Beautifully gabled houses

Middelburg is the capital of Zeeland, on the island of Walcheren, and it was one of the richest towns in the Dutch Republic. In the seventeenth century it was a base of the Dutch East India Company, whose Zeeland chamber sent ships to Asia, and the money that came in from trade built a town of fine houses. The tall, narrow facades that line its streets are among its greatest attractions, and walking past them is one of the simplest pleasures in the town.

The gable is the part of a house facade that rises above the roof line, and in Dutch towns it became a showcase for taste and wealth. The earliest type is the stepped gable, in which the sides rise in a series of steps, and it was common in the Middle Ages and the sixteenth century. Later came the bell gable, with a curved outline like an inverted bell, the neck gable, with a tall, straight neck and decorated top, and the spout gable, with sloping sides. Each period had its fashions, and owners often added carved stone, volutes, finials, pilasters and coats of arms to the brick. Facades were narrow because taxes and land were measured by the width of the frontage, so houses grew tall and deep, with steep stairs.

Many of the old houses of Middelburg were destroyed or damaged in May 1940, when German bombing started fires that burned much of the centre. After the war the town was rebuilt with a deep respect for the old street pattern, and many houses were restored or reconstructed in the style of the originals. As a result, the centre keeps a historical look, though much of the fabric is postwar work. The result gives a remarkably coherent urban scene, and visitors can compare the surviving original buildings with the reconstructions.

The best areas for looking at gables are the streets around the Markt and the Gothic town hall, the quays along the old harbour and the canals, and the lanes near the abbey. The fish market, the Vismarkt, is one of the places with a historic atmosphere, and the streets that run off the main squares have small courtyards and passages, which reward careful exploration. Look up, as the best details are above the shop windows.

The town suits photographers, architecture lovers and casual walkers. Combine the walk with the abbey tower, Kuiperspoort and the Vleeshal gallery. A stroll takes an hour or two, and cafes along the way offer a pause. Middelburg is easily reached by train from Rotterdam.