Last year's holiday was based around Tatton Park Flower Show, this was the 1st time I had been to this show, North Wales coast & four reclamation yards plus Crosby beach in search of bricks, what a mixture !
This may have been the hottest day of the holiday. I could feel the sun burning my skin through my tee shirt as I took these photos. This is just a selection of what I found that day. There were quiet a few from Wales but I have covered similar bricks in my Crosby post. I was quiet surprised to find so many bricks from Birmingham, which are now on David's Penmorfa brick site which had previously not been recorded.
Please Note - This reclamation yard is now permanently closed.
The Adderley Park Brick Co. Ltd. is recorded in Kelly's Directory on Bordesley Green Road, Saltley, Birmingham from the 1878 edition through to the last available edition in 1940.
I have found a reference to a George Burke being the manager of this works between 1880 & 1891.
Owners of the brickworks have included Albert Cotton, Henry France, J.J. Edwards, Robert Elson, John Moffat & George Petford, all between 1864 & 1933. Reference from the Trade Associations of Birmingham Brickmasters.
More can be read about George Burke & this brickworks on Stuart Mugridge's web site ; http://2yearsatmargaretstreet.wordpress.com/tag/adderley-park-brickworks/
I have found a reference to a George Burke being the manager of this works between 1880 & 1891.
Owners of the brickworks have included Albert Cotton, Henry France, J.J. Edwards, Robert Elson, John Moffat & George Petford, all between 1864 & 1933. Reference from the Trade Associations of Birmingham Brickmasters.
More can be read about George Burke & this brickworks on Stuart Mugridge's web site ; http://2yearsatmargaretstreet.wordpress.com/tag/adderley-park-brickworks/
Adderley Brickworks is in the foreground with the Wolseley Motor Works behind, photographed in 1921.
John Bond is recorded as making bricks at his Watery Lane brickworks, Birmingham in Kelly's from 1867 to 1905 editions. Also recorded in the Trade Associations of Birmingham Brickmasters that he owned the Globe Brickworks on Garrison Lane.
The Globe Brick Co. was owned Edward Townley, W.R. Willis, A.H. & F. S. Stephenson, Walter Dauncey & R.C. Wright, all between 1864 & 1933. Reference from the Trade Associations of Birmingham Brickmasters. The "Late Bond" stamped on this brick refers to the brickworks being previously owned by John Bond.
This Globe Brick Co. is recorded in Kelly's 1878 edition with Walter Dauncey as Manager, then in 1879 to 1890 editions Walter Dauncey is recorded as Manager/Partner. From 1892 to 1915 editions we then find Albert Henry Stevenson listed as Manager.
Update 23.9.17.
Townley, Wright, Dauncey & Willis had formed the Globe Brick Co. to purchase John Bond's Globe Brickworks in 1875 & this brick just records that their works had previously been owned by Bond with John Bond being a well respected brickmaker. Bricks were later produced by the company without the Late Bond stamped in them. The works was closed during WW1, after which production was resumed & the works finally closed around 1931.
This Globe Brick Co. is recorded in Kelly's 1878 edition with Walter Dauncey as Manager, then in 1879 to 1890 editions Walter Dauncey is recorded as Manager/Partner. From 1892 to 1915 editions we then find Albert Henry Stevenson listed as Manager.
Update 23.9.17.
Townley, Wright, Dauncey & Willis had formed the Globe Brick Co. to purchase John Bond's Globe Brickworks in 1875 & this brick just records that their works had previously been owned by Bond with John Bond being a well respected brickmaker. Bricks were later produced by the company without the Late Bond stamped in them. The works was closed during WW1, after which production was resumed & the works finally closed around 1931.
John Garlick is recorded as living at Shaw Hill House, Upper Saltley in 1881, with his clay pits & brickworks close by. Using his depot at Worcester Wharf on the Birmingham & Worcester Canal he transported his bricks via the canal network. He also owned another brickworks in California using the Dudley No. 2 Canal. John employed around 700 men at his two brickworks before his business went bankrupt in 1884 and both works were closed.
John is recorded in Kelly's as J. Garlick & Co. Upper Saltley from 1879 to 1883 editions with John Gibson as Manager.
Update - I have since found out that John's other company was the Lapel Tunnel Brick Co. in California, Birmingham. This brickworks was started in 1876/7 and then in 1882 when LTBC became a limited company, the principle shareholder is recorded as John Garlick.
Kelly's records LTBC at California, Northfield in their 1878 to 1883 editions.
John is recorded in Kelly's as J. Garlick & Co. Upper Saltley from 1879 to 1883 editions with John Gibson as Manager.
Update - I have since found out that John's other company was the Lapel Tunnel Brick Co. in California, Birmingham. This brickworks was started in 1876/7 and then in 1882 when LTBC became a limited company, the principle shareholder is recorded as John Garlick.
Kelly's records LTBC at California, Northfield in their 1878 to 1883 editions.
George Payton is recorded in Kelly's 1867 & 1868 editions with his works on Garrison Lane & residing at 442 Coventry Road. Ten years later, the next entry I have in 1878 records the company as George Payton (exors of) Garrison Lane. So one can assume George has passed away & the company is still in production. This entry is repeated in 1879 & 1883.
Kelly's Directory records The Leamington & Lillington Brickyard Co. Ltd. Lillington Road, Leamington in it's 1884 edition with Thomas Mills as Managing Director. 1888 edition lists Thomas Southorn as M.D. Then 1892 edition lists Arthur T. Elkington as Secretary followed by later editions as Manager. From 1900 to 1940 editions (1940 last available directory) the works address is given as Campion Road. This was a new road built off Lillington Road to access the works. After the brickworks had closed & been demolished, houses were built in the 1960/70's & the filled in clay pit was grassed & planted with trees creating an open green space.
Hanwood bricks were first made in Cruckmeole near Shrewsbury in 1911. The brickworks was owned by Samuel Atherton who also owned Hanwood Colliery. Both the brickworks & colliery were taken over by Mr. A. N. Fielden in 1921. Clay was dug from fields behind No.1 & 2 Orchard Lane, Hanwood & transported to the yard via steam wagon. This clay pit was closed in 1937, after which bricks were produced from shale from the mine. The brickyard had five kilns & produced 14,000 bricks per week in the years between 1920 & 1930. The works closed in 1945.
Adam Boulton owned the Randlay Brickworks & the history of the company can be read at this link.
Joseph King & Co, Stourbridge of Park Lane, Cradley, Halesowen. Produced red bricks and terracotta bricks at his Chapel Brick & Terra Cotta Works. The company is recorded in the 1888 & 1904 editions of Kelly's Trade Directory.
J. T. Wood were not brickmakers, but owned and operated an Iron Foundry in Birmingham Street, Stourbridge, on the way to Lye. They had been there since at least 1850, and were still on the same site in the 1920s, although now run by J and W. Wood. They closed down after WW2.
I can only assume this brick was made for the company's own use or made on their behalf.
Updates for J.T. Wood brick 6.12.14 & 25.11.16.
After finding a few snippets of information on the web, I have now put these theories together about bricks marked J.T. Wood & Bros. Wordsley. There are two options for when this brick was made, but with finding new info (25.11.16) & with the brick being stamped Wordsley, I now believe option 2 was when this brick was made.
Option 1.
I first found an article in the Engineer newspaper dated 18th May 1875, about J. T. Wood had entered into a contract to supply axle-boxes to the Indian Railways. It then records that they had won a contract to supply 600,000 bricks to the Great Western Railway Co. Ltd. for the railway company to build bridges in Cornwall.
This led me to find that Benjamin Wood was recorded as owning The Foundry at Wordsley in 1868 & that he also ran another Iron Works at Brettell Lane, which he had purchased from John Wheeley & Co.
From Pigot's 1829 Trade Directory, John Wheeley iron foundry owner, is also recorded as a brickmaker & owning a brickworks at Brettell Lane. I then found that John Wheeley had sold his brickworks to George King Harrison, while Harrison was in partnership with his cousin William King Perrin, producing bricks at Lye, Stourbridge. Perrin retired in 1875 & the company was then known as George King Harrison Ltd.
My next reference comes from papers in the National Archives belonging to George King Harrison, about mineral rights, with reference to - Benjamin Wood & William Wheeley being trustees at Hoop Mill iron works at Brettell Lane in 1869.
My last reference is from a 1875 list of Mines in South Staffordshire & Worcestershire, which records George King Harrison as co-owner the Brettell Lane Colliery extracting coal & clay. Although this is a slightly later date, I believe Harrison owned the mine at the time of the mineral rights with Wood & Wheeley in 1869.
Therefore, I believe with Benjamin Wood owning the Brettell Lane Foundry & the mineral rights agreement on that land with G.K. Harrison, bricks were made stamped J.T. Wood & Bros. at Harrison’s Brettell Lane brickworks for Benjamin Wood to supply the Great Western Railway in 1875.
Update 22.11.20.
Just found a trade directory entry for Aston J. Wood & Co. (late Wood Brothers), Cradley, postal address, Stourbridge as brickmakers in Kelly's 1872 Worcestershire edition. So it appears the Wood Brothers did have their own brickworks in Stourbridge & made the bricks for the Great Western Railway contract themselves. Therefore I am assuming they were leasing John Wheeley's yard before Wheeley sold it to George King Harrison. As wrote there was a connection of Benjamin Wood & William Wheeley being trustees of the Hoop Mill Iron Works on Brettell Lane in 1869 which had a brickworks, so this latest theory looks plausible.
Option 2. Updated 25.11.16.
Some twenty one years later in the 1896 edition of Kelly's Staffs. Trade Directory, James T. Wood & Bros. are recorded as brickmakers in Wordsley, Stourbridge.
These are the two references - Howard Mathews & Co. are listed at Buckpool, Wordsley, Kingswinford in Kelly’s 1860 edition & this works was adjacent to Nagersfield Colliery. Then William Richardson is listed in Kelly’s 1872 edition at Wordsley, Stourbridge. I have another reference to William Richardson owning the Nagersfield Brickworks located next to Nagersfield Colliery in Buckpool.
So with the connections of Buckpool, Wordsley & Nagersfield Brickworks from the above info has resulted in me now saying that J.T. Wood & Bros more than likely owned the Nagersfield Brickworks in 1896. Below is a 1882 map showing the Nagersfield Brickworks in Buckpool, Wordsley. This brickworks is also shown on the 1900 OS map, but the colliery had gone by this date. In fact this works is still shown operational on a 1948 OS map.
More research has revealed that Charles Skelding (1823 - 1883) then his son Charles junior owned the Nagersfield Brickworks. Charles Skelding is listed at the Nagersfield Brickworks, Brierley Hill in Kelly's 1876 to 1884 editions with the 1888 entry for this works reading as Skelding Brothers & this was Charles junior & his younger brother William Timmins Skelding. A newspaper advert now takes us to 1889 for the Brothers owning the Nagersfield works, Buckpool. An example of a brick made by Charles can be seen on the Penmorfa brick website. Just to note with the Skelding entry saying Brierley Hill, this town is just off to the right on the map below & the Nagersfield Brickworks was situated between Brierley Hill & Wordsley, according to this map the works was actually in Buckpool & this is confirmed in the 1889 advert.
Next I found that W.T. Skelding is listed first as Manager then as Managing Director at the Ketley Blue Brick Co. in nearby Kingswinford in Kelly's 1892 to 1940 editions. I also found that from Kelly's 1932 edition onwards it lists the Nagersfield Brickworks as a second works belonging to the Ketley Brick Co. So with finding the Nagersfield Brickworks is still shown on the 1948 OS map, I can only assume it was still owned by Ketley in 1948, however "New Finds" in October 2023 has revealed the Nagersfield Brickworks was owned in January 1941 by the Brierley Hill Brick Co. Ltd. This info has come from the company's bricks for sale adverts which appeared in newspapers from January to May. The works may have closed in June for the rest of WW2 with the works being listed in the 1943 Ministry of War Register as being under their care & being used to store armaments. My next newspaper find dated May 1947 reveals the Brierley Hill Brick Co. was selling the Freehold to the brickworks & it's adjoining land which amounted to 27 acres with it recently being derequisitioned by the Admiralty & the works had been made ready to start production again for the buyer. So in a nutshell the Brierley Hill Brick Co. only produced bricks for a very short time in 1941, so certainly a rare brick to look out for.
So in a nutshell the timeline at this moment in time for the Nagersfield brickworks is as follows :-
1860 - Howard Mathews & Co.
1872 - William Richardson
1876 to 1889 Charles Skelding senior, Skelding Brothers - Charles junior & William Skelding
1896 - J.T. Wood & Brothers
1932 - to at least December 1940 - Ketley Brick Co.
So with the connections of Buckpool, Wordsley & Nagersfield Brickworks from the above info has resulted in me now saying that J.T. Wood & Bros more than likely owned the Nagersfield Brickworks in 1896. Below is a 1882 map showing the Nagersfield Brickworks in Buckpool, Wordsley. This brickworks is also shown on the 1900 OS map, but the colliery had gone by this date. In fact this works is still shown operational on a 1948 OS map.
More research has revealed that Charles Skelding (1823 - 1883) then his son Charles junior owned the Nagersfield Brickworks. Charles Skelding is listed at the Nagersfield Brickworks, Brierley Hill in Kelly's 1876 to 1884 editions with the 1888 entry for this works reading as Skelding Brothers & this was Charles junior & his younger brother William Timmins Skelding. A newspaper advert now takes us to 1889 for the Brothers owning the Nagersfield works, Buckpool. An example of a brick made by Charles can be seen on the Penmorfa brick website. Just to note with the Skelding entry saying Brierley Hill, this town is just off to the right on the map below & the Nagersfield Brickworks was situated between Brierley Hill & Wordsley, according to this map the works was actually in Buckpool & this is confirmed in the 1889 advert.
Next I found that W.T. Skelding is listed first as Manager then as Managing Director at the Ketley Blue Brick Co. in nearby Kingswinford in Kelly's 1892 to 1940 editions. I also found that from Kelly's 1932 edition onwards it lists the Nagersfield Brickworks as a second works belonging to the Ketley Brick Co. So with finding the Nagersfield Brickworks is still shown on the 1948 OS map, I can only assume it was still owned by Ketley in 1948, however "New Finds" in October 2023 has revealed the Nagersfield Brickworks was owned in January 1941 by the Brierley Hill Brick Co. Ltd. This info has come from the company's bricks for sale adverts which appeared in newspapers from January to May. The works may have closed in June for the rest of WW2 with the works being listed in the 1943 Ministry of War Register as being under their care & being used to store armaments. My next newspaper find dated May 1947 reveals the Brierley Hill Brick Co. was selling the Freehold to the brickworks & it's adjoining land which amounted to 27 acres with it recently being derequisitioned by the Admiralty & the works had been made ready to start production again for the buyer. So in a nutshell the Brierley Hill Brick Co. only produced bricks for a very short time in 1941, so certainly a rare brick to look out for.
So in a nutshell the timeline at this moment in time for the Nagersfield brickworks is as follows :-
1860 - Howard Mathews & Co.
1872 - William Richardson
1876 to 1889 Charles Skelding senior, Skelding Brothers - Charles junior & William Skelding
1896 - J.T. Wood & Brothers
1932 - to at least December 1940 - Ketley Brick Co.
1941 - works owners till May 1947 - Brierley Hill Brick Co. Ltd.
1947 Works closed no buyer ?
There are still gaps in this timeline, so if any new info comes to light it will be add in due course.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1882.
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