West Bromwich Brickworks

Parish, West Bromwich

Photo by William Whitehead, courtesy of the Old Bricks website.

Henry Parish b.1823 a Coal Master is listed as owning a brickworks on Church Lane, West Bromwich in Kelly’s 1868, 72 & 76 editions & this brickworks & his Hall End Colliery were situated on land behind the Nags Head Inn which Henry was also the owner/publican at. It appears from a newspaper article that with the sale of Samuel Chavasse's Church Lane colliery taking place at Henry Parish’s Nags Head Inn in May 1866 it resulted in Henry purchasing the colliery. The 1871 & 1881 census records Henry Parish as a Coal Master & victualler at the Nags Head Inn, West Bromwich, employing 70 men & 10 boys. The 1871 census records Henry's two sons Joseph b.1848 & George Henry b.1852 living with Henry, but with no occupation. We then find sons Joseph & George Parish went into partnership with Joseph running the colliery & George the brickworks & George is listed as brickmaker in Kelly’s 1876 & 1880 editions at Church Lane. The brothers were also dealers in lime.

The 1881 census for George Henry records him as a brickmaker & living in Great Barr & the 1891 census also records him as a brickmaker, but now living in West Bromwich. However the 1885 OS map below shows the Church Lane brickworks had gone with only the old kiln still standing & this ties in with George's last trade directory of 1880, so I can only assume George was brickmaking for someone else in Great Barr & West Bromwich after the Church Lane works had closed, which appears to be shortly after 1880. Also note on this map is that both the brickworks & the colliery were situated behind the Nags Head Inn on Church Lane. In the 1901 census George Henry aged 50 was living in North Bromsgrove & a Manager of a Brickworks. The 1911 census records George Henry aged 60 as a Commission Agent (Brick Trade) living in Rubery, Birmingham. Following Joseph in the census reveals he later worked at an Iron foundry.

Photo by William Whitehead, courtesy of the Old Bricks website.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1885.

Freakley Bros, West Bromwich

Photo by Arnold William, courtesy of the "Old Bricks" website.

With what information that I have found on the Freakley Brothers it has created more questions than answers, so I start with the London Gazette Notice dated 9th of September 1881 & this Notice records that John Freakley of Capponfield, Bilston & Joseph Freakley of Mill Street, Ryecroft, Walsall had instituted proceedings of putting their company into Liquidation & the first meeting with the company's creditors would take place on the 30th of September. The brothers company is given as Freakley Brothers, Lyndon Brick Works, West Bromwich, Brick Manufacturers, & as stone dealers at Coseley Moor, Tipton. It appears from a newspaper notice index dated 30th of September 1881 that the brothers company was wound up.

As to the location of this Lyndon Brickworks, I can only suggest it was in the area which I have coloured green next to Lyndon House ? Another option is that the Lyndon Brick Works had been renamed the Shrubbery Brick Works (owners unknown) by the time of this 1885 map. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1885.

Now with this notice saying the brothers were stone dealers at Coseley Moor I have found a brickworks next to Coseley Moor Furnaces, situated between Tipton & Swan Village, but this maybe coincidental. However on Bob's Brownhills website there's a bit of information on which railway bridges the blue bricks made by the Freakley Brothers of Tipton where used, so did the brothers own this brickworks that I have found at Coseley Moor as well or is this article just recording the fact that the brothers operated from Tipton with them being stone dealers there ? As said this entry has created more questions than answers, so if you can help, please email me. Thanks.

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