Dooks are an earlier, traditional Scottish version of a wall anchor, similar in principle to modern plastic wall anchors (molly bolts). However, this term implies attaching “stuff” to masonry walls. When creating earth walls, many use the term ‘gringo blocks.’ Essentially, a dook is a low-tech, traditional method of achieving the same goal as a modern wall anchor: creating a reliable anchor point in a wall. Your mileage may vary. I call them “nailer blocks.” In the south, we call it a Coke; you may use soda, pop, or tonic. Whatever you call them, masons were careful not to expose the timber to the weather or they looked like the photo below, worn and soon needing to be replaced.
“…sometimes referred to as “dooks” built into brickwork to allow fixings for nails and screws where an element such as a door or window was to be inserted.” – Jenkins, Moses. (2014, March). Scottish Traditional Brickwork. Historic Scotland. Original Source PDF
An alternative to this was the use of narrow wood slips placed in joints. Where timber elements are present in brickwork, it is important to ensure that these are kept free from dampness to avoid them rotting and deteriorating and potentially destabilising the masonry. Traditional Scottish Dook. (n.d.). Dook. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from https://www.traditionalscottishdook.com/dook
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