The Oude Delft is the oldest canal in Delft. An old word for ‘digging’ is ‘Delf’, of which the name of Delft originates. The western part of the city centre of Delft is built on an old (high) creek ridge, sandy soil, with the Oude Delft as a channelled creek. The eastern part of the city centre, on the other hand, is built on peat soil. Due to dewatering, the soil has become increasingly compacted and the buildings have subsided with the ground. This explains the difference in the height of the water compared to the quay between the Oude Delft and the canals in the eastern part of the city centre.

While standing on the Oude Delft and looking north, you will notice the ‘Old Church’, also called the “Oude Jan”. From the beginning, De Oude Kerk stood directly next to the canal. When they wanted to build a tower on the church in 1325, there was no room for it. That is why the water was probably slightly diverted to create room for the church tower. This diversion is still visible on the map. Building a tower on a partly old canal, turned out to be an unsolid foundation for the heavy stones. The tower already started to subside during construction. This ‘kink’ in the tower is visible from a distance.

Sources
Toren. (n.d.). Oude En Nieuwe Kerk Delft. https://oudeennieuwekerkdelft.nl/oude-kerk/toren/geschiedenis