Leicester Brickworks - part 1

Messenger & Healey, Wigston.

Photo by Dennis Gamble & reproduced with the permission of the "Old Bricks" website.

Some info in this entry has been supplied by Dennis Gamble.

I first tell you that Ebenezer Healey in the 1871 census is recorded as a Manager of a Steam Brickworks in Knighton, Leicester. Wright's 1878 edition records Healey was now the owner & brickmaker of this works which was on Saffron Lane, Leicester. Healey may have left this works shortly after 1878 as we find in White's 1877 edition Ebenezer Healey was in partnership with Thomas Goode Messenger at the Wigston Junction Brickworks in Glen Parva, Blaby. This works is also listed as being in Wigston or South Wigston. The 1881 census records Healey as a Master Brickmaker, living in Glen Parva & employing 45 men & 20 boys. It appears Thomas Goode Messenger who lived in Loughborough was the moneyman in this partnership with him owning several other businesses as well. He is recorded as a Master Plumber, Glazier & Horticultural Builder. Then listed under Messenger & Co. as Valve Makers, Hot Water Engineers & Iron Founders. 

Several editions of Wright's directories & Kelly's 1881 edition records Messenger and Healey at the Wigston Junction Brickworks, Glen Parva & their works is shown on the 1884 OS map below. This is followed by Messenger & Healey's half page 1881 advert for their works. 

The London Gazette dated 17th August 1883 reveals the Partnership between Thomas Goode Messenger & Ebenezer Healey was dissolved by mutual consent on the 23rd of January 1883. Healey then continues to run the Glen Parva Works with him being listed in Wright's 1887 edition.

Dennis Gamble has found that by 1888 Orson Wright was now the owner of this Glen Parva works & his company the Knighton Brick Co. is listed in Kelly's 1891 edition as owning two works, Welford Road, Knighton Junction & Wigston Junction, Glen Parva, so it appears Messenger & Healey ran this Wigston Junction brickworks at Glen Parva for around ten years. 

I have also found Ebenezer Healey operated another brickworks in Sileby called the Sileby Brickworks on Barrow Road from 1886 to at least 1888. The next brickmaker at this works is recorded as being there in November 1894, so Healey could have been at this works up to 1894. 

In the 1891 census Messenger is recorded as a Retired Horticultural Builder & Healey is recorded as a Farmer in Aylestone, however in Wright's 1899 edition & the 1901 census Healey, aged 60 is listed as a Brick Manufacturer in Kirby Muxloe & living a mile away from his works on Hinckley Road in Leicester.

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

Kelly's 1881 edition.

Blaby Brick & Tile Co.

The Blaby Brick & Tile Co. is listed in Kelly’s 1928 to 1936 editions at Cork Lane, Blaby, Leicester. I have used the 1928 OS below to show the location of this brick & tile works.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1928.

The advert below from Leicester Daily Mercury dated 9th of September 1939 indicates the works was still active in the sale of it's bricks & operating an Air Raid Warning Station, but the making of bricks had ceased due to the war. The 1943 Ministry of War Directory of Brickworks records the Blaby works was completely closed & not under their ownership, however my next newspaper article dated 28th of March 1946 written by Managing Director Mr Charles Arthur Sword in the Leicester Evening Mail records the opposite & the works had been used by the Ministry of War. Simply Blaby on Facebook also revealed some bits of info about this works. Charlie Sword grandson of Managing Director Charles Sword wrote in 2021 that the War Dept requisitioned the works from his grandfather to store Rolls Royce aircraft engines there during the war with the location of the brickworks being far enough away from major industrial centres which were being bombed. Charlie also writes that his father also called Charles was the works general foreman & he use to take him as a child down to the works to see the kilns being fired & emptied. Charlie notes his happy memories of the brickworks & what a great bunch of chaps who worked there were. I tried contacting Charlie for more info on the works in August 2023 through FB, but alas I have not had a reply.   

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

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

In 1947 the company was taken over by the Butterley Brick Co. & in 1955 Butterley was renamed the Butterley & Blaby Brick Co. The Butterley & Blaby Brick Co. was taken over by the Wiles Group in 1968, later called the Hanson Trust & the company was renamed Butterley Building Materials Ltd. In June 1986 Lady Hanson commissioned the new kiln at Blaby. However with poor brick sales Butterley/Hanson decided to close it's Blaby works in November 1990 with a loss of 60 jobs & hand made brick production was transferred to Butterley's Heather works. Today houses on Navigation Drive have been built on this former brickworks site. 

As a footnote there was another brickworks which was on the opposite corner of Cork Lane were the Chemical Works is shown on the 1928 map above which was only operational for a few years around 1900. Kelly's 1900 edition lists the Blaby Brick Co. with Charles Halford as Managing Director. Charles Halford was a builder & timber merchant in Blaby. The 1900 map shows this works had two bee-hive kilns & a tramway into the clay pit from the main building.   

Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co.

Photo by Tim Sayers.

The Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co. was registered on the 3rd of September 1879 with a share capital of £20,000, in 4000 shares at £5 each. The Directors are listed as George Harrison, Leicester; Henry Bell, Grantham; W.H. Townsend, Leicester; E. Massey junior, Managing Director of the Nottingham Builders Brick Co. Nottingham; W.E. Hickling, Leicester & W.E. Jefferson, Leicester. The company had been formed to acquire the Countesthorpe brickworks previously owned & run by William Henry Townsend who became a director in this new company. The article states 2,500 shares had been subscribed to, but the remaining 1,500 had not been offered to the Public. I have coloured the Countesthorpe works purple on the 1885 OS map below. 

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

Ordinary Shares in the newly formed Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. were offered to the Public in March 1881. The newspaper article states the business has developed with such rapidity since the plant had been completed that the Directors at this time had decided to offer additional shares to raise the cash to employ more men to increase production to meet the demand of their much sought after quality bricks. Kelly's 1881 edition records W.E. Hickling was the Managing Director of the Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. & Francis Cole Turton was Works Manager.

It appears the company was in financial trouble by January 1882 with W.E. Hickling putting the Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co. Ltd into Liquidation as per London Gazette Notice. A meeting of the Company's creditors took place in April 1882 & with me finding the brickworks was still operational in 1884 I can only assume a new investor or investment had been found. 

The Countesthorpe Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. is next listed in Kelly's 1891 edition with Alfred Measures as Works Manager. A snippet in the Leicester Chronicle dated October 1891 lists a donation by the Workpeople of the Knighton Junction Brick Co's Countesthorpe Brickworks, so it appears the works changed hands sometime in 1891. Kelly's 1895 edition confirms the Countesthorpe brickworks was being run by the Knighton Junction Brick Co. 

Knighton Junction Brick Co.

The Knighton Junction Brick Company first appears in Kelly's 1891 edition with James Squires as Manager & as wrote previously this company was formed around 1888 & was owned by Orson Wright, a local builder. A new find by Mark Cranston in a newspaper article which appeared in the Leicester Chronicle dated 19th of November 1887 reveals The Knighton Junction Brick Company had been formed with capital of £30,000 in 3000 shares at £10 each to take over the brickworks owned by William Watts Clarkson & it's owners are listed as William Henry Ellis & Arthur B. Partridge of Ellis Partridge & Co. Builders Merchants in Leicester, Orson Wright, Builder & Edward Sharman, MD of the Wellingborough Brick & Tile Co. Ellis was Chairman & Partridge & Wright were joint Managing Directors. The majority of the shares had been taken up by it's Directors, with the rest being available to the general public. 

This Knighton Junction brickworks on Welford Road in Leicester had been owned & run in his own name by William Watts Clarkson from at least 1871 to 1888 when he retired, hence the Knighton Junction Co. being formed to take over the running of this works. I am therefore thinking this Knighton Junction brick was made by the Knighton Junction Brick Co. rather than Clarkson. William Watts Clarkson is first recorded as a Brick Manufacturer in the 1871 census employing 33 men & 2 boys. The next references to William Clarkson manufacturing bricks are the many advertisements which appear in local newspapers from May 1874 & these all refer to his works being on Welford Road. I next found two trade directory adverts, the first is from Barker's 1875 edition & the second is from Kelly's 1881 edition. It is only the 1881 advert which refers to Clarkson's works as being situated at Knighton Junction, hence my thoughts this Knighton Junction brick was made by the Knighton Brick Co. I am just hoping a brick stamped Clarkson now turns up, so it can be added to this entry. 

Barker's 1875 edition.

Kelly's 1881 edition.

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

As I have digressed I now return to the Knighton Brick Co. & I have used the 1902 OS map above to show their Welford Road brickworks which I have coloured green. Kelly's 1891 edition also records that the company owned a second works called the Wigston Junction Brick Works at Glen Parva & this works up to 1888 or thereabouts had been run by Messenger & Healey. I have coloured this Glen Parva Brickworks yellow on the 1902 OS map below.

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

Kelly's 1891 advert for the Knighton Junction Brick Co. with works at Knighton Junction & South Wigston which is the Glen Parva works.

I next found in Kelly's 1895 edition that the company had acquired another brickworks at Countesthorpe previously operated by the Countesthorpe Brick Co. & below is the OS 1885 map showing this works which I have coloured purple.  

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

Kelly's 1895 edition advert with the addition of the Countesthorpe works & this time the Glen Parva works is listed as Wigston. Kelly's 1899 editions only lists the Knighton Junction & Wigston brickworks, so the Countesthorpe works was only short lived & the 1902 OS map confirms this with only the clay pit now being shown. 

In 1902 the owners of the Knighton Junction Brick Co. along with the owners of the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. & Messrs Barrow Brothers formed a Marketing Company called the Leicester Brick Co. to sell their bricks. This alliance had all come about by the drop in demand for bricks & to stop each of the above companies in competing with one another for what little trade there was. Over the next few years their combined output being sold by this Marketing Company reaped rewards for the three Companies. I write more on the Gypsy Lane Brick Co., Barrow Brothers & the Leicester Brick Co. later in this post. 

Back to Knighton & Kelly's 1908 edition is the last trade directory recording the Knighton Junction Brick Co. & the Leicester Daily Post dated the 14th of October 1909 reports that men working at both of Knighton Junction's brickworks were given a weeks notice that the company was to close & the closure was due to very poor sales. This article goes on to say that at it's most profitable time the company was paying it's workers £100 pounds per week, but this had gradually dwindled until the Glen Parva works was now only paying £40 & Knighton Junction £35. I then found in the London Gazette dated 27th of January 1911 that Chairman Orson Wright put the Knighton Junction Brick Co. into Voluntary Liquidation & the company was wound up a year later by the Liquidator. It appears Wright had become chairman of the company after the death of Ellis in December 1894.

James Yates

Photo by Dennis Gamble courtesy of Brocross Old Bricks website.

The 1861 edition of the Gazetteer & Directory of Leicestershire records James Yates (b.1822) as a Brickmaker & Inn Keeper of the George & Dragon, 11 Kent Street, Leicester & was in the partnership of Yates & Packwood, Brickmakers. This being John Packwood, home, 39, New Bridge Street, Leicester. It's in the 1861 Commercial Directory that it records Yates & Packwood's works as being at Knighton Hill. Slaters 1862 edition only records John Packwood at Knighton Hill. Wright's 1864 edition then only records James Yates as brickmaking on Welford Road & still at the George & Dragon. Running a pub & brickmaking did run hand in hand with brickmaking only taking place between Spring & Autumn. So I am taking it this James Yates brick was made after 1864. I have not found any reference to the Yates & Packwood partnership being dissolved. As to the location of the Knighton Hill works & the Welford Road works I think they are one of the same & may have been the works I have coloured yellow on Welford Road on the 1885 OS map below. I have highlighted in green the Knighton Junction Brickworks which was just off to the left on the next map. There is one more entry for James Yates as brickmaker in the 1870 edition of the Directory of Leicester which records him with the address of 3, New Bridge Street.

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

Norman & Underwood

Norman & Underwood were primarily plumbers & glaziers in Leicester originally operating from Free School Lane in the centre of Leicester (now part of the High Cross Shopping Centre), however the company diversified into brick making & are later recorded as also being builders & roofers. The firm recently closed in 2023 after operating for 198 years. 

So the first reference to Norman & Underwood as brickmakers appears in Kelly's 1876 edition with the address of 15, Free School Lane, Leicester. A notice in the Leicester Journal dated 26th July 1878 informs you Henry Norman was retiring from the company & the business of Norman & Underwood would then continue under the sole control of John Underwood who had joined the company in 1860. It was their uncle Thomas Norman who had established the plumbing & glazing company in 1825. Kelly's 1895 & 1900 editions record Norman & Underwood's brickworks as being on Saffron Lane in Leicester & I have coloured this works purple on the 1885 OS map below. Kelly's 1908 & Wright's 1911 edition now records Francis Underwood at the Saffron Lane Works. I am assuming Francis was John's son. The 1912 map now shows the Saffron Lane Works as disused. The site after being disused for many years eventually became allotments. Today a sports centre & running track now occupy part of the site.    

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

Vincent Bradley

Photo by Dennis Gamble & reproduced with the permission of the "Old Bricks" website.

The first reference I have found to Vincent Bradley is in 1846 when he is listed as the Victualler of the Richard III Inn on Highcross Street, Leicester. 1852 is the first reference to Vincent Bradley being recorded as a builder, however a newspaper article in the Leicester Journal dated 2nd of October 1857 records James Spratbury, a brickmaker was working for Vincent Bradley at his Ansty Lane brickyard. I have coloured this yard green on the 1885 OS map below. 

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

I then found Vincent Bradley owned a second brickyard from the For Sale Notice of the Bell Lane Brickyard adjoining the Midland Railway in the Leicester Journal dated 17th of February 1860. All stock consisting of 150,000 common bricks, pressed bricks, quarries were to be sold in lots to suit the purchaser. Then the Clay Mill in good working order, two eight hole brick kilns, sheds & stable were to be sold as a going concern. St George's Retail Park is now built were this brickyard had once stood. White's 1863 edition records builder Vincent Bradley with the address of 84, Highcross Street, Leicester. So it appears Vincent Bradley was making bricks for both his own use & for the retail market. Vincent Bradley died in October 1869 & from a notice in the Leicester Journal dated 9th of March 1877 which records the sale of the Freehold of the Ansty Lane brickyard, it is noted after Vincent Bradley had died the yard was run by George Fletcher & the present leaseholder was Mr. Thomas L. Wilson. However, the 1875 & 1876 trade directories record Thomas L. Wilson as the brickmaker of the Ansty Lane yard. By 1878 George Wain was leasing this Ansty Lane brickyard & I write about him next.  

George Wain

Photo by Frank Lawson.

Brickmaker George Wain is listed in Wright's 1878 edition with the address of Leicester Road, Belgrave & this could be his home or office address. Then the 1880 edition of the Commercial Gazette records his works as being on Ansty Road & from information found George Wain had taken over this works from Thomas L. Wilson in 1878. With this brickworks being marked as disused on the 1885 map it appears Wain only ran the works for a few years. A new find in the Leicester Mercury dated 20th November 1880 reports George Wain was unable pay the rent on the yard & the whole of the Brickmaking Plant & Stock-In-Trade & Effects were to sold to cover the Rent. The Leaseholder (T.L. Wilson) was then going to Re-Let the Yard, but this appears not to have happened with the works being disused on the 1885 map.  

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

Billesdon Brick & Pipe Works

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

Before I write about the marked brick, tile & pipe works, coloured green on this 1900 OS map I tell you about another brick yard in the village. A Freehold Sale Notice in the Leicester Journal dated 15th of February 1867 describes this excellent brick yard together with pasture land of 3 acres, cow shed, stables. piggeries, pottery, sand pit & other buildings situated with a considerable frontage to the Turn-pike-road from Billesdon to Leicester, & also to Long Lane, & adjacent to the Work House. This all points to the fields which I have coloured yellow. The buildings listed may relate to the ones situated to the right side of this field on the Turn-pike-road, but by this 1900 map some may have disappeared. The Notice goes on to say the brick yard was leased & worked by Thomas Henry Sharpe who is recorded in another article as being a brickmaker in the village in 1865. Also in the same Notice there were eight other houses/cottages being sold with sitting tenants, two were on the main street & five situated on or just off Long Lane which I have coloured red. I am therefore assuming one person was disposing of their estate which included all of these houses & the land on which the brick yard was built. It appears from my next find this brick yard was purchased by Thomas, John & William Batchelor, builders in Glenn Magna. However by April 1868 the brothers were advertising this brick yard to be Let. With the brothers failing to Let this yard they then proceeded in October 1868 to sell 90,000 bricks, all of the Plant & tools associated with brickmaking some of which were being sold as nearly new. In January 1869 Messers Batchelor advertised the Freehold Sale of the brick yard, kilns, a house & other buildings together with land amounting to three acres. It appears with there being no takers for the brick yard it then closed. 

Now on to the marked brickworks coloured green & it appears Thomas Henry Sharpe, brickmaker at the other yard had established this works by 1876 with Thomas being listed as brickmaker in Billesdon in Kelly's 1876 edition. Thomas then goes into partnership with George Ward Ward, a Provisions Merchant in Leicester operating as Sharpe & Ward. The London Gazette dated 11th of February 1879 records Thomas Henry Sharpe now living in Ruabon & a Brick & Pipe Manufacturer in the County of Denbigh, North Wales & George Ward Ward, a Provisions Merchant in Leicester operating as Sharpe & Ward, brickmakers in Billesdon had dissolved their partnership by mutual consent on the 5th of February 1879 & from this date William W. Ward alone would continue to operate this brickworks under the name of Sharpe & Ward. The only answer I can come up with Ward continuing to operate as Sharpe & Ward is that he felt customers would continue to purchase bricks & pipes from him with Henry Sharpe being a trusted brickmaker in the area. Kelly's 1881 edition records the company of Sharpe & Ward as brickmakers in Billesdon, however Kelly's 1891 edition records this works was being operated in George W. Ward's name only. 

Photo by Lynne Dyer.

A newspaper article in The Leicester Chronicle dated 21st of April 1894 states the Billesdon Brick & Pipe Works would be Let by Private Treaty. Machinery & all Stock in Trade could also be purchased at current prices. Immediate possession can also be had. Apply Williamson & Whittle, Auctioneers & Estate Agents, Leicester. Kelly's 1900 edition records the partnership of Bird & Hubbard were now operating the Billesdon works, therefore it appears Bird & Hubbard purchased the lease in 1894. Bird & Hubbard are not listed in Kelly's 1908 edition nor is anyone else, so I am assuming the brickworks had closed for good by 1908. The shape of the frog indicates the brick above may have been made between 1890 to when the works closed. Lynne has found there are several of these bricks displayed in walls in the village. Thanks Lynne. 

Launde Brickworks

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

The brick & pipe works at Launde shown coloured yellow on the 1884 OS map above was advertised to be Let in February 1876 & consisted of a shed, one kiln & an excellent bed clay. The Estate Agent is recorded as Mr. Bate of Springfields near Newcastle, Staffordshire. 

Photo by Nigel Furniss.

This S & W Laund brick was found by Nigel Furniss in April 2025 & we have not been able to find no trade directories or newspaper articles recording brickmakers S & W at Launde, however with the partnership of Sharpe & Ward taking over the nearby Billesdon brickworks in 1876 there's a strong possibility Sharpe & Ward also took over the lease of the Launde works in 1876. If any concrete evidence is found I will update the entry.

Belgrave Brick Co.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1901.

The first reference found to the Belgrave Brick Co. appears in a newspaper article dated 29th July 1898 when the company had been summoned to court for allowing two youths under the aged 18 to be working after 6pm. The bench fined the company one & a half guineas plus costs. 

Kelly's 1900 edition records the Belgrave Brick Co. Barkby Road, Leicester. I have coloured this works green on the 1901 OS map above. Kelly's 1908 edition is the same entry plus John Henry Weston as manager. However from my next find in a newspaper article dated September 1909 it records John Henry Weston as a brick manufacturer & had died in June 1909. With John not having any sons his estate was left to his brother Joseph, a retired farmer, so I have come to the conclusion with the death of John the brickworks closed. The 1919 map shows this works as disused & not shown at all on the 1928 map. 

Photo by Paul Ross. 

John Foxon, Belgrave

Photo by Dennis Gamble courtesy of Brocross Old Bricks website.

John Foxon junior b.1842 is first recorded as a brick manufacturer in the 1875 edition of the Leicester Commercial Directory with the address of Leicester Road (actually Loughborough Road) Belgrave & from later finds this was his home address of Burley House, Loughborough Road, Belgrave. Kelly's 1876, White's 1877, Wright's 1878 & Kelly's 1881 also record the address of Belgrave with the addition of a second works at Burbage in White's 1877 edition. The 1881 census records he lived on Loughborough Road, Belgrave as a Brick Manufacturer employing 5 men & 1 boy. I have found an old clay pit in Belgrave on the 1885 OS map below & this could have been his works which I have coloured green.

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

Now his father John Foxon senior b.1816 is also recorded as a brick manufacturer in the 1875 edition of the Leicester Commercial Directory with a works address of Groby Road. Later directories record this works as being at Freaks Ground/Groby Road. I have coloured the location of this works yellow on the 1885 OS map below. John senior is also recorded with a second works at Burbage in several directories up to Kelly's 1881 edition, a village he was born in. John Foxon senior lived at 61, Hinckley Road, Leicester. A May 1881 newspaper article records John junior was selling his father's Groby Road Works, the lease of which still had several years to run. I then found Kelly's 1881 edition records the Osborne Brothers at this works. Then from information found in newspapers during this 1875 - 1881 period both father & son were involved in letting houses or commercial properties & this may have been John Foxon senior's downfall when he was declared bankrupt in April 1882.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1886.

I next write the three company's who ran the Humberstone brickworks which was accessed from both Morton Road & Victoria Road.

Leicester Patent Brick & Tile Co.

The Leicester Patent Brick & Tile Co. Ltd was formed in March 1873 with a Share Capital of £9000 in £25 shares. The two men who had formed this company were Edward Ensor junior of Woodville, Burton on Trent & J.A. Bosworth of Humberstone Cottage, Leicester. Edward Ensor junior is recorded as Managing Engineer within the company, he also had interests in Ensor Brothers, fire brick manufacturers in Church Gresley. J.A. Bosworth is recorded as Managing Director with George F. Harrison as Secretary. An 1877 job advert for the company gives the works address as Humberstone Road, but the works was accessed via Morton Road or Victoria Road both just off Humberstone Road, see the 1885 OS map below. Please note the works had change hands by this 1885 map hence the name of the Humberstone Works. Kelly's 1876 & 1881 editions record the Leicester Patent Brick & Tile Co. with offices in Grey Friars, Leicester & works New Humberstone, with Thomas Beech as Works Manager. However Wright's 1878 edition does record the works address as Morton Road, Humberstone. 

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

A 25th of March 1881 Notice in the Leicester Journal notifies readers that on the 6th of April the Valuable & Extensive Leasehold Brickworks of about 8 acres lately occupied & operated by the Leicester Patent Brick Co. at New Humberstone was to be Sold at Auction. The Notice states the works had Patent Kilns (Hoffmann), powerful steam engines, all modern plant & machinery, valuable beds of clay & clay mills. The rent & royalties are moderate. We next find by October 1881 this works was being run by the Humberstone Brick Co. & I write about them next. 

Humberstone Brick Co.

Courtesy of Nottingham Museums & Galleries.

The first reference I have Humberstone Brick Co. is a October 1881 advert recording the Brick & Tile Works on Victoria Road was now open for the sale of wire-cut, pressed & ornamental bricks, quarries, floor bricks & drain pipes. Apply. C. Cayless, Manager. The next reference to the company is February 1884 when George Hewitt, a labourer was found living rough in the works kilns by the local police constable. Kelly's 1895 & 1900 editions record Matthew Adey Forrest as the Proprietor of the Humberstone Brick Co. Morton Road, West Humberstone. M.A. Forrest was a coal, coke & timber merchant in Leicester. By 1901 the Morton Road works was being run by Broadbent & Co. 

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

Broadbent & Co.

Photo by Peter Harris courtesy of Brocross Old Bricks website.

Established in 1840 Broadbent & Co. were builders merchants in Leicester. It was originally thought that their named bricks were made by another local company, however when Alwyn Sparrow found the one below stamped Victoria Works, Humberstone that set me on my search for new info & the location of this Victoria Brickworks. 

Photo by Alwyn Sparrow.

Broadbent & Co. are listed in Bennett's 1901 edition as builders merchants; brick & pipe manufacturers; slating & tiling contractors, Head Office - Erskire Street, Humberstone Road, Leicester. The 1901 edition of the Clayworkers Directory also records Broadbent & Co. as brick manufacturers at this address. The company is next recorded in Kelly's 1908 & 1912 editions as brick manufacturers with the address of 36, Humberstone Road. As to the location of Broadbent's Victoria Works I have established it was the works which was situated at the end of Morton Road in Humberstone & adjacent to Victoria Road previously run by the Humberstone Brick Co. who are last recorded in Kelly's 1900 edition. The 1900 map I have used below shows this works as disused for some unknown reason. I have coloured Morton Road red & Victoria Road green. Broadbent & Co. are next recorded in the Brick & Tile section in Kelly's 1912 edition however in the same section in Kelly's 1916 to 1925 editions the entry is Broadbent & Stephens, merchants. I have to note with Broadbent & Co. & then Broadbent & Stephens being primarily builders merchants Broadbent & Co. may have only manufactured their own bricks up to 1912.

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

An unexpected find in the Leicester Chronicle dated 30th of May 1857 when looking for another brick company has revealed Benjamin Broadbent had owned this Humberstone brickworks before, so I have posted this Notice below.  

Leicester Chronicle - Saturday 30 May 1857 Image © Reach PLC. 

Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD..

I then found a September 1862 newspaper notice advertising the Humberstone Brickworks was being put up for sale as a going concern. The notice states "the whole of the works as new". I then found an August newspaper Auction Notice recording the sale of all of Broadbent's bricks & tiles etc. I have not been able to establish who purchased the works in 1862, so there is a gap in ownership until the Leicester Patent Brick & Tile Co. owned the works in 1873. In conclusion Benjamin Broadbent first owned the Victoria Brickworks from at least May 1857 to 1862 & there is a strong possibility this Victoria Works brick was made between these dates. The Broadbent & Co. brick will have been made between 1901 & 1912. 

Another snippet of information has come to light regarding Benjamin Broadbent with him being involved with another brick company in 1869. So whilst still running his builders merchant business he entered into a partnership with brothers Jacob Stanley & Reginald Stanley forming Broadbent & Stanley in 1869 to take over the Swan Lane brickworks in Nuneaton making blue bricks. A few months into the venture Benjamin took ill & had to step back from running the brick business. Benjamin left the partnership in August 1871 & the company was then renamed Stanley Brothers of Nuneaton. I was aware of this company & it's history, but had never made the connection to it being the same Benjamin Broadbent of Leicester before. Sadly Benjamin Broadbent died aged 47 in 1887 & his builders merchant business then became Broadbent & Co. which resulted it this company taking over the Victoria Brickworks, Humberstone again in 1901.

Edward Newton

Fielding Moore

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

I now write about the two brick yards which were at Spinney Hill, Leicester, one was owned by Edward Newton around 1880 & the other by Fielding Moore. I am not 100% sure who owned which, but from a bit of info found on Newton he may have owned the yellow yard & then Moore owned the green yard. I then found in Harrold's 1870 edition there are listings for three brickmakers operating at Spinney Hill, these being Fielding Moore, William Cox & John Millington, so there may have been two yards in the area which I have coloured green ? With John Millington being listed with the address of Maynard Street (coloured red on map) Spinney Hill same as Edward Newton, Millington may have owned the yellow yard in 1870 before Newton took over ? 

Edward Newton is listed as brickmaking on Humberstone Road, Leicester in Wright's 1878 edition then Kelly's 1881 edition records him as brickmaking on Melbourne Road, Leicester. With Humberstone Road being not to far from Melbourne Road I am thinking these two locations are the same brickworks. A Notice in the Leicester Journal dated 9th December 1881 informs readers Edward Newton of the Spinney Hill Brickyard, Maynard Street, Leicester was closing his brickyard & there is a list of items in this notice which were to be sold at Auction. All the fixed machinery, boilers & engines had already been sold either at a previous auction or by private treaty. The OS 1885 map above shows there had been two brickyards on Melbourne Road (purple) but I am not 100% sure which Edward Newton had worked. I have coloured Maynard Street (now Road) red & Newton may have lived on this street or it could be a reference to Newton's yard, if so Newton's yard could have been the one which I have coloured yellow. 

Photo by Frank Lawson.

A notice in the Hinkley News dated May 15th 1869 reveals Fielding Moore, Spinney Hill Pottery begs to inform the Trade & Public that he is now manufacturing a first class description of pancheons, stone bottles, ham pots, jars & earthenware generally used for domestic purposes & these could be obtained from his home address 8, Upper Regent Street, London Road, Leicester or from his works. So it appears he made not have been making bricks at this 1869 date, however Harrold's 1870 trade directory lists Fielding Moore as brickmaking at Spinney Hill, Leicester & Moore's yard may have been situated in the area that I have coloured green on the 1885 OS map above. On another page in this 1870 directory it records Fielding Moore as manufacturing bricks, tiles, chimney pots, seakale pots, ornamental & common garden pots & vases, piping of various dimensions & seed pans. A 1882 newspaper article records Henry Woodfield had worked as Works Manager for Fielding Moore at the Spinney Hill Terra Cotta Works for the last 15 years, so this takes us back to at least 1867 when Fielding Moore was operating the Spinney Hill Works.

A newspaper notice in the Leicester Guardian dated 10th of June 1874 reports Fielding Moore had taken over the Breedon & Cloud Hill Lime Works & could deliver lime to any railway station, also a good supply was kept at his depot at Humberstone Wharf. Kelly's 1876 edition now records Fielding Moore with offices at 1A, Bowling Green Street, brickworks Spinney Hill & depot at Humberstone Road Wharf. Below I have added Fielding Moore's advert from White's 1877 edition which also records him as a Coal Merchant & this is followed by his Kelly's 1881 advert. 

White's 1877 edition.

Kelly's 1881 edition.

Fielding Moore died in either July or August 1881 & although he had two sons Charles & Fielding junior to take over his business, his brickworks, coal wharf & lime works all closed. The Building News dated 13th January 1882 reports the whole of the Spinney Hill Brickworks plant, machinery, tools & all remaining stock would be sold at Auction on the 18th of January 1882. 

Then an 1885 Court case reveals the Executors of Fielding Moore's Will were Joseph Isaac Hallam & Fielding Moore junior & I have gleamed after Fielding's children, Fielding junior, Charles & Elizabeth had been paid their money from the Will the vast majority of the Estate which include his grand house on Upper Regent Street, 64 other houses & some land on Spinney Hill Road went to Joseph Hallam. The children were disputing Hallam's claim, but the judge said if this case continued there would be no money left for the children as it would all be taken up in the court costs. So I have come to the conclusion Joseph Hallam had invested his own money into Fielding's business hence him being one of the Executors & then being able to get his investment back when the businesses were sold.   

Glenfield Premier Brick & Terra Cotta Co.

Glenfield Brick & Tile Co.

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

The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. was established in 1898 & is first listed in Kelly's 1899 edition. Situated just outside the village of Glenfield I have coloured this works green on the 1900 OS map above which also shows there was a siding into the works from the West Bridge Branch Line. In 1904 Mr. Ratcliff was the manager of the company.

The Glenfield Premier Brick & Terra Cotta Company continues to be listed in Kelly's up to it's 1928 edition. 

Photo by David Fox.

A share issue notice in the Sunday Mirror dated 17th June 1928 tells you the Glenfield Premier Brick & Terra Cotta Co. together with the Fontley Brick & Tile Co. & the Fareham Brick & Tile Co. both in Fareham, Hants. were to be taken over by a newly formed consortium which consisted of the Frewin Cavity Brick Co. Ltd. & B. Whitaker & Sons of Accrington & Leeds. This new holding company then traded as the British Cavity Brick & Tile Co. Ltd. running the five companies mentioned. The directors of this new company were Lord Islington, Bury St Edmunds (chairman), Sir Walter Townley, London, Percy Burton, Hatfield, then Joint Managing Directors, Albert Brathwaite, (B. Whitaker & Sons) & Edmond Frewin (Frewin Cavity Brick). The Nottingham Journal dated 10th of August 1928 reports the British Cavity Brick & Tile Co. had completed the take-over process of it's recent acquisitions. 

After the take over the Glenfield works then operated as the Glenfield Brick & Tile Works & this company is listed in Kelly's 1932 to 1941 editions. 

I then found in the Leicester Mercury dated 8th of May 1958 the Glenfield works was to close in five weeks time with the loss of 50 jobs. The reason of the closure was the works plant was totally out of date & it would have been to costly to replace with new equipment to then try & compete with the very large concerns in a very weak market. Apparently the works had a very large stock of cable covers which was their chief line & for which they had no orders for. The works also produced agricultural land drains & chimney pots. At this closure date there is no mention of bricks, so I am assuming brick production had been phased out at some point. Bricks stamped Glenfield Brick & Tile have still to turn up, so one to keep a look out for. Below is an 1932 advert which does list bricks. 

Leicester Evening Mail - Saturday 15 October 1932. Image © Reach PLC. 

Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD

As a footnote I mention the Glenfield Brick & Terra Co. Ltd was wound up in 1932.

Here are two links to photos by Nigel Tout of the Premier Works, taken in 1967.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Glenfield_Premier_Brick_%26_Terracotta_Co._brickworks,_Nigel_Tout,_29.4.1967.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glenfield_Premier_Brick_%26_Terracotta_Co,_Nigel_Tout,_29.4.1967.jpg