Flemish bond brickwork on a Victorian terraced property.; Flemish Bond was used extensively for dwellings until the adoption of the cavity wall. It is created by alternately laying headers and stretchers in a single course. The next course is laid so that a header lies in the middle of the stretcher in the course below. Again; this bond is one brick thick. It is quite difficult to lay Flemish bond properly; since for best effect all the perpendiculars (vertical mortar joints) need to be vertically aligned. If only one face of a Flemish bond wall is exposed; one third of the bricks are not visible; and hence may be of low visual quality. This is a better ratio than for English bond; Flemish bond's main rival for load-bearing walls.