A ‘grachtenpand’ (canal house) is situated along a canal, and is usually an old house. Mostly, these houses are tall, narrow and deep, because they used to be taxed according to the width of their facades. Canal houses usually had a cellar and an attic, where trading stock could be stored. A special beam or hoisting installation would be installed in the attic in order to lift goods. In many canal houses, these hoisting installations are still intact. At the back of a canal house, a garden can often be found, which usually stretches halfway to the canal behind it, though sometimes it runs all the way to the house behind it. In the first half of the 18th century, it was common practice to knock down some of the interior walls of canal houses to create more space, or adapt the interiors to the latest fashion. Because the buildings have been renovated several times over the centuries, different architectural styles and facades appear right next to each other. You can find a variety of stepped gables, neck gables, bell gables and cornices.
