Dutch billy

English

A Dutch billy on Jervis Street, Dublin

Etymology

Apparently derived from a nickname for William III, on account of the houses' Dutch appearance.

Noun

Dutch billy (plural Dutch billies)

1. A type of rowhouse with distinctive curved gables, formerly common in Dublin and other Irish towns.
   • 1889, Thomas Drew, “Unhealthiness of Dublin Barracks”, in The Builder‎^[2], volume 56, number 2398, page 54:

     They were ready to be superseded on their sites at the end of the seventeeth century by what we call the "Dutch Billy" houses.

   • 2011, Frank McDonald, “Dutch Billy 18th century houses at risk”, in The Irish Times‎^[3]:

     The term Dutch Billy refers to gable-fronted houses built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries – not just in Dublin, but also Cork, Drogheda, Limerick and Waterford – by waves of Huguenot and Quaker immigrants as well as tradesmen from Britain.

   • 2014, David Dickson, Dublin: The Making of a Capital City‎^[4], Harvard University Press, page 86:

     With the adoption of brick earlier in the century, "Dutch billies" became the common house-type, with gable-fronted facades, cruciform roof ridges, shallow windows without sashes, tight stairwells, small halls and floor-to-ceiling panelling, more elaborate houses displaying curved or stepped front gables.