Apedale Heritage Centre, Chesterton, Staffs.

I came across this great museum on the web while I was doing a brick search in the Chesterton area. My cousin had previously mentioned it's brick collection when she had visited Apedale Country Park. So while I was visiting my cousin in Congleton this year, Apedale was on the list for us to visit.
The museum covers the Romans through to daily life in Staffordshire, but I went mainly to see & photograph Ken Perkins & Eddie Grela's North Staffordshire brick collections. I took at least 120 photos & I don't think that I photographed all of the bricks then, but here is a small selection to wet your appetite to go & visit the museum. 
After contacting Ken, we met up for a chat the following Saturday which lasted a good hour and a half. Ken's collection also contains newspaper cuttings & history on some of the brickworks. There is also a collection of roof tiles owned by Gordon Howle who's father Selwyn owned & made tiles locally from 1932 to 1939.
The museum is open on Saturday & Sunday plus other days in the week during school holidays & it's free. There is also a steam train to ride on, plus a drift mine to go down (these you have to pay for), so there is plenty to see & do. 

https://www.apedale.co.uk

You will find photos of the rest of the museum & our train ride on my Days Out blog.

https://gingerbennsdaysout.blogspot.com/2014/08/apedale-heritage-centre-chesterton.html

Apedale - History of the brickworks can be read here - 

https://www.apedale.co.uk/history/brick-roof-tile-works-in-apedale-chesterton/

So here are few of my photos with a little bit of info.

Cobridge Brick & Sanitary Pipe Co. Ltd is recorded as being at Hamil Road & Leek New Road in 1907.

Made by James Downing at his Defiance Brickyard in Chesterton.

The next three bricks were made by Wilkinson Brothers & their history can be read at this link - 

 http://archive.today/aof2x

Thomas Adams brickworks at Newfield, Tunstall is recorded in a trade directory for 1869.

The Berry Hill Colliery & Brickworks were purchased in 1914 by John Slater & by 1918 he also owned New Haden Colliery & Brickworks.

Mr. D. Duddell is recorded in 1959 in making bricks at the Oldfield Brick & Marl Works, Fenton.

The Wall Grange Brick & Tile Works started around 1890 & closed in the 1950's. The works was situated in the Park Lane area of Wall Grange, Leek. 

Vitros was the trade name for the North Staffordshire Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. at Chesterton. Recorded in the Staffordshire Potteries Directory for 1868, this extensive works closed in the 1970's. They produced blue bricks, copings, pavers & plain roof tiles.

Dalehall produced good quality red & blue bricks at it's Ellgreave Street Works,Dalehall in Burslem from around 1850. The link below shows a map of the works in 1898.

http://www.thepotteries.org/location/districts/dale_hall1.htm 

I have found a reference to the works being owned in 1902 by the Stanley Brothers, brick manufacturers in Nuneaton, making red & blue quarry tiles at Dalehall. 

Recorded in the 1907 Potteries Directory, the Pear Tree Glazed Brick & Marl Co. was on High St. in Hanley. The works take it's name from the Peartree pit which was owned by Shelton Collieries which previously occupied the site.  

Recorded as brickmaker in Basford, SoT in 1867, Thomas Bradbury is next recorded as Bradbury & Co. in 1869, with 1876 being the last entry for this company.

I found one these bricks in Congleton, during a rummage around the back streets with my cousin, not knowing that the letters stood for Robert Heath at the time. It was not until my second visit to Apedale that I spotted the same brick & it was made by Robert Heath & Sons who had extensive coal & iron  interests in the Biddulph & Kidsgrove areas, operating brickworks at Cobridge & Smallthorne around 1900.

I had an hand in the Museum getting these next two bricks by John & Elijah Hughes (father & son).
I had photographed two of these bricks at Macclesfield Reclamation yard, which I duly put on that post. I was then contacted by fellow collector David Kitching, who helps Ken with his collection, who asked if I had actually got these bricks as they were on their most wanted list. Alas not, but there were more at the yard, which David went to get. 

John Hughes born c 1807 was followed by his son Elijah Forrester Hughes in his brick making business in Corbridge, Stoke on Trent. Elijah is recorded in the 1872 edition of Kelly's Trade Directory as brickmaker.

The Potteries Brick Company. This was a group of around twenty manufacturer's who produce bricks under the PBC name as well as their own, each stamping the bricks with a different letter to signify the maker.

Tarvin & Beeston Reclamation Yards

These two reclamation yards round off my brick expedition during last year's holiday to Congleton & North Wales. 
It wasn't all bricks, I did see quiet a bit of the North Wales coast & it's castles & I visited Historic Houses & gardens in Cheshire. I will be covering some of the places I visited in my Days Out blog. So if you are interested, please see the Links page for the address. 
The couple at the B & B where I stayed in North Wales, were lost for words when I told them that I collected bricks. They said it was a first for them. We all had a good laugh about it & it was a talking point for rest of the holiday.

The Cheshire Brick & Slate Co. at Tarvin is just before Chester on the A54 & is a very well laid out yard, with plenty of tempting things buy. Most of the bricks I photographed were made in Wales, but I came across this ZMAN brick & it's a bit of a mystery. Is it someones name or is it the company's name ?  So if anyone knows anything about this brick, please let us know. 
Update 20.11.17. Nigel Furniss has been in contact & has informed me that these bricks come from India. I had my suspicions of them not being made in the UK, but with Nigel's confirmation of the fact it now clears up this little mystery. Many Thanks, Nigel.

Monk & Newell brickworks was on the east side of the Ruabon to Wrexham road & was in production until the 1920's. A housing estate now occupies the site.

Hafod Colliery & its associated brickworks was started by Henry Dennis in 1878. The Company went on to become Dennis Ruabon Tiles Ltd. 
In 1893 a new factory was built & was known as the Red Works, this building still stands today.  Ridge tiles, chimney pots, tiles, red bricks & terracotta were all produced here & they were in great demand around 1906. This was also the year that Henry passed away, with his son Henry taking charge of the Company. By 1934 the Hafod Brickworks became a private limited company. In 1944 the Company then passed to Patrick grandson of Henry senior, who implemented a plan of modernisation of the Works. By the 1970's brick production had ceased & the Company concentrated on producing quarry tiles.

Ruabon Brick & Terra Cotta works was on the west side of the Ruabon to Wrexham road, with its clay pits on the east side of this road. The company was founded by the Hague family in 1883 & was managed by Henry Jenks. The company was taken over by Dennis in the 1960's but closed sometime in the 1970's.  

Davies Brothers owned the Abenbury works, Wrexham which was next to the Wrexham to Ellesmere railway line. The brickworks closed in 1981 & is now a housing estate.

J. C. Edwards was started by James Coster Edwards (1828-1896). Based in Ruabon the company produced bricks, tiles & terracotta at several sites, closing in 1956 when the company was sold.

The Wrexham Brick & Tile company was in production until1981. When it closed it was owned by Thomas Marshall's who also owned Davies Bros.which also closed in 1981.

Ruby Brickworks was a small works near Mold, Flintshire.

George Woolliscroft is first recorded of making bricks in 1865. A full history of his company can be read at this link below.
http://www.thepotteries.org/potworks_wk/146.htm

All I have for the Shawforth Brickworks, Rochdale is that it was next to the railway station & it went into liquidation on 15th August 1910.

Whinney Hill Brick Co. Accrington was started in 1896/7 & was owned by the Macalpine family who also owned Altham Colliery.

These next three bricks were photographed at Beeston Reclamation yard in Cheshire. I went at the wrong time to look for bricks here, as they were in the middle of revamping the yard & there was very little to check out.
This Docken fireclay brick was made in Scotland.

J. Dougall & Son owned the Bonnyside Brickworks, High Bonnybridge, Scotland from 1896 to 1967 producing fireclay bricks.

TSL - Tucker & Son, Loughborough was first owned by Gilbert Tucker. His company helped the Nottingham Patent Brick Co. (main brick contractor) to produce some of the 60 million bricks that was required to build St. Pancras Station in London. With Gilbert going bankrupt in 1894, the company was taken over by Gibert's son, William, but after his death in 1926 the works continued under his son, also named William. Taken over by Butterley/Hanson in 1964, the works finally closed in 1967 after 119 years of production.

North Shropshire Reclamation Yard nr. Burlton

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/ 

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. 

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.

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, Telford & was operational between 1856 & 1960.

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 & Brothers of Wordsley were primarily Iron Founders & by September 1891 they had purchased the lease, the goodwill, the plant & stock-in-trade etc of Bromley Brickworks near Kingswinford previously run by Richard North, deceased. The Bromley works had been advertised For Sale in the County Advertiser dated 6th June 1891. At this date J.T.Wood & Brothers was being run by Benjamin Wood. The Brick Makers section of Kelly's 1892 edition records B. Wood of J.T. Wood & Brothers at Bromley, Kingswinford. The Engineer newspaper dated 18th May 1894 reports J.T. Wood & Brothers had won a contact to supply 600,000 bricks to the Great Western Railway Company for the railway company to build bridges in Cornwall. In November 1896 with J.T. Wood being declared bankrupt the Freehold of the Bromley Brickworks was put up For Sale & was purchased by the Ketley Brick Co. run by W.T. Skelding. 

Macclesfield Reclamation Yard

     

In July of this year, I was just getting close to Congleton to visit my cousin, when I came across an old entrance wall to a house knocked down & men building a new house at the side of it, I could not resist a look at the old wall. After looking at the bricks with one of the workmen, (their was only one named brick & that was a PB - Potteries Brick Co Ltd), he said he was one of the owners of Cheshire Reclamation in Macclesfield & I was welcome to go & look around the yard. So when I told my cousin about the meeting, she said she had been there with her husband many years ago & we would go there another day. These are some of the bricks found that day.

Jabez Thompson operated two brickworks in Northwich, one was on Manchester Road & is recorded in Kelly's 1896 edition. The second on Warrington Road (now Aldi) is recorded in Kelly's 1902 & 1914 editions. Jabez had joined his father John who was a brick yard owner, joiner, timber merchant, salt works owner & merchant in operating the Road Brick & Terra Cotta Works & the Alliance Salt Works. Jabez went on to concentrate on the running of the brickworks with his brother John junior then going into partnership with his father in the salt works. After his father's death Jabez became co-owner of the Lion Salt Works at Marston with his brother John junior. John junior continued to be in charge of the running of the salt works & Jabez carried on brickmaking.

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

Jabez Thompson's Warrington Road works is marked in green & their are two brickworks marked on Manchester Road (yellow) & I do not know which of the two belonged to Thompson. He may have owned both ?

The Enfield Brick & Terra Cotta Works was established between Henry Street & Whinney Hill, Huncoat, Accrington in 1887.

Huncoat Plastic Brick & Terracotta Co. was on Yorkshire Street, Huncoat, Accrington & was in production from 1894 to 1992.

In the 1824 edition of Baines Trade Directory, Brownbill & John Withnell are recorded as brickmakers at Eaves Lane, Chorley. The Withnell family were also timber merchants & builders. John is recorded as an original shareholder in the Chorley Gaslight Company. A lot of Withnell bricks are stamped 1912 Company, so I am not sure if they are the same company established by John in 1824 ? 

John Ryder is recorded in Slater's Directory as brickmaker on Ashton Road, Openshaw, Manchester in 1886 & then again in 1895. Below is another brick by him stamped Ryder, Openshaw.

These initials are more than likely the person who purchased the brick for a building, eg a church, rather than a makers stamp.

Henry Doulton well known for producing sanitary ware & porcelain, owned two brickworks. One in St. Helens, Lancs. possibly on Boundary Road & the other, The Springfield Brick & Tile Works was on Springfield Lane in Rowley Regis, West Midlands. It was in production from the 1840's to the late 1960's or early 1970's, with the works being demolished in the 1970's. In Rowley Regis both Henry's pipework factory & the brick & tile works were situated on the Dudley No. 2 Canal which he used to transport his goods. This example could have been made in St. Helens ?, as I have a reference that they made blue bricks at Springfield's.

I have only been able to find that this brickworks was next to the railway station in Shawforth & it went into liquidation on the 15th August 1910.

The County Brick & Tile Co. at Rakehead, Stackstead, Lancs went into liquidation on the 26th May 1900 after 13 years of production & was owned by Thomas Ratcliffe. Seventeen years after the disused brickworks had closed the 114ft chimney, constructed with 90,000 bricks was pulled down.

Three animal prints & 1 heel print possibly a childs.

The only reference I have found is that the works was taken over by J & A Jackson of Manchester in 1975 & from the article it had closed by 2000.

In 1825 William Ingram founded his company in Wortley, Leeds to extract, coal, ironstone & fireclay from his property. The fireclay site covered 7 acres & employed between 400 & 500 workers. He was later joined by his sons Robert, Henry & Frederic in the company. In 1889 William's company (bricks are stamped Ingham, Ingham & Sons - Wortley or Wortley Fire Clay Works, Elland Road) was formed with several other Leeds area refactories into the Leeds Fireclay Company which included Burmantofts, Edward Brook & Sons, Oates & Green Ltd & Joseph Brooke & Sons.

John Hughes born c 1807 was followed by his son Elijah Forrester Hughes in his brick making business in Corbridge, Stoke on Trent. Elijah is recorded in the 1872 edition of Kelly's Trade Directory as a brickmaker.