This post records the varied brick designs produced by many UK brick companies to celebrate Royal Events which took place between 1897 & 1992, so 95 years of Royal Bricks. Alas no bricks were made to celebrate King Charles' accession to the throne in 2023. I wish to thank all those named in this post for giving me permission to use their photos. All other photos are by yours truly, GB.
Queen Victoria - Diamond Jubilee
It is though these 1837 - 1897 Diamond Jubilee bricks & coping celebrating 60 years of Queen Victoria reign were made by Barnett & Beddows at their Atlas Works in Aldridge, Walsall. It is unknown who made the following Diamond Jubilee bricks, but there's a strong case for the first one to have been made by Hamblet with the frog being H shaped.
Other companies I put forward in making the following Diamond Jubilee bricks are Doulton, Cakemore, Samuel Barnett, Thomas Bailey, Wood & Ivery, Stanley Brothers, just to name a few of the largest blue brick manufacturers in the West Midlands.
This example may have been under fired with it being more red than blue.
Edward VII - Coronation
These next two bricks have a tale to tell. The Coronation of Edward VII was due to take place on the 26th of June 1902, so I am assuming a manufacturer (unknown) was busy making these bricks months in advance to celebrate the occasion, however Edward took ill three days before the set date of the Coronation. The following day an Official Telegram was despatched all round the Empire stating the Coronation had been postponed & the King was undergoing an operation. A later communication stated the King had undergone surgery for appendicitis. The Coronation took place on the 9th of August 1902, hence the second brick lacking the month. For how long after the Coronation these no month bricks & pavers were made is unknown, but I am thinking fewer of these bricks were made, making them rarer to find than the June ones. I mention that I had to pay £40 for these two bricks from a Staffordshire reclamation yard in 2022, the most I have ever paid for bricks just to tick the box & take these photos, but it was well worth it.
George V - Coronation
George V came to the throne in May 1910 with the death of his father Edward VII. It is thought these two bricks were made by Barnett & Beddows at their Atlas Works, Aldridge.
George V - Royal Jubilee
These next George V bricks celebrate 25 years of the King's accession to the throne. It appears many brick companies produced bricks to celebrated the King's Silver Jubilee & below are the ones which have turned up so far.
William Henry Slater & Joseph Slater first established a brickworks on Uttoxeter Old Road Derby in 1860 before opening a second works in Denby in 1874. The Derby works closed in 1895 & all the company's production of sanitary pipes & bricks was transferred to Denby where this Jubilee brick was made in 1935.
This Thomas, Derby brick had me scratching my head for some time with me not finding a brickmaker called Thomas in Derby or Derbyshire, however I now believe this Mr. Thomas was James Henry Thomas, Member of Parliament for Derby who also celebrated 25 years as an MP in 1935. J.H. Thomas was a good friend of the King with him being the Government's Colonial Secretary & will have worked closely with the King. I have therefore come to the conclusion with the lettering on this brick being the same as the Slater's brick, I think I can say J.H. Thomas commissioned Slater's to make him these bricks. This brick is in a private collection in Leicestershire & as far as I know is the only one to have been found so far.
Photo by Bluebell Cluckington.
Photo by Phillip Rothery.
Photo by Adam Bell.
Photo by Brian Yates.
J.F. Swinburne & Sons were established in 1852 & had two works in Birtley & Tanfield, County Durham. An 1899 newspaper advert for the company records they were manufacturers of best machine made common bricks, red facing bricks, wall coping, pantiles & land drain pipes of various sizes. A 1939 newspaper advert records they were producing "First Class Field Drain Pipes" for landowners & farmers.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Photo by Billy Francis.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Thomas Blythe established his brickmaking business in 1858 at the Old Yard on Station Lane near Birtley Station in Birtley, County Durham. This works went on to have 12 Newcastle kilns, each capable of holding 24,000 bricks per firing. This works closed in 1978. In 1899 son J.C. Blythe established a new works at Washington Station which had 17 Newcastle Kilns. In the 1950's the works were producing 200,000 facing bricks per week. There was another works called St Bede's Works which was a third of a mile south of Station Road in Birtley which had 9 Newcastle Kilns & operated between 1925 & 1963.
Edward VIII
Edward VIII became King of the United Kingdom on the 20th January 1936 with the death of his father George V. Edward was never crowned because he decided to abdicate so he could marry twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. At this moment in time I have found that North East brickmakers Blythe & Sons were the only company to have made bricks at their Birtley Station & St. Bedes brickworks to celebrate Edward's ascension to the throne.
Photos by Kenneth Bowe.
George VI - Coronation
George VI was crowned on the 12th of May 1937 at Westminster Abbey. George ascended to the throne in December 1936 with the abdication of his brother Edward VIII who had given up the throne so he could marry Wallis Simpson.
Butterley's Waingroves works in Ripley, Derbyshire was operational between 1913 & 2006. Waingroves produced many bricks with the year date stamped on, but this 1937 one at the moment appears to be the only one to have turned up celebrating a Royal occasion.
Slater's were a very large concern in Denby, Derbys mainly producing sanitary pipes & fittings, however bricks were manufactured mainly for their own use & local use in & around Denby. The company was established by brothers William, Henry & Joseph Slater in 1860 in Derby. The Denby Works was operational between 1874 & 1882.
Photo by Nigel Furniss.
This brick was manufactured by Elliott's of Huddersfield who operated their Kirkeaton Works as Kirkeaton Brickworks Ltd, which was operational between 1935 & 1960.
Photo by Stephen Roberts.
These next two bricks with images of both George VI & his wife Queen Elizabeth were manufactured by Blythe & Sons at their Birtley & Washington works, two works which I have previously wrote about.
Photo by Richie Bushell.
Elizabeth II - Coronation
Elizabeth II was crowned on the 2nd of June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. Her father George VI had passed away on the 6th of February 1952.
George Amitage & Sons, Leeds & Wakefield.
Made by the Elliott Brothers (EB) in Huddersfield.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Philip Dolding.
Ralph Platt Barker (Ray) and his brother-in-law Tom Elston, an Engineer founded the Lathom Brick Co. in 1934. Their brickworks situated on the site of the former Blaguegate Colliery was in production at the beginning of January 1935. John Williams joined the duo in 1936 as Sales Manager, later becoming Sales Director until he retired in 1972. The company then opened to a new works on Lees Lane, Dalton which was built in 1948/49. A December 1960 newspaper article records the company's two works were working at full production & their order books were looking very healthy well into 1961. The company stopped making pressed bricks in the mid 1960's moving over to produce wirecut bricks at it's Dalton works until it's closure in 1975. It appears the Lathom works had closed before 1975 with a newspaper article only recording the closure of the Lathom Brick Co. & it's Dalton Works in 1975.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Redac = Red Accrington was a Trade Name used by the Huncoat Plastic Brick & Terra Cotta Works Ltd, Accrington & was owned by B. Whitaker & Sons of Westminster, London. The earliest date found from newspapers for the Redac name/Whitaker is 1925. Whitaker also operated a brickworks in Leeds under his own name in 1923. In 1961 the Redac Works was sold to G.H. Downing of Chesterton, Staffs. By 1965 Redland had purchased all of Downing brickworks & the Redac Works was then run by Redland. I next found a 1987 newspaper advert which records the Streetley Brick & Tile Co. were now operating the Redac Brick Works in Huncoat. The Redac Works closed in 1992.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Photo by Adam Bell.
Two 1953 Coronation bricks produced by T. Blythe & Sons at their Birtley Works.
Elizabeth II - Silver Jubilee
George Armitage & Sons, Leeds & Wakefield.
Made by the London Brick Co. at their Stewartby Works, Bedford.
This brick plaque which measures around 10 inches square was made by the Butterley Brick Co. at their Waingroves Works in Ripley, Derbys & is in Nottingham Museums & Galleries Collection.
Charles & Diana - 1981 Wedding
Made by the London Brick Co. at their Stewartby Works, Bedford.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
It is unknown who made this Charles & Diana brick.
It is though Barnett & Beddows made this blue Charles & Diana brick.
It is unknown who made this Charles & Diana tile.
Photo by Richard Bull.
I've gone off the beaten track with this one because this plaque is made of cast iron & was made by the Butterley Co. who as well as being a brick manufacturer also had an Ironworks in Ripley. Butterley also owned coal mines & limestone quarries from which they produce roadstone & lime. Richard has just acquired this plaque from a friend who has recently died. He tells me that it is very heavy & it measures 21 x 21 x 10 cms.
Elizabeth II 1952 -1992
This brick celebrating 40 years of Elizabeth II reign in 1992 made by the London Brick Co. at their Stewartby Works, Bedford was sadly the last Royal brick to be made for general circulation. It appears the Queen did not give her blessing for anymore bricks to be made, however I have heard on the grapevine that a very limited edition of only a few bricks were made to celebrate the birth of William & Catherine's son, George, Prince of Wales & were given to the Royal Family. Whether this true, I cannot confirm.
Sadly there were no bricks made for King Charles' Coronation on the 6th of May 2023. Only time will tell if the Royal Family changes there minds & gives our UK Brick Industry the permission to join in on future Royal Events. "One can only hope".
If you have images of Royal bricks not featured in this post please get in touch as I would gladly add them to this Post with your name. Ta, GB
