{"id":20384,"date":"2025-06-03T12:33:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T10:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/?p=20384"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:10:16","slug":"the-terracotta-klompie-brick-history-modern-uses-in-south-african-architecture-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/the-terracotta-klompie-brick-history-modern-uses-in-south-african-architecture-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Terracotta Klompie Brick History & Modern Uses in South African Architecture (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether it\u2019s used for subtle detailing around a doorway or to provide herringbone \u2018wow factor\u2019 to a patio or fireplace, the terracotta <\/em>klompie brick is definitely having its moment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Accidental Terracotta Brick Icon Is Born<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With its elegant arches, and intricate brickwork, the belltower of the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest colonial building in South Africa, is an icon of South African architecture\u2014and the narrow klompie<\/em> bricks used in its construction were brought to the Cape as ship\u2019s ballast from the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ijsselsteentjes<\/em>, manufactured on the banks of the River Ijssel, were famous throughout the Netherlands for their peerless strength and characteristic yellow colour. So, when construction began on the Cape\u2019s first permanent fort, there was no way the European mini-bricks would go to waste. In addition to the belltower, they are also used on the castle\u2019s kat <\/em>balcony, where they provide a stunning visual contrast with red Dutch clinker bricks which also arrived in South Africa as ship\u2019s ballast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch knew inherently what modern designers are now appreciating: the klompie\u2019s <\/em>elegant proportions and rich natural textures that make it such a versatile building material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image Credit: commons.wikimedia.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klompies: Small Fired Bricks With High Strength<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Properly fired bricks were hard to find during the early years of Dutch rule, so klompie bricks featured in many of the Cape\u2019s oldest buildings. (As an aside, Van Riebeeck went to great efforts to establish a brick-making industry at the Cape, but quality was an ongoing issue. In 1663, after one of the fort\u2019s gables collapsed, it was decreed that all buildings should be plastered in lime. Thus was born the whitewashed Cape Dutch style we know today, before all Company buildings were built with face brick.)
The Vineyard Hotel, which was built as the home of Lady Anne Barnard and her husband Andrew in 1800, features klompie detailing around the windows. Sir Herbert Baker, the dominant force in South African architecture between 1890 and 1910, was also a fan of this style. Baker uses the characteristic shape of the klompie to add interesting linear details to the buildings he designed. And when the mining magnate, Sir Lionel Phillips and his wife Lady Florrie, restored Vergelegen between 1922 and 1924, one of the first things they did was to re-lay the main stoep with red quarry tiles and klompie bricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As regular sized bricks became easily available in South Africa, klompies gradually fell out of favour. And, with the exception of the yellow klompies made specifically for fireplaces, they all but vanished from the architect\u2019s palate during the course of the 20th century. This began to change in the early 2000s, as savvy designers began to see the enormous aesthetic potential of klompies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Klompie Terracotta Bricks: The Popular Choice For 350 Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, 350 years since they first washed up in Table Bay, klompies are as popular as they\u2019ve ever been. Klay\u2019s range of carefully-fired clay klompie bricks and tiles has been used for an array of visually arresting applications. Giving customers a choice of three natural colours has elevated klompies from traditional to contemporary, as seen in the fireplace at House de la Hunt and the pizza oven at Lorenzos – <\/a> Delaire Graff wine estate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Herbert Baker was fond of using klompie bricks to accentuate door and window surrounds, he would smile at their contemporary use in the archways of the recently renovated entrance hall at the historic La Motte estate in Franschhoek. He also might not have expected to see klompie bricks laid on their side around the swimming pool at House Trimmer in Constantia \u2013 but we have a sneaky suspicion he would have approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durable, Fired Terracotta Clay Bricks: A Modern Standard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons klompies fell out of favour in 20th century was that it became increasingly difficult to find well-fired bricks that could withstand prolonged use. Importing bricks from the Netherlands was no longer an option (modern ships now use water for ballast) and not all locally manufactured klompies were well fired.
Today, Klay has elevated the humble klompie to a precision art form. Using only the highest quality clay (typically 80% shale clay and 20% white clay), their klompies are fired in a push-bat kiln at exactly 1140\u00b0C \u2013 taking great care to manage the quartz inversion at 573\u00b0C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klay also knows that designers and builders want options, which is why they manufacture the Klompie Bricks in two sizes:
– 230mm standard-length klompies
– longer 305mm klompies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available in three sophisticated natural colours:
– Chai (red terracotta)
– Latte (subtle off-white)
– Espresso (deep brown)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klompie<\/em><\/strong> Terracotta Tiles: You Asked, Klay Listened<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to their narrow, geometric shape klompies <\/em>have become a popular flooring option. But tiling with bricks poses many challenges to the artisan, especially when laying them on their edge (i.e. with the narrow side showing). Klay\u2019s Klompie Tile range<\/a> (available in 230mm, 305mm and 390mm lengths in all three colourways) eliminates these challenges. Plus, they\u2019ve even taken the time to manufacture a Klompie<\/em> Tile Return which is perfect for those finicky edging jobs. For a slightly wider, flatter look, you might also consider the Cape Thin Brick<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tasting room at La Bourgogne wine estate in Franschhoek boasts both Klompie<\/em> tiles and Cape Thin Bricks on its floors, its walls and, most remarkably of all, its ceilings. The entire space is a beautiful ode to the style and versatility of the natural clay tile range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browse the full Klompie <\/em>brick and tile range here<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s used for subtle detailing around a doorway or to provide herringbone \u2018wow factor\u2019 to a patio or fireplace,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[261],"tags":[262],"class_list":["post-20384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klay.co.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}