Sett (paving)

Sett (paving)

A sett, usually referred to in the plural and known in some places as a Belgian block, is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used for paving roads, Formerly in more widespread use, it is now encountered more as a decorative stone paving in landscape architecture. Setts are often idiomatically referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct from a cobblestone by being quarried or shaped to a regular form, whereas the latter is generally of a naturally occurring form.

Streets paved with setts are highlights in several cycling competitions such as the final Champs-Élysées stage of the Tour de France and the Paris–Roubaix road race. Riding upon sett is technically more challenging than riding on asphalt.

Notable places paved with setts include Vicars' Close, Wells, much of Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town, Red Square in Moscow and the Granada TV set of Coronation Street.

In New York City the meat-packing district and SoHo retain such streets.

Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, in particular its upper reaches through Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill, is notable for being paved with Belgian blocks; repaving projects on this thoroughfare have retained or reintroduced setts to give additional historic character to these neighborhoods. Part of this character includes the tracks of the 23 trolley, though the modern tracks are encased in concrete slabs rather than setts, and the trolley line itself is currently operated by buses.

In Richmond, Virginia Belgian block streets are particularly common, most notably in Shockoe Slip. Street cars traveled through the street on tracks that are still visible though the system has been replaced by buses.

In many cities besides Richmond and Philadelphia setts have often been used for pavement around street-running trolley or tram lines in the same manner as brickwork.

Setts are usually made of granite.

Much of Edinburgh's Royal Mile is laid with granite setts, as here looking east towards the Tron Kirk
Setts visible beneath cracked asphalt in New Bedford, MA.
A modern (2000s) street in Germany, paved with setts