Oldbury, Tividale, Tipton & Dudley Port Brickworks - part 1

William Bennitt, Oldbury

Photo by Richard Thorpe.

William Bennitt was primarily an Iron & Coal Master in Oldbury & it appears from bricks & copings found William was certainly involved in brickmaking. Born in 1800 William's family had been involved in iron making since 1780 in Oldbury. William owned the Oldbury Blast Furnaces on Inkerman Street, which I have coloured yellow on 1881 OS map below & at this map date the ironworks had been replaced by two brickworks, one of which the Newfield Brickworks was owned by William's son Pynson Wilmot Bennitt & I write about Pynson later. 

So I have two options for the location of William's brickworks & the option I prefer was on Inkerman Street next to his Ironworks. With not having a map from 1860 when his bricks were made I have used the 1881 OS map below. So in 1860's the area which I have coloured green from information on the web, this was the site of the ironworks & I am assuming the area where the Newfield Brickworks was later built was either open fields or was being used for other purposes. It's with one of William's copings being stamped "Blue Brick & Tile Works, Oldbury (shown below) & then finding in Jones 1865 edition the first entry for Pynson Wilmot Bennitt, brickmaking at the "Brick & Tile Works, Oldbury Works" that has drawn me to the conclusion that with William's ironworks being known as & recorded as such just as the "Oldbury Works", William's brickworks was next to his ironworks in the green coloured area. Please note the Newfield Brickworks was not built until the late 1860's or early 1870's by Pynson Wilmot Bennitt, with the first trade directory recording it in 1873. So initially Pynson took over & operated his father's brickworks from 1865 before building his Newfield Brickworks in the red area. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1881.

The 1851 census records William as a Iron & Coal Master living at Stourton Hall, Kinver with his wife Louise & six children. The couple produced thirteen children in total. William was also a Justice of the Peace & held the rank of captain in the army from 1852.

The London Gazette dated 10th of October 1856 reveals the first recording of William Bennitt being a co-partner with Job Taylor at Alston Colliery which had an associated brickworks which I have coloured green on the 1881 OS map below & this is my second option to the location were William may have had his bricks & copings made. Henry Dawes leaving this partnership in this Notice was William's father-in-law. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1881.

William left the partnership of Bennitt & Taylor, owners of Alston Colliery on the 24th of February 1865 as per this London Gazette Notice. Therefore we can date William Bennitt bricks being made between the late 1850's to 1865, but as previously wrote William Bennitt bricks may have been made on Inkerman Street, my preferred option with finding the trade directory reference. If I do find concrete evidence to were William had his bricks made, I will update the post. 

Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

Photo by Ian Suddaby.

Ian found this example in Broxburn, West Lothian, so it had travelled a fair distance.

Another London Gazette Notice dated 27th of July 1866 records William Bennitt, an Ironmaster was declared bankrupt & was to surrender himself to the courts. So it appears it will have been at this time when his ironworks closed down & were demolished.

Pynson Wilmot Bennitt, Oldbury

Pynson Wilmot Bennitt was born in Dudley on the 17th of June 1836 to William & Sarah Lousia Bennitt. Pynson went on to achieve a BA in 1858 & then a MA in 1862 at Trinity College, Oxford. The 1861 census records Pynson aged 24 as a Ironmaster, so had joined his father at the Ironworks between his degrees. 

With coming to the conclusion Pynson's father William operated a brick & tile works next to his Ironworks on Inkerman Street in the early 1860's we find Jones's 1865 edition now records Pynson had taken over the control of this brickworks & was now running it in his own name. The entry is Pynson Wilmot Bennitt, Brick & Tile Works, Oldbury Works, Oldbury. As previously wrote in William's entry the Ironworks was simply known as the Oldbury Works. So the location of the 1865 brickworks will have been in the area which I have coloured green on the 1881 OS map below. Kelly's 1870 & 72 editions just lists brick & tile maker P.W. Bennitt at Oldbury. I am therefore assuming Pynson was still operating the same works.

So as previously wrote with the closure of ironworks after his father had been declared bankrupt in 1866 we find Pynson built a new brickworks next to the former ironworks on Inkerman Street & Pynson called his brickworks the Newfield Brickworks coloured red on the 1881 OS map below. Littlebury's 1873 edition is the first directory recording Pynson's new works as New Fields Brickyard, Oldbury. This entry is repeated in a 1875 Factory & Workshops Acts article on the web in Google Books. Kelly's 1876 to 1888 editions record Pynson's works as Littlefields, Oldbury & this is the name of the area in Oldbury, the Inkerman Street brickworks was situated in. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1881.

The 1871 census records Pynson as a Brickmaster & was employing 14 men, 4 women, 7 boys & 13 girls. Then the 1881 census records Pynson was employing 30 hands.

The 1891 census reveals Pynson was now retired & living off his own means. The 1902 map reveals a railway line had been built though the former brickworks site to a Goods Station positioned were the green coloured brickworks had once stood. So it appears Pynson closed his Newfield Brickworks between 1888 & 1891 & then sold his land to the railway. Pynson then moved his family to Totnes in Devonshire were he died on the 24th of November 1896 aged 60 leaving effects to the value 5,569 pounds to his wife & children.  

Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

Photo by Alison Milton.

Alison spotted this smooth faced paver while visiting St. James the Great Church at Long Marston, Warwickshire.

Oldbury Brick Co.

The Oldbury Furnace Yard Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. is listed with offices at 82 New Street, Birmingham in Kelly’s Birmingham 1883 edition. Then the 1884 Worcestershire edition of Kelly’s reveals the Oldbury Furnace Yard Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. was on Inkerman Street, Oldbury with Joseph William Howlett as Managing Director. Kelly’s 1888 edition now records the works was being run by Joseph William Howlett in his own name. The London Gazette dated 25th of March 1890 records the Oldbury Furnace Yard Brick & Tile Co. had been struck off the Joint Stocks Register & were declared Insolvent. The 1886 OS map below shows there were two brickworks on Inkerman Street & the Oldbury company's works was the one nearest Freeth Street which I have coloured green. The next owners of this works in Kelly’s 1892 edition were Allbrooke, Haynes & Allbrooke & their entry reads Furnace Yard Brickworks, Oldbury (Late Oldbury Brick Co.). The other brickworks on Inkerman Street, called the Newfield Brickworks was owned by Pynson Wilmot Bennitt.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1881.

Samuel Barnett & Sons, Dudley Port

I first start by telling you about Samuel Barnett's father John & grandfather William who were brickmakers on Portway Road, Oldbury. William Barnett 1802 - 1881 is listed in trade directories from 1865 to 1880 as brickmaking on Portway Road, Oldbury, then Kelly's 1884 edition lists John Barnett at the Portway Road works. The 1851 census records John as an engineer, but by the 1861 Census John was a brickmaker & living on Portway Road, so I think it's safe to say he was working at his father's brickworks. The 1851 census records William & wife Mary were living on Shidas Lane with the 1861 & 1871census recording them as living on nearby Eels Street which is marked on the map below just off Portway Road. William a Brick Master in the 1861 census was employing 4 men, 4 women, 4 girls & 11 boys. I have coloured William & John's brickworks purple on the 1882 OS map below. The other Portway Road works on this map were owned by John Sadler (red) & Septimus John Sadler (yellow). Shidas Lane is coloured green. John Barnett is recorded as retired & living on his own means in the 1891 census, so it appears he sold his brickworks around 1885/6 (last TD 1884) to John Sadler because the 1900 OS map no longer shows his brickworks & the land the works had stood on, now formed part of an extended clay pit belonging to John Sadler's Shidas Lane brickworks. So far no bricks stamped W. Barnett or J. Barnett have turned up.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1882.

John Barnett's son Samuel was the only one of his three sons to become a brickmaker/brickworks owner. Samuel was born on the 7th of April 1854 & in the 1881 census while his father is listed as a brickmaker & a publican at the Three Crowns on Portway Road, Samuel is listed as an Agent aged 26. However  a 1907 British Clayworker article states that at the age of 16 he lost his left arm in an accident in the Mill house of the brickworks he was working at & then for the next ten years until 1882 he worked as an Engineer. Samuel then returned to brickmaking taking a lease out on the Rattlechain Brickworks in 1882. Samuel soon turned around this unprofitable brickworks replacing the fourteen arched kilns with one continuous kiln to produce red bricks & one continuous kiln to make the highly profitable blue bricks which lead to output increasing to 180,000 bricks per week. The 1891 census records Samuel as a Brick Master (owner) aged 38 & living on Brades Road, Oldbury. The first trade directory entry found for Samuel Barnett is in Kelly's 1892 edition which records him with the address of Park Lane, East Tipton & this will have been the Wellington Brickworks as shown on the 1884 OS map below. Samuel had taken over this works in the late 1880's. Samuel then preceded to buy the freehold to the Groveland & Tividale estates which lead to him to build another works called the Stour Valley New Brickworks on this land.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1884.

Kelly's 1896 now records Samuel Barnett (red & blue) with three brickworks, Wellington, Rattlechain & the Stour Valley New Brickworks in Dudley Port, Tipton. The last two works are shown on the 1902 OS map below, with the Wellington Brickworks being situated just off the top left hand corner of this map.  

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

The 1901 census lists Samuel Barnett, Brick Manufacturer aged 47, sons, William b1878, Brick Yard Manager: Joseph b.1880 & Thomas b.1882, both as Brick Yard Clerks; Arthur b.1884, Auctioneers clerk & finally Bert b.1886, no trade. Kelly's 1904 edition onwards only lists the Rattlechain & the Stour Valley New Brickworks & there is the addition of & Sons Ltd to the company name & we know from the census that Samuel's sons had been working for him since at least 1901. The Wellington Works does not appear on the 1901 map, so this works must have closed around 1898/9, houses are shown built on the brickworks site in 1901.

The 1911 census lists Samuel Barnett aged 56, a Brick Manufacturer, Employer & living at 1 Tividale Road, Tipton. Sons Joseph 30 & Bert 28 were still living with their father & both are listed as Brick Manufacturers Assistants. Meanwhile in the 1911 census sons William 33 is listed as Brick Manufacturer - worker & Thomas 29 as a Brick Master - worker & these two brothers were living next door to one another at 154 & 152 Tividale Road, Burnt Tree respectively. So with all of Samuel's sons being listed as workers they were working for their father at his two works. Son Arthur did not join his father in the family business.

In December 1914 Samuel Barnett purchased the freehold to Gower Brickworks together with it's brickmaking plant, machinery, 6 kilns & other buildings for £3,200 at Auction. From a web article it appears Barnett purchased this works to stop a rival brickmaker moving into his "territory". He then set about dismantling the works & sold the land for landfill. The sale of Gower Works came about by the Wood Brothers being declared bankrupt on the 3rd of November 1914, so a very quick turn round by the administrators dealing with this bankruptcy. 

A tragic accident occurred on the 4th of May 1918 when Samuel Barnett was thrown from his pony & trap after his horse was startled by a traction engine, thus resulting in him dying from his injuries, more can read at this Link. Son Bert was also in the trap & was thrown out, but survived the ordeal.

It appears sons William & possibly Thomas took over the running of the brickworks with both being beneficiaries in Samuel's Will. Probate records he left a cool £57,789 14s & 10d which equates to well over a million & a half pounds in today's money.  

Kelly's 1928 edition lists the company of Samuel Barnett & Sons Ltd as only operating the Stour Valley New Brickworks, but a web search reveals the Rattlechain Brickworks was operational in the 1960, but it is unknown who was operating this works. With the death of William Barnett in 1929, aged 51 it appears the Stour Valley New Works closed as the company & this works is not listed in Kelly's 1932 edition. 

Photos by Elizabeth Thomson.

Research has revealed that the brickworks operating as the Titford Brick Co. situated on Penncricket Road just south of Titford in an area called the Ashes was also established by Samuel Barnett (b.1854), the exact date of which is unknown. The 1902 OS map is the earliest map showing this works. After his death in May 1918 his eldest son William took over the running of this works & the two remaining works in Tipton. There are no trade directory entries for the Titford Brick Co. William Barnett died in 1929 & both his sons were Master tailors, however at the time their mothers death in 1952, Samuel is listed as a Company Director & William (junior) as a Clothier. Going back to William Barnett's 1929 Probate Notice, Brickworks Manager Mr. E. Harrold is listed as a beneficiary, so was Mr Harrold running the Titford Brick Co. for the family after William's death ? On the 14th of August 1959 the Titford Brick Co. was placed into voluntary liquidation by Chairman A.E. Barnett. The completion of the liquidation of the Titford Brick Co. took place on the 10th of May 1960. I have not been able to ascertain who’s son A.E. Barnett was.

Below is the 1937 OS map showing the works & two bricks made by the company. Today this former brickworks site is the Dale Road Industrial Estate next to the M5 & Blackheath is just off the bottom of this map. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1937.

Photo by Rob Sutton.

Rob Sutton who is Chair of the Moor Pool History & Preservation Society in Harborne, Birmingham came across these bricks while he was researching the history of the building of the "Garden Estate" where he lives. 

P. W. Brick, Oldbury

I photographed this P. W. Brick in a friend's collection in 2017 & it was not until 2023 when this P. W. Brick, Oldbury turned up at Cawarden that David Kitching then found a little bit of info on the company.

The Birmingham Daily Gazette dated 18th of October 1928 records the "New Company" of P. W. Brick Co. Ltd with a Capital of 4,600. Manufacturers of bricks, tiles & building materials of all kinds. The company's directors are listed as G.H. Webb & A.L. Parker, addresses not stated.

From this info I have not been able to establish the location of their Oldbury brickworks. The only Oldbury brickworks not accounted for in 1928 was the Gower Brickworks, but with the Wood family owning this works until 1914, I thought this Gower Works had been taken over by the company who had taken over the Wood's Brades Brickworks in 1916. This company being called the Blades Blue Brick Co. then re-named Blue Bricks (Oldbury) Ltd., 1924 to 1940.

The London Gazette dated September 1938 reveals P. W. Brick Co. Ltd. was struck off the Joint Stocks Register with the company not being wound up. So if more info turns up, I will update the entry. 

John Male, Tipton

Photo by Hilary D'Cruz.

John Male is listed in Slaters 1851 edition as brickmaking on Dudley Road, Tipton. Then a very interesting Notice in the Birmingham Journal dated 30th June 1855 tells you he was leaving the neighbourhood & selling his brickworks which is described as being situated near the Burnt Tree Toll Gate, Tipton & alongside the Coneygree Iron Works which was owned by the Earl of Dudley. It appears John Male either changed his mind or did not sell the works in 1855 with him being listed as brickmaking again on Dudley Road, Tipton in Jones’ 1865 edition. There are no more directory entries for John after 1865. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1881.

With doing a search on the location of the Burnt Tree Toll Gate it may have been at the junction of Dudley Road (orange) & Birmingham Road (purple) where I have put the red X on the 1881 OS map above. With the description of John’s 1850’s - 60’s brickworks given as also being near Coneygree Iron Works (yellow) John’s works may have been in the same location as the brickworks which I have coloured green just off Dudley Road (orange), which we know was being run by the Earl of Dudley in the 1890’s. However there is the option John’s works was nearer the Toll Gate (red X). Please note the Toll Gate may have sat on Birmingham Road (purple) rather than Dudley Road (orange) as the description of it's location from the web is very sketchy.

I also found a 1857 newspaper article recording John Male also owned the Round Hill Brick Yard next to Round Hill Colliery near Bloomfield, Tipton & the 1885 OS map below shows that it would have been in the area which I have coloured yellow. The marked brickworks was Bloomfield brickworks & this was owned by James Whitehouse then by the Bloomfield Brick Co. 

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

Photo by Hilary D'Cruz.

More Brickworks will be added as time allows, so please call back. Thanks.

George Wood & Sons, Wood Brothers, Wood & Ivery, P & S Wood - Brickmakers in Oldbury & West Bromwich.

I had always wondered if there was a connection between George Wood of the Brades Brickworks in Oldbury & the George Wood who was running the Albion Brickworks in West Bromwich before he went into partnership with John Robert Ivery at this works. In a nutshell the answer is yes. George Wood who was born in 1808 is our man, but it's not as straight forward as that because my research on Ancestry has revealed that George had 9 sons & 7 of them became brickmakers & they all worked for him at some point, only his youngest son Enoch became an architect. So trying to establish which son was running or helping to run the family business at a set point in time has been an uphill challenge. I therefore can only put forward the sons who were available at that moment in time. George's eldest son John, died when he was very young & William died when he was 23 & recorded as a brickmaker at the time of his death. To complicate things more George's second eldest son was also called George (b.1835) & in turn he named his son George (b.1864) & all three were to run the Brades Brickworks in Oldbury. When my research got to sons 7 & 8, I found that this was Peter & Samuel Wood at the Pump House Brickworks in West Bromwich. Therefore I have established that George & his sons were to work at, or own, at least nine brickworks in Oldbury & West Bromwich during their lifetimes, so I have split this post into four sections, George's early life in Oldbury, then the Brades & Gower brickworks, then the Albion & Radnall brickworks & I finish the post with the Pump House brickworks. 

George's early life in Oldbury.

The 1841 census records that brickmaker George Wood was born in Audley, Staffs in 1808 & living with his wife, Sarah, three sons & one daughter in West Bromwich. The home address for George in this census is unreadable, but other families on this page are listed as living on Oldbury Lane, West Bromwich (now Oldbury Road), so he will have lived nearby. At which brickworks George was working at & for whom at this time is unknown, but the Union Brickworks next to the Union Colliery on the other side of the Birmingham Canal was nearby. 

The first trade directory entry that I have for George Wood is Kelly's 1849 Birmingham edition & it records G. Wood, Nile Street, Birmingham. This entry is repeated in Kelly's 1850 edition. I have found from my next trade directory entry that Nile Street was George's wharf-side depot in Birmingham & Slater's 1852 entry reads George Wood, (blue bricks & tiles); wharf, Nile Street, Birmingham. George's advert in this 1852 directory shown below, reveals that his brickworks was at Portway near Oldbury.

 Slater's 1852 trade directory.

The earliest map of Portway found is 1881, but there are no brickworks marked working, disused or the remains of clay pits shown in this village, however the 1851 census records George & his family were now living on Newbury Lane, Oldbury & this road connects Portway village to Oldbury. Old maps show a brickworks near to Portway on Newbury Lane & it has a tramway leading to the Birmingham Canal. So this brickworks fits the bill of it being owned by George with him being able to transport his bricks by barge to his Nile Street depot in Birmingham. Because this brickworks is shown split between two 1882 maps, I have used the 1902 OS map below to show you the brickworks & it's tramway to the canal, which I have coloured green, Newbury Lane is coloured red, Portway Road into Oldbury town centre is coloured yellow & Portway village is coloured purple. The 1851 census records George's two sons George junior & Thomas as apprentices in a brickyard, so they will have been working for their father at his works.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

Photo by Angel Rose.

Photo by Tim Geater, courtesy of Penmorfa brick website.

Kelly's 1860 edition records George was still working at Portway & the 1861 census records George & his family were still living on Newbury Lane. This census also records that Brick Master, George Wood was employing 50 men, women, boys & girls at his works. We also find in this 1861 census that son George Junior (b.1835) had left home & is recorded as a brickmaker aged 26, living with his wife, Emma on Titford Road, Oldbury. I am assuming George junior was working at a brick yard in the Titford Road area. Kelly's Birmingham 1862, 67 & 68 editions continue to record George Wood at his Nile Street depot in Birmingham. 

We then find in Jones' 1865 edition that George Wood (b.1808) is listed as now operating the Albion Brickworks in West Bromwich & I write more about this Albion Works later. The Newbury Lane brickworks in Jones' 1865 edition is now listed as being occupied by Ruben Farley, therefore I can only assume George's lease was up on the Newbury Lane works, hence the move to the Albion Works. 

Photos by Elizabeth Thomson who spotted this G. Wood coping in a garden wall in Harborne, Birmingham.

Kelly's 1870 edition records George Wood with the address of Halesowen Street, Oldbury & I have come to the conclusion this was his office address. I next found George Wood had taken over the Blades Brickworks in Brades village, Oldbury & I write this Brades brickworks next.

Brades & Gower Brickworks

The Brades Brickworks in the 1860's was run by Samuel Johnson & by December 1869 Johnson had been declared bankrupt & the Landlord (unknown) of the Brades Brickworks was selling off Johnson's bricks, timber, equipment, plant etc, etc in lieu of outstanding rent. We then find George Wood takes over the Brades Brickworks in June 1871 with finding a To Let Notice in the Birmingham Daily Post dated 13th of June 1871 which says Brades Brickyard To be Let & entered on immediately, in good working order, Apply Mr. Philip Johnson, at the Brades. Another notice which had appeared in the same newspaper dated 3rd of April gives Philip Johnson's address as Brades Colliery.     

A 1912 advert which I show later records that the company of George Wood & Sons was established in 1870 & the brick I show next will have been one of the first bricks to have been made at the Brades Works, Oldbury with George now including his sons in the running of the business. 

The 1871 census (taken in April) records George Wood as Retired Brick Manufacturer living at Albion House, Bull Lane, West Bromwich, however it appears in June 1871 he was still active & overseeing the taking over the Brades Brickworks after which he then passed the running of the Brades Brickworks over to his sons. 

George's sons then formed the company of Wood Brothers, but at this 1871 date it is unknown which of the brothers had established this new company. We know from a 1876 newspaper article Wood Brothers consisted of George junior & Thomas, but George in the 1871 census is recorded as being in Blackpool working there as a Brickworks Manager, however he had returned to Oldbury by 1874 with the birth of his son Harry in Oldbury in that year. There is still the option George junior had formed Wood Brothers with Thomas in 1871, but if not here are the other brothers who were in Oldbury in 1871. First there is Charles (b.1848), but with finding one of his sons was born in Lincoln in 1878 & with Charles being recorded as a brickmaker in Lincoln in the 1881 census I may have to discount Charles as being in this 1871 partnership. Next is Daniel he was in West Bromwich in 1871, but by the 1881 census he was also brickmaking in Lincoln. Finally we have Peter (b.1851). In 1871 census Thomas, a Master Brickmaker was living on Albion Road, West Bromwich, then both Daniel & Peter listed as Brick Manufacturers were living with their father at Albion House, Bull Lane, West Bromwich. Albion House was situated on the eastern edge of the Albion brickworks site on Bull Lane & this house can be seen coloured green on the 1902 OS map in the Albion Works entry. I have to note I have not been able trace were Charles was living in 1871, but he did marry his wife Elizabeth in West Bromwich in March 1869.

So on to the newspaper article dated May 1876 in which the Wood Brothers, George (junior) & Thomas Wood were being charged for employing under aged girls at the Brades Works. A minimum aged of 18 had been set in an 1872 Government Act & inspectors had visited the Brades Works in 1872  to inform the owners of this new Act. On this occasion & again in 1874 inspectors found under age girls working there, hence George & Thomas Wood being took to Court in 1876. They were find £23. 2s. I then found the story of the tragic death of a young girl in a September 1871 newspaper who fell into the cog wheel of the machine which ground the clay at the Brades Brickworks, however there is no mention of the owners of the works. Kelly's 1876 edition is the first entry for the Wood Brothers at the Brades Brick & Tile Works, Brades & an advert from that directory is shown next. 

Kelly's 1876 Trade Directory.

Photo by Alan Murray-Rust.

I have used the 1902 OS map of Oldbury below to show the Brades Brickworks (coloured yellow). This map also shows the works had excellent canal access & had road access to Brades village via Brades Bridge.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

Kelly's 1880 directory.

Kelly's 1880 edition lists the Wood Brothers (blue) with the address of Tividale, Oldbury & the advert above is featured in this directory.

George Wood senior (b.1808) died on the 22nd April 1880 & he left £35,000 pounds which today equates to over 4 Million Pounds today. WOW !!!!!

The London Gazette dated 8th of November 1881 next reveals that the partnership between George Wood & Thomas Wood trading as the Wood Brothers had been dissolved by mutual consent on the 31st of July 1880 & the Brades Brickworks would then be run by George Wood in his own name. It's strange why it took over a year to declare this change of ownership. I then found Thomas is listed as a farmer in the 1881 census.

Kelly's 1884 edition records this change in ownership at the Brades Brickworks & George Wood (b.1835) was running this works on his own & the entry reads George Wood (red, brown & blue), Brades Brickworks, Tividale. The 1881 census records George as a Brick Manufacturer living on Brades Road together with his wife Emma, three sons & two daughters.

Below is George's advert from Kelly's 1884 Staffs edition & it states "Late Wood Brothers", meaning the company had operated previously as Wood Brothers. It was a way of saying "Under New Management". 

Kelly's 1884 trade directory courtesy of Graces Guide.

A canal wall, half moon coping brick. Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

I came across this George Wood wall coping at 4 Oaks Reclamation in May 2021 & it's whopper, being made to span a wall three bricks thick.

Back to the Brades works & George Wood's entry in Kelly's 1888 edition reads the same as in his 1884 entry. There is also another advert for George in Kellys 1888 edition, but this time without the "Late Wood Brothers" & it is shown below. 

Kelly's 1888 trade directory.

The 1891 census records George Wood & family as living at Brades House, Brades Road, Oldbury & I have coloured Brades House purple on the 1902 OS map above. Kelly's 1896 edition now reads George Wood & Sons, (red, brown & blue), Brades Brick & Tile Works, Tividale & below is George's advert from this directory. So George had now been joined by his sons, George junior (b.1864), Samuel (b.1868) & Harry (b.1874) at the Brades Brickworks.

Kelly's 1896 trade directory.

Photos by David Kitching.

Kelly's 1900 edition entry for George Wood & Sons is the same as their 1896 entry. The 1901 census again records George Wood as living at Brades House, Brades Road, Oldbury. Also in this census, sons George junior was living at "Woodville" on Dudley Road, Samuel was living at "Woodlands" on Dudley Road & Harry was living at "Hazelhurst on Dudley Road together with their respective wives & children. Kelly's 1904 & 1908 editions list George Wood & Sons were now only producing blue bricks at the Brades Blue Brickworks, Oldbury. 

George Wood (b1835) died on the 5th of August 1910 at Brades House & his probate notice records that he left £31,000 & his executors are named as his son Harry, Brick Manufacturer & younger brother Enoch, Architect. After George (b.1835) had passed away his sons continued to trade as George Wood & Sons. 

In the 1911 census George junior & his family were now living on Bath Row in Rounds Green. However Widower Samuel & one daughter were still living at "Woodlands" & Harry & his wife were still living at "Hazelhurst" both on Dudley Road.

Kelly's 1912 edition entry is the same as in Kelly's 1904 & 1908 editions & below is the company's advert from Kelly's 1912 edition, which records the Company of George Wood & Sons had been established in 1870 by George Wood born in 1808, our first George Wood.

Kelly's 1912 trade directory.

I next found in the Edinburgh Gazette dated 3rd of November 1914 that brothers George Wood of The Dingle, Rounds Green, Samuel Wood of Dudley Road & Harry Wood of Dudley Road, Brick Manufacturers trading as George Wood & Sons at the Brades Blue Brickworks & the Gower Brickworks, Oldbury had gone bankrupt. This is the first reference found to the brothers running the Gower Brickworks which was situated on land next to the Brades Brickworks. I have coloured the Gower Brickworks green on the 1902 OS map above. I have since found (Oct. 2020) that John Hadley owned the Gower Brickworks up to November 1906 when he went bankrupt, so the Wood Brothers may have taken over the Gower works in 1906/7, running it up to November 1914. With the brothers going bankrupt this then poses the question of what happen to the vast amount of money their father left them four years earlier unless they sunk it into purchasing the Gower Brickworks ? Also with George's (b.1835) brother, Enoch being named as Executor of his Will, some money may have gone to George's other brothers. Although not stamped Wood the Gower brick below may have been made by the brothers at this works. 

There is the option that John Hadley made this Gower brick, however we do know for certain that John Hadley did make the coping brick below at the Gower Works because of the stamp mark.

Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

As a footnote on the Brades brickworks, I have found in Kelly's 1916 & 1921 editions the entry of the Brades Blue Brick Co. Ltd. Brades Blue Brickworks, Oldbury & this is followed by the entry of Blue Bricks (Oldbury) Ltd, Brades Road, Oldbury in Kelly's 1924 to 1940 editions, so who owned the Brades Brickworks between these dates is unknown. However it is possible that George, Samuel or Harry Wood had established this new company & reopened the Brades Brickworks in 1921. Only the 1921 census when released will answer my theory of the brothers restarting this works if they are still recorded as Brick Manufacturers. Update April 2022. With searching the 1921 census, I can now report George was a Traveler (salesman) for a building materials company, Samuel was a Traveler for a corn merchant & I have not been able to find Harry at all, so I think I can now discount any of these brothers as running this Brades Blue Brick Co.

Frank Lawson came across this Star of David brick with the letter B stamped in it, so does this B stand for Brades Blue Brick Co. Ltd. or Blue Bricks (Oldbury) Ltd. ?

Photo by Frank Lawson.

Albion & Radnall Brickworks

The Albion Brickworks at Greets Green, West Bromwich is recorded as being owned by George Wood (b.1808) in Jones's 1865 edition. Situated on Albion Road, I have coloured this works yellow & Albion Road red on the 1886 & 1902 maps below. The works had it's own wharf on the Birmingham Canal & these maps also show that the Albion brickworks was situated adjacent to Joseph Hamblet's renowned Piercy Brickworks. George Wood (& blue) is next listed in Kelly's 1868 edition at the Albion Works, West Bromwich.

Photo by Peter Earley. Spotted at Camp Hill, no. 4 lock on the Grand Union Canal at Bordesley.

In November 2023 this next section on the Albion Brickworks & the later Radnall Brickworks has been re-written with new info found in old newspapers & the census.

George Wood (b.1808) is then joined by John Robert Ivery (b.1825), a Railway Contractor from Berkshire (1861 census) at the Albion Brickworks, West Bromwich in the partnership of Wood & Ivery & this will have been in 1870 or early 1871. Around this time George was in the process of passing his Blades Brickworks over to his sons with him being recorded in the 1871 census as Retired Brick Manufacturer living at Albion House, Bull Lane, West Bromwich & I have coloured Bull Lane brown & Albion House green on the 1902 OS map below. 

Meanwhile John Robert Ivery is listed in the 1871 census as a Brick Manufacturer employing 70 males & 60 females, living in nearby Harborne. With me not finding any references to any of George's sons being involved in Wood & Ivery I have come to the conclusion J.R. Ivery was running the Albion Works on his own after George's retirement. If anything turns up regarding one of George's sons being involved in the running of the Albion Works I will update the post.  

Wood & Ivery are first listed in Kellys 1872 edition. The meaning of "Late Wood" in the Wood & Ivery advert below from Kelly's 1872 trade directory is recording that George Wood (b.1808) had now retired, but the company was still trading as Wood & Ivery under John Robert Ivery.   

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Wood_and_Ivery

Certainly by September 1876 or if not before John Robert Ivery's son John William Ivery (b.1835) joins him at the Albion Works in the position of Company Secretary.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/OS, surveyed 1881 to 1886, published 1889.

My next find from two newspaper articles dated 9th & 23rd September 1876 records the formation of a new company called Wood & Ivery Co. Limited, which had been set up to purchase the Albion Brickworks previously operated by Messers Wood & Ivery. This new company in it's prospectus also outlined plans to purchase & build a new brickworks on the Radnall Field Estate in Oldbury & to offer shares to the general public. 

The 9th of September 1876 article reports the Albion Works site was to doubled in size with the new company of Wood & Ivery Co. Ltd purchasing the land north of the Albion Works from Alfred Humpage, a Birmingham builder, brickmaker & speculator who had purchased this land only months earlier. When Humpage purchased this land it had a colliery, a firebrick works, houses & cottages built upon it, but when W & I expanded their works all this was swept away & was replaced with an extension to their clay pit, so the area which I have coloured green on the 1881 OS map above is the land which had been owned by Humpage. The 1902 OS map below shows how the clay pit had extended into this former Humpage land. The small green area on this 1902 map is the location of Albion House on Bull Lane were George Wood lived. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

As to this Limited Company's second brickworks on the Radnall Field Estate, Oldbury & again info from this newspaper article, this land which only had a colliery built upon it was purchased in 1876 from William W. Riddell. W & I then built a brand new brickworks there & I have coloured this Radnall Brickworks yellow on the 1902 OS map below. The brickworks shown on this map just above the Radnall Brickworks was called Radnor Field Brickworks & was run by William Morris & then by his executors of his Will, as recorded in Kelly's 1860 to 1940 editions. Here is the link to the 1914 OS map showing the names of both works, which can be slightly confusing with both brickworks having similar names.

The September 23rd article lists the directors who had formed Wood & Ivery, but John Robert Ivery is not listed, so from his omittance I am assuming he took no part in the running of this new company, however John Robert Ivery's name re-appears in a 1892 article, but I write about that later. Meanwhile son John William Ivery continues in his roll as Company Secretary with this new company.

So on to the list of directors who had formed Wood & Ivery Co. Ltd. & these were :-

William Winter Riddell, Colliery Proprietor.

James Wilson, Builder & contractor.

Alfred Humpage, Builder, colliery & fire-brick works owner.

Charles Francis Ellis, Gentleman.

Thomas Gough, Brick Manufacturer at the Atlas Works, Garrison Lane, Birmingham.

William Parker, Builder & Contractor. 

Photo by John Elliott.

I have come to the conclusion Wood & Ivery made these name on the face pavers for promotional purposes for when they were laid.

I am assuming with Riddell & Humpage selling their land to this new company they were the driving force in forming Wood & Ivery Co. Ltd. From other accounts of Alfred Humpage he appears to be a man who did not take no as an answer in achieving his aims of expansion or his building contracts. A Birmingham Daily Post article dated December 1876 reveals the take over of the Albion Works & the land & colliery at Radnall Fields by Wood & Ivery Co. Ltd was completed in October 1876. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

I next found a newspaper advert dated May 1878 for W & I selling their blue bricks in which it records John William Ivery had been elevated to the position of General Manager.

Kelly's 1880 directory entry lists Wood & Ivery's Radnall Field Works as a branch works to it's Albion Works & I show this entry below as it also lists the many types of bricks & other clay products that W & I produced. It also records John William Ivery in his new position as General Manager. 

Kelly's 1880 Trade Directory.

With this Kelly's 1880 entry now recording John William Ivery as General Manager, fellow brick collector Ray Martin spotted this W & I Staffordshire Knot coping brick below in Sutton Coldfield. I have also seen this stamp mark on an extremely large coping brick in a reclamation yard, but the imprint was not as good as this one. Many thanks, Ray.

Photo by Ray Martin.

Photo by Ray Martin.

Photo by Kevin Wood.

Kevin Wood who is a descendant of George Wood was extremely pleased to find the walls which surround Thundridge Church in Hertfordshire are capped with these Wood & Ivery copings. Kevin tells me, It made my day ! 

In the 1881 census John William Ivery is listed as manager of a brick company & living with his wife Ellen & their four children at 42, Westfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. 

An article in the Birmingham Post dated 1st of April 1882 reveals there had been a change of directors at W & I, these now being John Robert Ivery, Mr. Wilkinson & Mr. R.H. Burman who was also Chairman. I suspect this change of directors happened around May 1878 when John William Ivery was promoted to the position of General Manager. So on to this April 1882 article & Chairman R.H. Burman at a special meeting of the Company's Share Holders & Creditors was recommending that because of the unfortunate position the company had been put in by the Mortgagees of the works, he highly recommended that a vote to put the company into Voluntary Liquidation was the best option for the shareholders rather than waiting to have compulsory liquidation placed upon them. A hearing to wind up the company had been arranged for the next day in anticipation of the share holders & creditors accepting this recommendation. W & I was wound up on the 16th of March 1883. 

I then found John William Ivery had emigrated to America in 1882 & his family followed him four years later. John is recorded as being a fireman at a clay mine in the States. Then his father emigrated to the States in 1885, but later returned to England. 

Photos by Elizabeth Thomson.

Thinking this was the end of Wood & Ivery I then found this company was manufacturing bricks again as per this November 1883 advert, so I can only assume someone had purchased the company name and the two brickworks from the Liquidators. 

Building News - Friday 23 November 1883. 

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

An April 1884 newspaper article lists Wood & Ivery as showing their bricks & tiles at a Trade Show at Bingley Hall, Birmingham. They also displayed their bricks at another trade show in Wolverhampton a month later. 

Birmingham Daily Post - Thursday 16 October 1884. 

Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

It's not until a newspaper article dated December 1888 that I found the owner of W & I to be Edgar Webster who was also the Honorary Secretary of the Blue Brick Manufacturers Association covering Worcestershire, South Staffordshire & Warwickshire. Wood & Ivery are listed in Kelly's 1888 edition at the Albion Works, but the Radnall Works is not listed until 1896 Worcestershire edition, but I am assuming it had been operational since the 1883 take-over.

Birmingham Daily Post - Tuesday 29 October 1889. 

Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

In the 1890's Wood & Ivery produced between 200,000 and 300,000 blue bricks a week at it's Albion Brickworks (British History Online) & in 1894 or 1895 the BBS Journal records that Wood & Ivery had received an order for 10 million bricks from the Great Central Railway. So the 1890's appears to have been a boom time for Wood & Ivery as the Company won many gold medals for their bricks at many trade shows around the world during this decade. 

Kelly’s 1904 edition is the last listing for Wood & Ivery at their Albion Works, West Bromwich. I then found a January 1907 newspaper article with a mention to Wood & Ivery's Albion brickyard, so with the company not being listed in Kelly's 1908 edition I am taking it Wood & Ivery closed their Albion Works sometime in 1907. Meanwhile the Radnall works is last listed in Kelly's 1908 edition, so I am assuming with this works not being listed in Kelly's 1912 it had closed by 1912. The London Gazette records Wood & Ivery Limited were struck off the Joint Stock Register in March 1928 with the company not being wound up.

I end this section with two more examples of Wood & Ivery's Staffordshire Knot bricks & a W & I Albion Works canal towpath brick.

Photo by Ray Martin.

Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

Pump House Brickworks

Photo by John Maxwell, courtesy of Penmorfa brick website.

I have established that George Wood's (b.1808) 7th & 8th sons, Peter (b.1851) & Samuel (b.1853) were the owners of the Pump House Brickworks in West Bromwich & operating under the style of P & S Wood. It was through the census records for Peter & Samuel plus Samuel's home address in these census that I made this connection.

Photo by Paul Gower.

Paul Gower spotted this P & S Wood coping at Moss Side Railway Station, just south of Blackpool. With the station being opened in April 1886 we know this coping was made between 1884 & 1886.

Photo by Mark Stilgoe.

Mark Stilgoe spotted this P & S Wood coping while cycling along the Marriott Way Trail, the route of which goes along two disused railway lines from Aylsham to Norwich. 

Photo by Christian Vogt.

Christian found this example in the tidal waters of the River Elbe close to Hamburg, Germany. Christian tells me that thousands of buildings destroyed in Hamburg during WW2 were dumped in the area next to the river where he found this brick. Photos from a second email reveal this example is a smooth faced paver. Many Thanks Christian for your contribution.   

Photos by Brunhilde Bontrup.

Brunhilde found this P. & S. Wood, Pump House Brick Works, West Bromwich diamond paver in Hamburg, with it coming from a house built in 1906. Wood's Star of David bricks have also been found in the garden. So it appears Woods exported thousands of bricks to Hamburg in the early 1900's. Many thanks Brunhilde for sending me your images. 

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1902.

The 1902 OS map above shows that the Pump House Brickworks was situated between Greets Green & Horsley Heath & had direct access to the canal. Peter & Samuel Wood are first listed in Kelly's 1884 edition at the Pump House Brickworks in West Bromwich & the advert below from the 1884 London Suburbs edition of the Post Office Trade Directory shows that the brothers had Trade Marked the Star of David symbol with a W in the centre & bricks stamped with this Trade Mark are shown later. Kelly's 1884 & 88 editions list P & S Wood were producing blue & red bricks; & ridge tiles at their Pump House Brick Works. It is unknown why the company adopted the Star of David symbol as a Trade Mark.

Kelly's 1884 Worcestershire directory.

In the 1891 census Peter (b.1851) aged 40 & listed as a Brick Manufacturer & living with his wife Amelia & four small children (all under 7) at 82, Paradise Street, West Bromwich. This street no longer exists, but I found a 1965 reference to it being off Lyng Lane in the centre of town. Meanwhile Samuel in the 1891 census was living on a road called Horsley Heath, Tipton & I have coloured this road red on the map above. So from his house, number 12, Samuel would have had a view of the brickworks & a quick journey to & from work. Samuel is listed as brick maker & employer in this census living with his wife, Abigail & two sons, Albert Ernest, aged 15, a clerk & Walter Clifford, aged 13, a scholar. Kelly's 1892 edition lists the company with blue in brackets, so I am assuming the company was only producing blue bricks & copings from this date. 

A Notice in the London Gazette dated 20th of October 1893 records that Peter & Samuel Wood had dissolved their partnership by mutual consent on the 16th of October 1893. Peter Wood would then continue to run the Pump House Brickworks under the style of Peter Wood Ltd. All debts due to or owing by the said late firm would be received & payed by the said Peter Wood. 

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26451/page/5909/data.pdf

I next find that Kelly's 1896 edition still records P & S Wood at the Pump House Brickworks, I am therefore at a loss why they are still listed when this partnership had been dissolved in 1893. In Kelly's 1900 edition we do find that the entry is now Peter Wood Ltd. at the Pump House Brickworks.

Next I show four different frog designs, all stamped with the Star of David & a W in the middle.

This next Star of David brick was found by Peter Bailey & had come from an old Victorian bridge on a disused railway line just outside Holt in Norfolk. 

Photo by Peter Bailey.

This next Star of David is a 4 inch square cobble brick which I photographed at the Black Country Living Museum.

So with the Pump House Brickworks now being run solely by Peter Wood we find Peter & his family in the 1901 census were living at 35, Beeches Road, West Bromwich. Kelly's 1904 edition is the last entry for Peter Wood Limited at the Pump House Brickworks, so I expect the works closed soon afterwards. Peter in the 1911 census is recorded as a retired brickmaker aged 60 with his wife Amelia & three grown up sons in their 20's living at 10, Carlton Avenue, Handsworth. None of these sons are listed as being brickmakers.

With Samuel leaving the partnership with his brother Peter in 1893 Kelly's 1896 & 1900 editions reveals he was now brickmaking at Golds Green, West Bromwich. Situated on Bagnall Street I have coloured this brickworks green on the 1900 OS map below.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.

Samuel is still listed as a Brick Manufacturer in the 1901 census & living on Horsley Heath road (very close to the Pumphouse Brickworks) with his wife & son Walter, aged 23, also a Brick Manufacturer. Both Samuel & Walter are recorded as Employers in this census. Meanwhile Samuel's other son Albert, aged 25 was living at 11 Bagnall Street in Gold's Green, West Bromwich as a border with his profession given as a Brick Manufacturer & Employer. With his fathers brickworks also being on Bagnall Street I expect Albert had no excuse for being late into work. There is no entry for Samuel Wood or his sons in Kelly's 1904 edition, so I am assuming Samuel had finished brickmaking by then with the 1911 census recording Samuel Wood as a retired Brick Manufacturer aged 58 & living at 213, Cheshire Road, Smethwick with his wife Abigail & their youngest sons Denis (26) & Graham (15). Neither of these two sons became brickmakers. In the 1911 census Albert is now recorded as a Joiner/Builder & there is no census listing for Walter, but we find he was in the Royal Airforce in 1917, so may have joined before 1911.

Updated 2.12.20.

With finding the Daniel & Peter Wood stamp mark in a canal magazine which is on a coping brick on the Tame Valley Canal & Elizabeth Thomson spotting the D & P Wood, West Bromwich coping below in Harborne, Birmingham, I have come to the conclusion that before Peter & Samuel ran the Pump House Brickworks, Daniel (b.1850, George's 6th son) & Peter were in partnership at the works & this will have been sometime after the 1881 census with Daniel being recorded as brickmaking in Lincoln in that census & 1884 when we have the first listing for Peter & Samuel at the Pump House Brickworks. It is unknown what happened to Daniel after 1884, but I have found Daniel had married Mary Ann & the couple produced a son called James who was born on the 10th of June 1881.

Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.

This photo of the remains of the Pump House Brickworks was taken by John Roberts in the 1960's & John tells me that his Grandfather also named John Roberts was a foreman at the Pump House Brickworks until it closed, which was sometime before 1910. John then went to work at Nock's Brickworks in Erdington, again as a foreman. John worked his way up the company & in 1933 he became a Director at Nock's. It was at this time that John had bricks made stamped with the Star of David symbol, but his Grandson does not know why he produced these bricks with this symbol. I can only assume with John being at P & S Woods & making Star of David bricks there & with them being a success, he may have thought producing these bricks at Nock's would promote their brick sales as well. I expect we will never get the answer to this one. John Roberts remained a Director at Nock's until his death. 

I wish to Thank -

Ray Martin - photos

Frank Lawson - photo
Elizabeth Thomson - photos - Elizabeth shares her time between these two organisations.
https://twitter.com/CanalRiverTrust

https://twitter.com/BCLivingmuseum
Alan Murray-Rust - photo

John Roberts - photo & info

Tim Geater - photo

John Maxwell - photo

Paul Gower - photo

Christian Vogt - photo

Brunhilde Bontrup - photo

Peter Earley - photo

Penmorfa brick website - photos

Graces Guide - adverts

Black Country Living Museum

National Library of Scotland & Ordinance Survey - maps

Ancestry - Census info

Kelly's & Slater's Directories