local history enthusiasts as well and secondly, archaeology is about learning about the past through the study of surviving evidence.
The project is ongoing and as members of the Society have often mentioned examples they have spotted, I am always happy to hear from an owner of one with any details they can provide, especially a date, via the Society.
Article by Gordon Taylor, past Chairman of the Society
Photos and text in this article © Gordon Taylor
|
