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Last Updated: Saturday, 16 April 2022 19:59
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Written by GRAHAM BROOKS
MARKED BRICKS OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
occasionally bricks are found which have marks on them but no obvious means of identifying the maker. These marks are usually numbers or letters or a combination of both and at present the significance of most of these letters and numbers is not known.
NUMBERED BRICKS
This pair of numbered firebricks are both the same size square in section but as can be seen the number '1' is significantly longer than the number '2'
a large curved brick labelled 11A (used to line top of shaft at Watergate Colliery, Flimby)
A large furnace block stamped 27 4.
A normal sized brick labelled 33.
MULTI NUMBEREDBRICKS
Below are a collection of bricks with what are obvious some form of catalogue mark. the maker is not known. They were all found in debris from the 2nd World War nitrocellulose factory at Powfoot on the Dumfrieshire coast.
All of the above are approxiimately normal brick size.
This is a massive sized brick (note keys for scale)
Any ideas as to the meaning or the manufacturer would be gratefully received and acknowledged.
Similar bricks found at different places.
Not very clear bu marked 714Y. About twice lenght of anormal brick
LETTER MARKED BRICKS
A large fireclay block with an 'F' stamped on it. note also the hob nailed footprint.
A red normal clay brick marked with a K Found on Ard Mor Bettyhill on northern coast of Scotland.
NAMED BRICKS OF UNKOWN ORIGIN.
A brick with Park stamped on it of unknown origin. (found Stanhope smelt mill)
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Last Updated: Sunday, 24 October 2021 16:42
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Written by GRAHAM BROOKS
BRICKS FROM AROUND THE UK.
STOURBRIDGE
In the midlands an area well known for fireclay.
There was a number of makers in the area.
A brick just stamped Stourbridge
A brick marked Fishers Stourbridge.
TIMMIS & CO LTD
Another Stourbridge company. Founded by the Timmis brothers G H and J A about 1871 they mined clay from under Stourbridge and Amblecote.
RAYAX is a trade mark for firebricks with a high 55 - 60% Aluminium by incorpoating Sillimanite a high content Aluminosilicate mineral.
LONDON BRICK COMPANY. (LBC)
This brick is a minature brick. There is a debate about these small bricks some were used in fireplaces etc. Or were they made as samples for travelling sales men?
PHORPRES refers to the fact the bricks are pressed four times in their production. Originall in presses made by C. Whittaker & Co of Accrington, Lancashire.
Examples of LBC bricks known as Flettons. The numbers refer to the various works and also in cases of double numbers also to the press used.
6 not known
10 Flettons Ltd
19 Beebys.
33 Kings Dyke.
Flettons are made from Oxford clay which has an unique property in that it contains a high concentration of organic matter which results in the brick almost firing itself in the kiln and so reducing drastically the overall cost of firing and production. Another advantage is the abiltiy to crush it to a fine granular material and it possessed a uniform moisture content which made it suitable for making into bricks by using semi-dry pressing process.
The "Fletton" process was started at Fletton Lodge Estate which was purchased by James McCallum Craig and the bricks made became known as Flettons. A number of companies were involved but over time the London Brick Company dominated the Fletton trade.
The London Brick company was incorporated as the London Brick company Limited in 1900 and adopted the trade mark "PHORPRES" in 1901. The Phorpres name was dropped in 1974.
An LB brick stamped 10. this brick has a very deep frog. The brick is 2.5 inches thick and the frog is 1.5 inches deep.
VITROSS
Manufactured by the North Staffordshire Brick and Tile Co. Ltd, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme
VITROS would appear to be their trade mark for their typical staffordshire blue engineering brick.
The same type of brick with a 'F' on it.
METALLIC AND METAL BRAND
These were the trade marks of Metallic Tile Co (Rowley Bros) Ltd. at the Metallic tileries in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. closed in 1977.
Also at Hanfell tyleries.
J.C.E
J C E stands for J C Edwards who had a brick works at Ruaban, North Wales
A lot of JCE bricks with a number and fraction on it. In this case 31/8 in a very deep frog.
this is the reverse of the top brick with 31/8
Adifferent variation on the 31/8.
RUABON BRICK & TERRA COTTA LTD
A rope topped garden edge.
Ruabon Brick & Terra Cotta Ltd or locally called Jenks Terra Cotta. Founded by the Hague family of Gardden around 1883 and managed by Mr Jenks. Taken over by Dennis in 1960s and closed 1970s.
MONK AND NEWELL. RUABON
Brick works operated from 1883 till 1919.
A bull nose brick with an oval brick mark.. The reverse side has CS2 stamped on it
DENNIS RUABON
Founded by Henry Dennis in 1878.
ROCK BRICK COMPANY
Made by the North & South Buckley Colliery Tile Co Ltd. Trade mark 'ROCK'. Works closed in 1914.
KETLEY BRICKS
A Staffordshire blue engineering brick.
Made by Ketley Bricks, Dreadnought Works, Dreadnaught Road, Pesnett, Brierly Hill.
A paviour marked KP.
(Information from the old brick marks website. )
MARK FAWCETT AND COMPANY.
Mark Fawcett and Company from near London. The Edwardian Patwnt Dow draught Preventing Chimney pot. (The pot is upside down in the picture as being used as a planter.)
DERBYSHIRE SILICA FIREBRICK CO.
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Last Updated: Saturday, 16 April 2022 19:50
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Written by GRAHAM BROOKS
LANCASHIRE BRICKS
ACCRINGTON.
The Accrington area of Lancashire has a rich supply of mudstone which is suitable for brick making. The iron content of the mudstone gives bricks trhe brightr red colour. It was quarried on the sides of Whinny Hill and during the late victorian period a number of brick works developed. They specialised in strong engineering bricks and acid resistant terracotta-ware for chemical works.
The bricks were said to be IRON hard and this is thought to have been changed to NORI when the builder of the chimney laid out the letter in white bricks on the ground then built them in to the chimney but in the wrong order.
Accrington NORI red engineering brick from the Accrington Brick and Tile company.
A slight variation with the start and end of the word ACCRINGTON curved slightly.
Brick stamped NORI G.
A slightly curved brick stamped NORI 8.
Accrington NORI stamped on the stretcher surface of a brick.
An arc impression stamp on a brick with no frog.
Accrington REDAC brick. From the Huncoat brick works.
Founded in 1894 by the Huncoat Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. major parter was Stephen Holgate of Enfield Brick was the major partner.
company was liquidated in 1918 and taken over by B Whittaker & Sons of Leeds. they merged in 1965 with redland holdings ltd.
Site was sold in 1971 to G H Downing & Co Ltd of Newcastle under Lyme.
Site SD 773 305.
Brick from the Accrington Brick and Tile Company.
Accrington Brick and Tile Company was formed in 1887, principal partners in the business was Henry Stephenson a Burnley brick maker, john sharples a builder and J H Heap.
In 1898 employed 130 people making engineering and facing bricks, tiles and terra cotta specials.
company acquired in 1902 by the neighbouring colliery comp[any owned by G W Macalpine and family.
Acquired in 1958 by Lancashire Cotton Corporation Ltd, later taken over by Courtaulds.
The site was at SD 756 302.
Brick from the Huncoats Plastic Brick Company. Accrington.
Another variation on the Huncoat mark.
Another version with the 'REDAC' mark inserted.
Brick from Whinney Hill Plastic Brick Works.
Built in 1896-97 by Whinney Hill Plastic Brick Co. Ltd. The company formed by Henry Stephenson, hannibal Ramsbottom, R S Crossley and others.
Taken over by G W Macalpine in 1916-17 to become part of the Accrington brickworks.
Site SD 764 303.
An acid resistant brick from Whinney Hill.
A brick from the Enfield brick works.
The Enfield Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. was formed in 1893 by Stephen Holgate, quarrymaster, Charles Foster, builder, and others,
By 1900 they employed 100 people and produced engineering, and rustic bricks and terra cotta specials.
The works were sold to the Accrington Brick and Tile Co Ltd in 1938 when the Enfield company moved to new works at Deerplay
A brick with Accrington stamped diagonally across the frog. Maker unkown.
ENFIELD DEERPARK.
DARWEN.
WHITAKERS DARWEN
A brick from Whitakers Brick works Darwen.
A brick from the Millhill brick works.
BULL HILL
NEW CENTURY DARWEN
Similar design without the description 'plastic'
PLACE DARWEN
John and Joseph Place originally built a cotton mill at Hoddlestden about 1832. In 1838 joseph Place sank the Hoddlesden Colliery. In 1878 the fireclay associated with the coal was started to be mined and used for brick and other clay products Joseph Place and Sons, sanitary pipe manufacturer, was formed. tow of josephs sond William Henry and John Henry and 1892 started the Eccleshill firebrick and fireclay works. The comapny became limited in 1897.
The coal pits were taken over by the NCB in 1947.
Fireclay extraction stopped in 1952 when demand fell with the colliery closed in September 1961 and the site was cleared.
A large chimney pot. The stamp is poor but no other 'sons' brickworks are known in Darwen.
JOHN WOOD DARWEN
THOMAS KNOWLES
A salt glazed ridge ventilator.
The stamp of T Knowles Darwen.
T Knowles ran the Spring Vale Fire Clay works Darwen.
In 1914 they were described as Sanitory Ware Manufacturer specialising in salt glazed sanitary pipes, bends, junctions, gullies and all kinds of traps and fittings. Cattle troughs, pig troughs, horse mangers, sinks, waste water closets, latrines and urinals. Patent man holes, patent anti-flood traps, patent outlet pipes for gas cookers and Knowles paptent golf sand boxes.
The company was acquired by Hepworth Iron Company in 1962.
YATES HORWICH
GRANE
Grane brickworks
CLAUGHTON MANOR BRICK WORKS
Claughton Manor Brick works are still working (2014) using an ariel ropeway (only remaining working example in the UK) to bring the shale down to the works.
A much plainer brick mark.
Name arranged around squares in the frog.
MATTHEW BLACKBURN
PHILLIPSON BOLTON
Both sides of a white glazed brick.
WITHNELL
Withnell Brick works.
QUEENS RISHTON
CLARKE RISHTON
Advert for George Clarke brickworks Rishton in Barrett's Directory of Blackburn and District 1947.
RPB LATHOM
RPB Lathom. Lathom is near Ormskirk. RPB stands for Ralph Platt Barker. the site was associated with the Bluguegate Colliery.
H R
h R: hall and Rogers, Stott pit, Westhoughton, Bolton.
WALTON
Walton brick from the Walton Quarry & Brick Co, Walton Sidings, Entwhistle.
CROFTS
Crofts Preston.
HULTON
Hulton, Bolton made by Hulton Colliery Company.
SHARPLES BOLTON
TURTON MOOR SANITARY PIPE WORKS.
A six inch salt glazed pipe.
