Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (stretchers) alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (headers) within the same courses. This decorative pattern can be accented by glazing or burning the exposed ends of the headers so that they possess a dark, glassy surface that contrasts with the stretchers. Despite the bond's name, the pattern did not originate in Flanders and can be found in European architecture dating to the late Middle Ages.
The pattern became popular among prestigious architectural projects in 17th-century England before spreading to British colonies in North America where it became closely associated with colonial Georgian architecture, especially in Virginia and Pennsylvania. With the early 20th-century restoration project at Colonial Williamsburg, the pattern experienced renewed popularity in the United States.
