Belper
W. Brown
The reverse of this brick is very lightly stamped, but you can just make out the 1st E, the L & part of the R of Belper.
For the location of W. Brown's 1855 brick yard, please see 1878 map in the Park Foundry entry & I have coloured this yard dark purple next to Smedley's Eagle Iron Foundry (light purple). A web article states that the Smedley Brothers had purchased a brickworks on Becksitch Lane in 1855 & then built the Eagle Foundry next to it in 1856, hence me coming to the conclusion that this was W. Brown's yard & I write about the Smedley Brothers after the Robinson entry.
Edward Robinson
Photos by Ian Brownson.
Park Foundry Co.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1878.
I first start with some early history of the Park Foundry Co. which had been started by the Smedley Brothers, Frederick, Alfred & James in 1856 with the building of their Eagle Iron Foundry (light purple) next to a brickworks (dark purple) on Becksitch Lane which they had purchased in 1855. The brothers produced stationary steam engines, steam boilers, heavy castings, cast iron lamp posts & are well known for making Brighton & Morecambe's seaside piers. With the Brothers taking over this brickworks coloured dark purple on the 1878 map above, I believe that they continued manufacturing bricks for their own & local use, as a web article states that they made bricks from clay which had come from their Boiler Yard on Becksitch Lane (marked as Iron Foundry & coloured yellow on the map above) & I think that the Brick Field which I have coloured blue was the source of this clay. The Belper example below was more than likely made at this yard possibly between 1860 & 1900.
Photo by MF from the Phil. Sparham Collection.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1898.
The Brothers had opened a second ironworks, the Park Foundry (coloured yellow on both the 1878 & 1898 maps) on New Road, Belper in 1858 & by 1898 a new brickworks had been established next to Park Foundry to replace the Eagle Foundry brickworks. The 1898 map also shows that the company had established a second brickworks (coloured blue) on the land which the 1878 map shows just as a Brick Field. This blue coloured brickworks is then marked as disused on the 1913 map.
The Park Foundry Company are listed as brickmakers in Kelly's 1899 & 1900 editions & below are two examples of the bricks made at the Park Foundry works.
Park Foundry Brick Co.
It is unknown if this PFB brick above stands for Park Foundry Brick or Park Foundry, Belper. The second option is my 1st choice. The 1938 map still shows the buildings & claypit of the yellow coloured brickworks, but not named as such, so my only conclusion is that brick production had ceased around 1938.
The Park Foundry Co. is recorded in 1949 as being part of the Radiation Company of Birmingham making the Siesta stove at Belper & trading under the Parkray name.
Loscoe
J. Milward
O. Smedley
H. Gaunt
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
The Loscoe Colliery was sunk in 1830's by Goodwin & Griffin. Then in 1840 it was taken over by E.D. Whittingham & then in 1856 by the Butterley Co. with the pit closing in 1933.
It appears that Loscoe brickworks operated as a separate concern, but may have used the clay shale from the mine.
The brickworks had been run by three families, Milward's, Smedley's & Gaunt's by the time it closed in 1976.
My first Kelly's trade directory is for J. Milward in 1864, whether this was the year when the yard first opened I do not know, but the Milward's are then listed at Loscoe in Kelly's 1876 & 1887 editions with Jacob Milward as brickmaker.
https://eastmidlandsnamedbricks.blogspot.com/2016/08/derby-brickworks-part-2.html
Then Harry Gaunt then takes over the works & is listed as brickmaker in Kelly's 1928 edition. Trade directory listings continue in Harry's name until the last one available in 1941, but the works were in production under Harry until January 1976. Also found Harry Gaunt owned a second brickworks in Alfreton & this Mansfield Road works situated next to Alfreton Colliery is listed in the 1943 Ministry of War list of brickworks as being operated by Harry Gaunt. It is unknown in which year this Alfreton works closed.
http://www.yclf.org.uk/download.php?docId=0000000012&inline=true
Mathew Shaw is listed as brickmaker in Kelly’s 1887 & 1891 editions at The Wigwell Brickworks, Whatstandwell, Derby & with him residing at Carr Cottages. Then in Kelly’s 1895 edition the entry is The Wigwell Brick & Tile Co. Limited, Whatstandwell, Matlock Bath with William C. Shaw as manager.
Photo added 14.1.17. After a tip off by a fellow collector I collected this W.B. Co. brick from a field in Codnor Gate, Derbyshire & I think it was made by the Wigwell Brick Co. with it being found not to far from where it was made in Whatstandwell.
Swann Ratcliffe & Co. are listed in the Fire Brick Manufacturers section in these Kelly's editions, 1912, 25, 32, & 41 at Brassington, Wirksworth, Derbys. Cope’s 1937 edition also lists Swann Ratcliffe & Co. (Brassington) Ltd. at Brassington, Wirksworth, Derbys. A 1933 newspaper article records the company made refractory products to the highest standards for the Sheffield steel industry. Mr. C.A. Longbottom is listed as chairman of the company together with directors, Messrs H.R. York of Nantwich & Captain W.E. Longbottom. Bernard Rush was the General Manager. Info from the Brassington website records that the brickworks was employing 16 men in 1962. It goes on to say that the brickworks closed in 1971.
Then Harry Gaunt then takes over the works & is listed as brickmaker in Kelly's 1928 edition. Trade directory listings continue in Harry's name until the last one available in 1941, but the works were in production under Harry until January 1976. Also found Harry Gaunt owned a second brickworks in Alfreton & this Mansfield Road works situated next to Alfreton Colliery is listed in the 1943 Ministry of War list of brickworks as being operated by Harry Gaunt. It is unknown in which year this Alfreton works closed.
Photo by Mick Farmer.
Copyright © North East Midland Photographic Record. All rights reserved & reproduced with the permission of Picture the Past.
Round coal fired kiln at Loscoe in September 1974.
Copyright © North East Midland Photographic Record. All rights reserved & reproduced with the permission of Picture the Past.
Picture showing the inclined lift from the clay pit & a round kiln on the right in September 1974.
After the brick yard had closed, the clay pit was filled in & is now an open space. Bungalows & houses were built at the end of the former clay pit & where the brickworks buildings had stood there is now a builders merchant's yard. Then on the 24th of March 1986 with the build up of methane gas, a bungalow on Clarke Avenue was totally destroyed, fortunately without loss of life, but with the three occupants being badly injured. Two other properties were affected by the explosion & were unfit to live in. Actions were then taken to vent the gas safely.
A photo of the destroyed bungalow can be seen at this link.http://www.yclf.org.uk/download.php?docId=0000000012&inline=true
Wirksworth
Buckley & Co.
Front & Reverse of Buckley & Co. Steeple House from the Phil. Sparham Collection.
William Buckley, brickmaker of Steeple Grange, near Wirksworth, Derbys. is recorded in Drake's Trade Directory for 1862 & then in White's 1870 Trade Directory, Mrs Buckley is listed as brickmaker at Steeple Grange. Steeple House also known as Steeple Grange House was were they lived.
I have sent these 2 photos to the Wirksworth website, which has since found more details about William & they can be read at this link. http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/X650.htm
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1879.
Although marked as the Blackrock Brick & Tile Works on the 1879 map above, this is the location for William Buckley's yard as recorded in 1862 & 1870. I have also coloured Steeple House green to show it's location in Steeple Grange & it's proximity to his works.
W. Hunt
Photographed at Derby Silk Mill Museum.
All I have found for W. Hunt is that he is listed in Kelly's 1855 edition at Bolehill, Wirksworth.
Whatstandwell
M. Shaw
Wigwell Brick Co.
Photographed at Derby Silk Mill Museum.
Mathew Shaw is listed as brickmaker in Kelly’s 1887 & 1891 editions at The Wigwell Brickworks, Whatstandwell, Derby & with him residing at Carr Cottages. Then in Kelly’s 1895 edition the entry is The Wigwell Brick & Tile Co. Limited, Whatstandwell, Matlock Bath with William C. Shaw as manager.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
1900 map showing location of The Wigwell Brick & Tile Works, but marked as disused. So it look likes this works was only in production for around ten years.
Photo added 14.1.17. After a tip off by a fellow collector I collected this W.B. Co. brick from a field in Codnor Gate, Derbyshire & I think it was made by the Wigwell Brick Co. with it being found not to far from where it was made in Whatstandwell.
In March 2023 Richard Bull sent me this image of a W. B. Co. brick made of fireclay, so a quick search in old newspaper has revealed that in 1893 the Wigwell Brick Co. were advertising they could supply all kinds of bricks, also Silica & Fireclay. Apply William C. Shaw.
Photo by Richard Bull.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph - Thursday 05 October 1893.
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Brassington
Swann Ratcliffe & Co.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1923.
Swann Ratcliffe & Co. are listed in the Fire Brick Manufacturers section in these Kelly's editions, 1912, 25, 32, & 41 at Brassington, Wirksworth, Derbys. Cope’s 1937 edition also lists Swann Ratcliffe & Co. (Brassington) Ltd. at Brassington, Wirksworth, Derbys. A 1933 newspaper article records the company made refractory products to the highest standards for the Sheffield steel industry. Mr. C.A. Longbottom is listed as chairman of the company together with directors, Messrs H.R. York of Nantwich & Captain W.E. Longbottom. Bernard Rush was the General Manager. Info from the Brassington website records that the brickworks was employing 16 men in 1962. It goes on to say that the brickworks closed in 1971.
Photo by MF, courtesy of Newark & Sherwood Museum Services.
Advert from the Sheffield Independent dated 15th of September 1933.
Image © Johnston Press plc./British Library Board.
In 2022 these two Swann bricks turned up. Whether the company operated just as Swann before 1912 is unknown, but it looks highly likely. Ian Suddaby found his in Scotland.
Photo by Chris Graham & reproduced with the permission of the "Old Bricks" website.
Photo by Ian Suddaby.
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