Description
New town
You are now standing in one of the oldest streets of the city, the Western part of the capital. Here the spirit of the old village which became a capital is well preserved.You will find an irresistible charm to these old houses. These diverse colour schemes take place on the corrugated iron plates that clad the old timber houses, built in the years 1870-1915, in particular.Icelanders started importing corrugated iron from England in 1870. First it was used on roofs mainly, but soon the locals also started to clad walls with it in order to protect the timber.After the turn of the 20th century, following “the Great Fire” that destroyed 12 houses on Austurstraeti, central Reykjavik, regulations were changed to avoid further catastrophes. Regulations demanded fireproof material for building and corrugated iron provided the perfect shell. Light, strong, resistant and inexpensive, the corrugated iron also protects the timber beneath from harsh weather conditions, while letting it breath, thus providing a natural ventilation system of sorts.If you are curious about the topic, you can look at the oldest house in Reykjavík, from 1764, which is at Aðalstræti 10.
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