Barbauchlaw Brick Works, Armadale, West Lothian. Photos by Mark Cranston.
A product of the N C B Blantyreferme brickworks near Glasgow,
photo and info by Richard Paterson.
Photo by John Harrison.
The Buccleuch Brickworks in Sanquhar, Dumfries & Galloway. Before nationalisation in 1947 this was owned by Sanquhar and Kirkconnel Collieries. Photo by Donald Nelson
From Dunaskin brickworks, Waterside, Ayrshire. Photo by Mark Cranston.
Dunaskin Brickworks, near Dalmelington, Ayrshire. Closed 1976 by the Scottish Brick Corporation.Photo and information by David Kitching.
Fauldhead Colliery at Kirkconnel was easily the largest pit in Dumfriesshire. A brickworks was opened here in 1912 by Sanquhar & Kirkconnel Collieries Limited. The National Coal Board took over in 1947 and the brickworks remained in production until a few years after the closure of the colliery in 1969. Info by David Kitching.
Gartshore Brickworks, Kilsyth. Photos by Mark Cranston.
Gateside Brickworks, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire. Photo by Mark Cranston.
Newton Brickworks, Blantyre, Lanarkshire. Photo by Hugh Miller.
Photos by Mark Cranston.
The Niddrie brickworks, near Edinburgh, was a large common-brick works built to supply bricks for housebuilding by the Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co. It had three large Hoffman continuous kilns, and latterly, a modern shuttle kiln. The works closed in 1991, and was demolished. The site is now a shopping centre. Information taken from the scran database.
Photo by Ian Summerfield.
Found in an Edinburgh recycling centre by Joseph Hodgkiss.
Bricks were made at Preston Grange from the early nineteenth century. After 1872 the works were expanded and progressively mechanised and switched to using shale (blaes) and fireclay from the nearby colliery. By the nineteen fifties almost all of the colliery's output was absorbed by the brickworks. Information taken from the scran database.
Prestongrange is in East Lothian and is now an industrial museum. The Hoffman brick kiln is preserved on site.
Found near Edinburgh by Joseph Hodgkiss.
Photo by Mike Shaw.
A brickworks was set up at Roslin Colliery (which was owned by the Shotts Iron Company) in 1937 to produce 40,000 bricks a day. During WW2 these were used to build air-raid shelters. The brickworks operated until the 1970's, source: R C A H M S
Photo by David Kitching.
Found on a disused railway near Roslin, Edinburgh. Thanks to Joseph Hodgkiss for the contributions.
Manufactured at Northfield Brickworks, Shotts, Lanarkshire. Photo by Mark Cranston.
Skares Brickworks, Skares, Cumnock, Ayrshire
Skares Brick Works was built by the National Coal Board during 1954-5. The works used the material from the local bings to make common bricks marked NCB SKARES. In 1969 the works were taken over by the Scottish Brick Corporation and made bricks marked SBC. Photos by Ian Suddaby.
Photo by Neville Akers.
Made on the same site as N C B Skares bricks. Photo by Tony Gray.
Found near Connel Ferry station by Martin Briscoe, made by the Nellfield brick & tile works, Carluke, 1893 - 1939.
Photo by Mark Cranston. Possibly a product of the Manuel works in Linlithgow, and part of the Stein Group. If so, it is named after a clay seam with a high alumina content, and dubbed "Nettle". The first Nettle bricks came out of the kilns in 1930. Thanks to Lawrence Skuse.
Photo by Maurice Stokes, found at Clay Mills pumping station, Burton
on Trent
Foundd at Newbiggin by the Sea by Anna Jeffcoat.
Found on the pebble beach at Kenfig Burrows near Bridgend by Michael
Kilner.
Found in Ebbw Vale by Andrew.
Part of the Summerlee collection, photo by Monkland Memories.
This works was near Wishaw. Photo by Mark Cranston.
Newton Brickworks, Blantyre, Lanarkshire. Photo by Guy Morgan.
Part of the Summerlee collection, photo by Monkland Memories.
Nitshill Brickworks, Glasgow. Photo by Neville Akers.
Found on the seashore near Stranraer by Jonathan Wilkins. Made by Omoa Fireclay Works, Cleland.
This works was active from 1889 - 1945, photo by Andrew Greg. Found in a backyard in Strathbungo, Glasgow.
Found by Vladimir Smirnov in St. Petersburg. Believed to have been made near Carluke in Lanarkshire.
Found at an Edinburgh recycling centre by Joseph Hodgkiss. This brickworks was located in Straiton about 6 miles south of Edinburgh City centre.
Pitcon Brickworks, Dalry, Ayrshire.
Photo taken at a radar station on Tiree by Martin Briscoe.
Photo taken near the site of the old Grandtully Station by Peggy Edwards. Made by Pitfour Brick & Tile Works at Glencarse, 1850 - 1912.
Photo by Phil Jenkins.
Plann Fireclay Works, 1896 - 1970's. Photo by Mark Cranston.
John Porter & Sons, Jeanfield or Janefield Brickworks, London Road, Glasgow. Info from Mark Cranston.
Made at Parkhead (near Celtic's ground) in Glasgow and found in Glasgow by David Ashford.
Photo by courtesy of the Frank Lawson collection. The works was at Blantyre in Lanarkshire.
Another one from Chilean Patagonia, photo by Robert Runyard. Rawyards is a district of Airdrie, ca 1893 - 1940s
Rawyards Brickworks, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. Image by Gary Johns.
Part of the Summerlee collection, photo by Monkland Memories.
Sanquhar and Kirkconnel Collieries, Sanquhar.
The Buccleuch Brickworks in Sanquhar, Dumfries & Galloway was established in about 1889 to make terracotta bricks. It consisted of a large moulding shop and eight large round downdraught kilns, all of which had conical superstructures, probably later additions. The clay came from quarries to the north-east and south-east on narrow-gauge tramways. The brickworks produced both standard-sized facing bricks, probably in brick presses and 'specials', hand-made in limited quantities. This works closed in about 1958, but was still reasonably intact in the mid-1960s. By 1971 the kilns had been almost completely demolished, and since then the rest of the complex has also gone. Terracotta bricks were popular as they were non-porous, and did not retain soot on their surfaces. Information taken from the scran database.
Found in an Edinburgh recycling centre by Joseph Hodgkiss.
Photo by Mark Cranston.
Found on a Renfrewshire seashore by Ian Sinclair.
The Scottish Brick Company operated a number of former NCB works. This example was found at the 1980's LAW (Later Ibstock) works Tannochside site when being demolished. Photo and info from Chris Deacon.
Photo by Mark Cranston.
Found on a Renfrewshire seashore by Ian Sinclair. Made at Lee Terra Cotta Works in the 1890s.
Photo by Lindsey Kitching.
Shott Sand Limestone Bricks, ca 1910 - 1947.
Photo by Martin Briscoe
Found on waste ground near Edinburgh by Joseph Hodgkiss.
Photo by David Kitching.
Robert Small & Co, Pitfour Brickworks, Perth.
Smith & Wellstood, Foundry Brickworks, Bonnybridge. Photo by Phil Burgoyne.
Found in Fort William by Martin Briscoe. Made in Coatbridge, ca 1899 - ca 1930.
Found on the seashore in Crosby, Merseyside.
Photographed in Edinburgh by Joseph Hodgkiss
Found in Locherfield, Kilbarchan. Photo by Bill Speirs
Photo by Nigel Megson.
The Southhook Fireclay works (sometimes known by the alternative
name of the Bourtreehill Fireclay Works) was situated to the West of
Kilmarnock. The Company owned the Southhook Pit, one of the oldest
clay pits in south west Scotland situated near Knockintiber,. The
Bourtreehill Works was in operation from 1875 to the 1970s.
Further info here
and here
The pottery's Bonnyton works in Kilmarnock was where they manufactured most of their products including their salt-glazed drainage pipes. Photo by Scottish Brickmarks.
Found on a Renfrewshire seashore by Ian Sinclair.
Part of the Summerlee collection, photo by Monkland Memories.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by David Kitching.
These two examples were photographed at the Holyhead Breakwater
Park . The 'Thistle' and 'Stein' brands are
believed to have been manufactured in Scotland by J G Stein
who had works in the Castlecary /
Bonnybridge area and also at Manuel near Linlithgow.
'Thistle' was a 38% alumina firebrick but the Stein brands varied
in alumina content. In 1967 J G Stein amalgamated with
General Refractories of Sheffield and became GR Stein
Refractories. This company was then taken over by Hepworth
Ceramic Holdings and eventually became known as Hepworth
Refractories. Another takeover took place when it became Premier
Refractories but this did not last very long because it was bought
by Vesuvius is now part of the Cookson Group. Many
thanks to David Morgan for the above. Some recent views of
the works are on this
website.
The third of the bricks from Chilean Patagonia, photo by Robert Runyard.
Found on a Renfrewshire seashore by Ian Sinclair.
Photo by courtesy of the Frank Lawson collection, found at Callender.
Photo by courtesy of the Frank Lawson collection.
Found in North Notts. by Simon Patterson. Lawrence Skuse
writes: There are a great number of NETTLE-D bricks and
larger blocks in the Dowlais Brook in Cwmbran, alongside the
former GKN Refractories (aka "The White Brick Works"). These
are unused and along with other firms' refractory items also found
in the brook, I believe they were sold by GKN along with their own
refractory items.
Stein Ladle, found in Shotton, North Wales
Photo by Scottish
Brickmarks.
Nettle Dense. Info by Mark Cranston, photo by Richard Cornish.
Martin Briscoe photographed this one. Les Horn writes: Stepends, a National Coal Board brick works, was at Stepends Colliery at Plains near Kirk O'Shotts in Lanarkshire (GB Grid Ref NS 806 669) . There was an aerial ropeway to Ardenrigg No. 6 mine.
Found by Martin Briscoe in Glenfinnan at a WW11 Observer Post.
Photo by John Harrison.
Photo by Mark Cranston.
Part of the Summerlee collection, photo by Monkland Memories.
Made by the Summerlee Company and found in Dumbarton by Lairich Rigg
Photographed at Summerlee Museum.
Hugh Symington, Kipps Quarries and Brickworks, also at Faskine Brickworks, Calderbank, Airdrie. Made from ca 1878 - ca 1928.
J C Taylor Brothers, 28 St Enoch Street, Glasgow Makers of composition bricks at Avonbridge and Brucefield Works. Info by Mark Cranston, photo by Bill Duff. Found in Clackmannan.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Steven Tait.
United Fireclay Products, made in Armadale, West Lothian, found by Simon Patterson in Worksop.
Michael Davidson writes: We're refurbishing a property in Portobello, Edinburgh. The main structure is constructed using bricks from Vogrie brick and tile works. It's quite a rough and ready brick which in this instance was overclad with v-lined timber panelling. Vogrie Brick & Tile Works, Goreridge, operated between1852-1945.
The brickworks was operated by Edinburgh Collieries Limited in the 1920s. After 1947 it passed to the National Coal Board and in 1969 was sold to the Scottish Brick Corporation. It closed in the early 1970s.
Found on waste ground in Fairmilehead, Edinburgh. Thanks to Joseph Hodgkiss for the contribution.
Photographed at Hirum Walkers Distillery, Dumbarton by Ian Sinclair.
Found among the rubble of a demolished wall in Glasgow by Joseph Hodgkiss.
Found in Glasgow by David Ashford and probably made by John Watson & Sons, Armadale, West Lothian.
Made at Elgin & Wellwood Colliery, Dunfermline. The colliery closed in 1950 but the brickworks survived until 1981.
Found at a recycling centre in Edinburgh. Thanks to Joseph Hodgkiss for the contribution. Wemyss Brick Co., Methil, 1906 - 1981.
Whistleberry Brickworks, Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Photo and info
by Mark Cranston.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Whitehill Colliery Brickworks was in Lasswade, Midlothian. Whitehill Colliery (also known as Rosewell) was owned by the Lothian Coal Company, it was formed in 1890 from the Newbattle and Whitehill Pits. The latter providing material for the neighbouring brickworks. Most of the brickworks' workers lived in nearby Rosewell village which grew from a small village with a population of 133 in 1846, to 2129 in 1881. Most of its population were miners. Many of the newcomers were families who had left Ireland in the years after the famine. By 1885, it had a handsome local church, a public school and a Post Office and Savings Bank. In 1938-9 the brickworks was largely rebuilt, and equipped with new machinery. By the 1940s the capacity was over 15 million common bricks per year. It closed in 1977. Information taken from the scran database.
Found near a lead mine at Wanlockhead
Spotted at an Edinburgh recycling centre by Joseph Hodgkiss.
A left over from construction of a bungalow in Edinburgh in 1935, photo by Joseph Hodgkiss
Alexander Wilson & Son Terracotta Manufacturers, Lochhead Works, Dunfermline. For further information see the Scottish brick history website. Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by Andrew Greg. Found in a backyard in Strathbungo, Glasgow.
Found by Philip Dikland in the ruins of the main house of the Alliance Sugar Plantation, Suriname, South America.
Photo by Mark Annand, seen at Eilean Glas lighthouse
Seafield Mains is located 3.5km WNW of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Image PRBCO.
Photo by Caroline Jamieson.
Winchburgh Brickworks, Winchburgh, West Lothian, ca 1873 - 1970s. Photo by Joseph Hodgkiss.
