Freestanding exterior walls that curve back and forth regularly along their length. Typically made of brick, the zig-zag or serpentine configuration does not have buttresses, thus differing from the superficially similar "garland wall"; the strength of the serpentine walls derives from the wavy configuration, allowing them to be only one brick thick. This Dutch form was introduced in Britain in the 17th cedntury when Dutch engineers drained the fen country; it was taken up elsewhere in Europe and North America. Often used to enclose gardens.
