"Old Bricks - history at your feet"
England page 6-4, Letter: D
Dovenby to Dunwear
Dovenby
Dovenby Brick and Tile Works, Dearham, Carlisle. Info & photo by Mark Cranston.
Dow Moor
No info. Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Down, Glastonbury
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Albert Down is recorded as a brick and tile manufacturer in trade directories between 1872 and 1889. In 1881 he was employing 10 men. Previous to this his father ran the works from 1840 to the 1850 when he was employing 15 lanbourers. By 1861 he had died and Albert was running the business. The works was known as Edmund Hill Pottery and was situated on Wells Road, Glastonbury. Photo by John Biggs.
Downes & Rayner
Downes & Rayner, Gestingthorpe, Essex. Extract from a BBS
article on the Hedingham brick industry: "Successive members of
another Rayner family owned brickworks at Gestingthorpe, as did John
Downs, who was also the Postrnaster, Iron Founder, and a farmer in
Gestingthorpe". Photo by Frank Lawson.
Drain
Photo by Darren Haywood.
Found by Frank Lawson at a field drain near South Wheatley in North
Notts. Some fascinating info from Arthur Brickman:
Although I'm unable to identify the manufacturer of this particular
brick, I can add some background information. Until 1850 a tax was
paid on all bricks used for property building, however those used
for infrastructure products were exempt. To avoid tax liability in
such cases, manufacturer's marked their drainage bricks accordingly
and this would be one such example. However, I have encountered
similar items in building footings, particularly on colliery sites.
No doubt once the structure was complete the offending items would
have been concealed, and a saving on its overall cost achieved at
the expense of the Exchequer!
Photographed at Beeston reclamation yard. Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Dreain
Almost certainly a misspelling of the above entry. Found on a
farm track outside Pocklington, East Yorkshire by Carla van Beveren.
Drake & Co, Paignton
Kelly's Directory 1902 to 1919 lists Drake & Co Ltd, Collaton St Mary, Paignton; office, 10 High St, Totnes. There is no entry for 1923. The woeks is probably that marked on OS maps as Collaton Brick Works, situated north of Borough Road, close to Clayland Cross. Photo by Andrew Florey.
Photo by Ian Williams.
William Dransfield & Son, Besom Hill, Oldham
William Dransfield & Son Ltd.,Besom Hill Brick,Tile &
Sanitary Pipe Works,Besom Hill,Moorside, Oldham. Photo by David Kitching.
Draper
W. Draper, A paving brick found in Coalbrookdale.
Martyn Fretwell writes :- W. Draper is listed as the proprietor of
the Hall End Brick Co. Church Lane, West Bromwich in Kellys Staffs.
1904, 08, 12 & 16 editions. As a works the Hall End Brick Co. is
listed in Kellys 1896 to 1940 editions. An article on the web
records the brickworks as being the last to close in West Bromwich,
but no closure date is given & it may have been in the 1940's as
the 1950 map only shows the clay pit as a small lake.
William Drewitt
William Drewitt ran a brickyard at Rushwood Common, Grafham, Guildford from 1871- 1891 according to the census and trade directories. I suspect he was involved in other brickyards including the Victoria brickworks and steam potteries at Rustington near Worthing in Sussex in 1884. He also seems to have been a farmer of up to 530 acres and acted as an estate agent. Photos by Anthony Perry who found all three bricks at locations north of Guildford.
Photo by Tania Tirraoro.
Dry Dock: See Dearnley Brickworks
Thomas Duckworth
Thomas Duckworth, Broughton Bar, Accrington, Lancs. Worrall's Directory 1897. Info from Frank Lawton.
Duddell, Fenton
Photo by Ken Perkins.
Found on a Staffordshire Farm by Cheryl Owen.
Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Duffield
The front and back of a Duffield brick, I J could well be the
owner's initials. Photo by courtesy of the Frank Lawson
collection.
Dugmore, Heath Town
In 1899 Isaac Dugmore formerly of Willenhall and an iron polisher
was living at North Farm, Heath Town and now recorded as a
brickmaker. Isaac died in 1903. Info & Photo by Martyn Fretwell
courtesy of the Bill Richardson Collection at Southwick Hall. Martyn
adds:- Isaac Dugmore & Sons are recorded as proprietors of the
Midland Brick Works, New Cross, Heath Town, Wolverhampton in Kellys
1896 & 1900 editions.
Dukinfield: See John Hall & Son
Dumbleton
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Dumbleton Brick & Tile Works, Nr. Evesham. (James Taylor & Son)
The brickworks was established by Edward Holland, the owner of Dumbleton Hall, to provide bricks for the construction & improvement of buildings on the estate. In 1851 a William Taylor became manager of the works and in the 1880's his son James took control and the brickworks seems to have been subsequently operated as James Taylor & Son. The works had closed by 1901. More can be read at this link.
Photo by Nigel Furniss, info by Frank Lawson and Martyn Fretwell.
Dunkerton
Whilst it is tempting to suggest that this brick was manufactured at Dunkerton Colliery in Somerset, I can find no evicnce that the colliery ever operated a brick kiln from when it opened in 1906 to closure in 1927. I think that this brick may well be earlier than 1900 and made at an unknown small brickworks in the Dunkerton area. Photo by Eric Taylor.
Photo by Rex Young.
Dunlop & Son, Reading
Found near Tilehurst, Berkshire by Nigel Mack. George Dunlop's
moved to Reading from Berwick on Tweed and founded a business as a
coal merchant, salt dealer, feedstuffs merchant and brickmaker at
Tilehurst. The business passed to his son Herbert in January 1882.
This seems to have included the operation of the Kentwood Kiln,
Gipsy Lane, Tilehurst, Reading. The tenancy was determined in 1892
and there was a sale at the site on May 25th of that year. The site
was subsequently largely absorbed by the expanded adjacent Kew Kiln
and the kiln location saw the erection of a pumping station for the
Tilehurst and Pangbourne water works. This suggests that the brick
dates from before 1892. Info supplied by David Kitching and
Alison Pinto.
Dunton
Meadham's Farm Brickworks at Ley Hill, Chesham, Bucks was originally
owned & started in 1937 by the Dunton Brothers. The works was
taken over by Martin Warner in 1997 & after purchasing several
other brickworks, Warner incorporated Dunton's into his Michelmersh
Group with the Ley Hill site continuing to called by the Dunton
name. This works closed in May 2013 due to higher production costs
& diminishing clay reserves. An application to convert the works
into a landfill site was turned down in August 2015. Info
& Photographed at Bursledon Brick Museum by Martyn Fretwell.
Dunton Green
Dunton Green Brick, Tile & Pottery Works. A comprehensive account of this works at this Link. Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Dunwear, Bridgwater
The Dunwear Co. operated in Bridgwater between 1883 and 1958.
From the late 18th Century, brickmaking became a major local
industry and today there is the Brick and Tile Museum. This example was found in Farnham,
Surrey. Photo and info by Ben Black.