Barrow Brothers
Photo by Dennis Gamble, courtesy of Brocross brick website.
With Phil Evans contacting me in March 2026 with information about his Barrow brickmaking family I have now updated this entry with Phil's information & the new info I have found since. Phil's mum, a Barrow is a direct ancestor of brickmaker William Barrow born 1802 & I start this entry with this William.
William Barrow (b.1802) is recorded in the 1841 census as a brickmaker & living with his young family on Conduit Street, Leicester. As to the location of his brickworks this could have been also on Conduit Street as I have found that a brick yard at the upper end of Conduit Street was put up for sale in February 1840, so it fits the bill, however there were several more brick yards nearby where he could have worked at. I just need written evidence confirming his brick yard.
The 1851 census records William had moved his family to 44, Benford Street in the St Matthews area of Leicester, a street which today no long exists, but was situated off Christow Street. Although I do not have written evidence I think William had also taken over the Willow Bridge Brick Yard which was on Willow Bridge Close next to the Willow Brook river & was only two streets from where he lived. My first reference found to this yard is 1833 when it was owned by Issac Grundy. The 1851 census also records 3 of his sons were brickmakers & will have been working with him, these being Henry aged 16 (b.1835), William, 12 (b.1839) & John, 10 (b.1841).
The 1861 census records William now living at 52, Benford Street & 2 more sons Thomas aged 15 (b.1846) & Joseph 14 (b.1847) had also had become Brickmakers. Henry & William in the 1861 census were both living on Curzon Street with their respective families & with Henry being recorded in The Leicester Gazette trade directory as owning the Curzon Street Brick & Tile Yard, I am assuming William was working alongside him. Wright's 1864 edition also records Henry at the Curzon Street yard.
Meanwhile it appears John shortly after the 1861 census left his father's employ to operate his own brick yard on Wharf Street in Leicester. This brickyard is recorded as being operational as early as 1816 with a newspaper article recording it was being Let by it's owner William Elliott.
A November 1863 newspaper article records John had ceased being the brickmaker at Wharf Street & his brother William would then take over the business to which it now belonged & would continue to run the works, however Wright's 1864 edition still records John Barrow as operating the Wharf Street yard, unless Wright's hadn't been updated on the change to William. I next found in a newspaper article that John was operating a brick yard at nearby Spinney Hills situated next to Fielding Moores brick yard, however in September 1867 the same thing happened again with John relinquishing the works & William taking over the running the business on his own account. A 1867 directory & the 1871 census records John as a brickmaker & Grocer on Abbey Gate, so it appears John concentrated on running his grocers shop at this period of time.
At a date unknown in the early to mid 1870's John joined William in the partnership of the "Barrow Brothers" operating a brickworks in Belgrave which from later findings in trade directories & newspapers was situated just off Belper Street in Belgrave. The Leicester Chronicle dated 25th of August 1877 records five lads were accused of the malicious damaging of a batch of newly made bricks, the property of John & William Barrow, Belgrave. The only brickworks found in Belgrave on maps is the disused one shown coloured green on the 1885 OS map shown below & was situated just off Belper Street. Melrose Street was later built through the middle of this brickworks to give you an indication of it's location today. White's 1877 edition records William Barrow as a Brick manufacturer in Belgrave, living at 108 Cranbourne Street & John Barrows is also recorded as a Brick Manufacturer in Belgrave & living at 110 Cranbourne Street, so next door to his brother. It appears in the early to mid 1870's William either closed or just moved on from the Wharf Street & Spinney Hill brick yards with him & his brother relocating to Belper Street.
It's at this point that I mention from Phil Evans research that John & William were employing several members of their family as brick makers & that included their brothers & an Uncle & his son.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1885.
Wright's 1878, 1880 & 1883 editions records J & W Barrow as brickmaking at the Willow Bridge Works, Belper Street, Belgrave, Leicester & it is from these directories that I got my confirmation of the location of the brothers Belgrave Works. It also appears that the brothers had named their brickworks Willow Bridge in honour of their father's Willow Bridge yard which they both worked at in the early 1850's. I note the Willow Brook river ran much further south of this Belgrave brickworks hence my theory of the brothers naming their works the same to honour their father who died in 1866.
Wright's 1883 edition also records both brothers were now living on Melton Road & this ties in with the brothers opening a new brickworks on Melton Road around this date & closing their Belper Street works which is not shown on the 1885 map. I have used the 1900 OS map below to show the location of this Melton Road works which was situated next to the Midland Railway & had it's own siding into the yard. I also note this brickworks was in Thurmaston with the parish boundary shown to the south of it. Wright's 1887 edition is the first directory recording this Melton Road works as Thurmaston & it's from later findings that I found it was called the Lodge Farm Brickworks. Wright's 1887 directory also record John Barrow was now living at 2, Malkin Street, Belgrave. William was still living at Stockdale House on Melton Road. Wright's 1889 & 1892 editions continue to list the brothers as operating the Thurmaston works & living at the same addresses.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
At a date unknown, but in the late 1890's the Brothers opened a second brickworks in Thurmaston called the County Brickworks & is coloured green on the 1900 OS map below. A May 1889 newspaper article states the road between Messrs Vass's High Meres brickworks & Messrs Barrow's new works (County) was to be widened by 5 feet, so I am assuming the County Brickworks was operational in May 1889. The Hinckley News dated 30th March 1889 lists Brick Manufacturer John Barrow of Belgrave as a Guardian on a Local Board.
Kelly's 1899 edition lists the Barrow Brothers at Thurmaston; office, Belgrave Road, however the listing does not state the brothers were operating two brickworks. It's not until Wright's 1903 edition that both works are listed as Barksby Thorpe Lane, West Humberstone (County) & Thurmaston (Melton Road). I note with local government boundary changes the County Brickworks was now in West Humberstone.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
With there being a downturn in the need of bricks in the early 1900's the Barrow Brothers joined forces with the Knighton Brick Co. & the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. to form a Marketing Company called The Leicester Brick Company Limited to sell their bricks & this was in 1902. Orston Wright of South Wigston became Chairman (also the owner of Knighton Junction Brick Co.) & the Board of Directors consisted of Mr. A.B. Partridge for the Knighton Junction Brick Co.; Mr. J. & Mr. W. Barrows for Messrs Barrow Brothers; Mr. W.H. Winterton & before his death, Mr. Weston for the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. This association worked well for several years with excellent brick sales.
The 1911 census now records William was living on Knighton Grange Road, Oadby & John was living at Clifton House, Fosse Road, Syston, both brothers are recorded as Brick Manufacturers.
William Barrow died in January 1916 aged 77 & John Barrow died in June 1918 also aged 77. We then find Barrow Brothers was then run by the Executors of John's Will. William had two sons & four daughters & John had one son & five daughters, so I am assuming some of them took part in the running of Barrow Brothers after William & John's deaths.
With Phil Evans tracing his family back I can now reveal who was running Barrow Brothers after William & John's deaths. Only one of William's sons came into the business & this was William Barrow junior born 1863. The 1901 census records him as a clerk at a brickworks, then the 1911 census records him as a Manager at the Lodge Farm Works. The 1921 census records him as a Manager at the County Brickworks. William died in 1929. William had 3 sons, but it appears they did not enter into the business.
Now on to John's son, John Edwin Barrow born 1875. The 1891 census records him as Apprentice Brick Maker. The 1901 census records him as a Manager of a Brick Yard. In the 1911 census he is a Manager at the Lodge Farm Works & the 1921 census again records him as a Brickworks Manager. John Edwin died in 1929. John Edwin had a son called John Edwin junior born 1901 & the 1921 census & the 1939 census records him as a Brickworks Manager. John Edwin junior died in 1955.
So it appears after the deaths of John Edwin senior & his cousin William both in 1929 the Company was then run by the Leicester Brick Co., the Marketing Company which the Barrow Brothers had had a long association with since the early 1900's.
Kelly's 1932 edition is the last trade directory listing for Barrow Bros (exors of) at the County Brickworks, however the 1943 Ministry of War Directory records Barrow's County Brickworks as closed & in the care of Ministry. This usually meant armaments were being stored in the buildings. The Lodge Farm Works had closed by September 1943 with a newspaper article reporting that the Leicester Sanitary & Baths Committee had recommended the purchase of 29 acres of land which had formed part of the Lodge Farm Brickworks, Melton Road for the use of controlled tipping purposes. J.W. Durham then set about dismantling the works & selling the demolished buildings bricks & hardcore.
Leicester Evening Mail - Wednesday 08 September 1943. Image © Reach PLC.
Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
With the Leicester Brick Co. (Marketing Company) going into Voluntary Liquidation in November 1945 it appears Barrow Brothers also ceased trading, however by February 1946 the County Brickworks was under new ownership & being run by the Leicester Brick & Tile Co. which was owned by the Sherriff Family, Builders in Leicester & I write about this company later.
Gypsy Lane Brick Co.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
The Gypsy Lane Brick Co. on Fairfax Road, Belgrave, Leicester is first listed in Kelly's 1895 with John Henry Weston & William Henry Winterton listed as proprietors. Their offices were situated at 1 Campbell Street. Up to yet no bricks stamped Gypsy Lane Brick Co. have turned up, so if you have one, please send photos, Thanks.
With there being a downturn in the need of bricks in the early 1900's the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. joined forces with the Knighton Brick Co. & Messrs Barrows to form a Marketing Company called The Leicester Brick Company Limited to sell their bricks & this was in 1902. Orston Wright of South Wigston became Chairman (also the owner of Knighton Junction Brick Co.) & the Board of Directors consisted of Mr. A.B. Partridge for the Knighton Junction Brick Co.; Mr. J. & Mr. W. Barrows for Messrs Barrow Brothers; Mr. W.H. Winterton & before his death, Mr. Weston for the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. This association worked well for several years with excellent brick sales. Kelly's 1928 edition now lists the Fairfax Road works as being in West Humberstone.
In 1940 with men from the brickworks signing up to go to war the company set about trying to replace them to keep the brickworks operational. Several adverts appeared in local newspapers & the first in March stated they required Kiln Wheelers, Pitmen & Labourers. In June the request was for Kiln & Machine Men. However time we get to October we find with more men going to war the request was now for Strong Men & Youths, Good Wages. Then by the time we get to March 1941 & the company starting to get desperate the advert was now Wanted Boys & Youths for Brick Works. I am assuming it was around this time that the brickworks closed either by choice or from the instructions of the Ministry of War. The 1943 Ministry of War Directory records the Gypsy Lane Brick Co.'s Fairfax Road works as closed & in the care of Ministry. This usually meant armaments were being stored in the buildings.
With the Leicester Brick Co. (Marketing Company) going into Voluntary Liquidation in November 1945 it appears the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. also ceased trading, however by February 1946 the Fairfax Road brickworks was under new ownership & being run by the Leicester Brick & Tile Co. which was owned by the Sherriff Family, Builders in Leicester & I write about this company later.
As a footnote John Weston & William Winterton were also the owners of two more brick companies in the West Midlands & these were the Little Bromwich Brick Co. & the Castle Bromwich Brick Co. & more can be read at this Link.
Leicester Brick Co. Ltd.
The Leicester Brick Company was formed in 1902 as a Marketing Company by several Leicester brick manufacturers who found with there being a downturn in the need for bricks & competing with one another for what little trade there was, that the only option open to them was to unite rather than to compete. So theses united companies were the Knighton Junction Brick Co., Gypsy Lane Brick Co. & Messers Barrows. Orston Wright of South Wigston became Chairman (also owner of the Knighton Brick Co.) & the Board of Directors consisted of Mr. A.B. Partridge for the Knighton Junction Brick Co.; Mr. J. & Mr. W. Barrows for Messrs Barrow Brothers; Mr. W.H. Winterton & before his death, Mr. Weston for the Gypsy Lane Brick Co.
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. I then found in the London Gazette dated 27th of January 1911 that owner Orson Wright put the Knighton Junction Brick Co. into Voluntary Liquidation & the company was wound up a year later by the Liquidator. So this just left the Barrow Brothers County Brickworks & Winterton's Gypsy Lane Brickworks in the group.
The Leicester Brick Co. Limited is listed in Kelly's 1908 edition with the office address of 8, St. Martins, Leicester. In Kelly's 1932 edition the address had changed to 64 - 66 Granby Street, Leicester.
William Barrow died in January 1916 aged 77 & John Barrow died in June 1918 also aged 77. We then find Barrow Brothers was then run by the Executors of John's Will these being William & John's sons who continued their association with the Leicester Brick Co.
The two bricks below were badged with the Marketing Co's name & were made at the Barrow Brother's County Works. The BB will stand for Barrow Brothers, but the XL is a bit of a mystery. I expect there will be other bricks made from the other works within the group with Marketing Co's name stamped in them, just hope they turn up.
The London Gazette records the Leicester Brick Co. Ltd was put into Voluntary Liquidation on the 23rd of November 1945 & the Company was Liquidated on the 2nd of July 1946 when all of the accounts were laid before the Companies Members. It appears the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. & the Barrows Bros. companies also closed in 1945 with both works being shut down during WW2.
I then found by February 1946 a new company called the Leicester Brick & Tile Co. was now running the Fairfax Lane Works previously run by the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. & the County Works previously run by the Executors of the Barrow Bros. The owners of this new company were the Sherriff Family, Builders in Leicester & I write more about the Leicester Brick & Tile Co. next.
Leicester Brick & Tile Co.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1950.
The former Gypsy Lane Brick Co.'s brickworks on Fairfax Road had closed in 1946 & new brickworks was built on the same site (yellow) & was up and running in January 1947 & was being operated by a new company called the Leicester Brick & Tile Co. owned by Mr. L. Sherriff. This new company had also taken over the Barrows Brothers, County Works (green). However on the 6th of February 1946 Mr. Sherriff stated in a newspaper article that with the shortage of coal due to the Government cutting back supplies from 70 tons to 35 tons, he had to lay off 70 workers at his Gypsy Lane & County Brick Works with the exception of maintenance staff & kiln burners. Mr. Sherriff continues, the men have only been working 2 days one week & 3 days the other & 250,000 of undried bricks would also be lost if he could not get more coal & the immediate effect would be the lost supply to 20 housing projects. Apparently a government official replied to one of Mr. Sherriff's letters saying - can't you let a kiln go out & the reply was that if he did it would take 50 tons of coal to get the kiln working again. A short newspaper article the next day stated the government had released an extra 20 tons of outcrop coal to Mr Sherriff, but he said work could not resumed until it was received. From several newspaper adverts this company also operated under the name of Gypsy Lane Brick Works Ltd.
It appears the County Brickworks had ceased production by 1950 with the 1950 map (above) recording Old Clay Pit next to the brickworks buildings. The last newspaper reference to the County Brickworks was the shortage of coal in January 1947, so the decision may have been taken to close the works at this point.
The Leicester Evening Mail on the 25th of April 1962 shows a photo of company chairman Mr. L. Sherriff setting light to the works new kiln. The article reports the design of which was the most advanced type of kiln in the world. Mr. Sherriff stated this new kiln had been 10 years in the planning & took one year to be built. The 460ft long oil-fired kiln was capable of producing 200,000 bricks per week with the kiln working in conjunction with new automatic brick-making plant which required just 12 men to operate. The bricks are fed into the kiln on a car which can carry 2000 bricks & each car spends 96 hours in the kiln. Managing Director, Mr. J.B. Sherriff stated the new kiln could produce more bricks than their 4 existing kilns. The Sherriff family continued to run this brickworks up to July 1983.
This next info has been supplied to me by Mike Chapman & strictly speaking requires a new heading, but with the Sherriff Family still being involved I have continued as per last heading.
In the late 1970's & early 1980's the Nottingham Brick Co. were keen to expand their business in the production of Keuper Marl bricks & several brick companies in the Midlands were looked at with the view of taking them over. In 1979 the Maltby Works owned by the Badger Family (Maltby Brick Co.) was acquired by the Nottingham Brick Co. They then turned their interests to the Gypsy Lane Brickworks owned by the Sherriff Family. In a 18th of July 1983 meeting at Nottingham Brick PLC's Dorket Head Brickworks Managing Director, M.W. Sledge confirmed that an agreement had been finalised with the Sherriff Family to obtain the assets to Gypsy Lane brickworks with the Family continuing to hold the land as Leaseholders. Nottingham Brick then set about improving the Gypsy Lane works which they had now named the Thurmaston Factory & introduced a larger range of wire-cut facing bricks to compliment the ones made at Dorket Head. In 1987 Nottingham Brick PLC was taken over by roof tile manufacturer Marley & Marley Brick was formed which included the Thurmaston works & Nottingham Brick Co's two other works. Below is a Marley brochure showing the range of bricks made at Leicester. The brochure mentions the bricks were made with shale clay & Mike tells me these Leicester bricks were made from a mixture of the local Keuper Marl & shale clay from Maltby which was a very costly thing to do bringing the shale from Yorkshire. Mike continues to say this range of wire-cut bricks was never entirely successful & the Thurmston works suffered during 1989 - 1993 recession & the Thurmaston Works had closed by the time Tarmac PLC bought Marley Brick in 1993 & that was the end of brick making in this part of Leicester.
Marley Brochure & Thurmaston Factory photo courtesy of Mike Chapman Collection.
John Day
Photo by Frank Lawson.
The Leicester Mercury dated 10th September 1864 reports on a straw fire at Mr. John Day's Thurmaston Lodge Farm which according to the report was situated one mile north of Thurmaston village & when the Sun Fire Brigade (Mr. Day's insurers) arrived they found they did enough water for the job in hand and the nearest water available was obtained from the ponds of the Barkby Lane brickworks half a mile away. Now this got me thinking that this brickworks was John Day's, so I am hoping I am right. I have to note this brickworks was actually on Barkby Thorpe Lane as shown on the 1883 OS map below.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1883.
Albert Henry Vass
A newspaper article on Albert Henry Vass of Ingaraby House, Uppingham Road, Leicester records he first worked for the Knighton Brick Co. as a Manager & Salesman then in 1895 he established his own brickworks on Gypsy Lane. Now on the 1900 map there is only one brickworks situated just off Gypsy Lane & this was owned by the Gypsy Lane Brick Co. on Fairfax Road which was established in 1895 by Weston & Winterton, however nearby on Barkby Road there's the marked High Meres Brickworks (coloured yellow on the 1900 OS map below) which I had not been abled to ascertain who owned it from trade directories or old newspapers, so I have come to the conclusion Albert Vass had established this High Meres Brickworks in 1895 with him then being listed in Kelly's 1899 edition at Thurmaston. My theory is backed up by another snippet of information from a 1898 Local Council meeting in which the decision was made to widen the road by 5 feet between Messrs Barrow Brothers brickworks & Mr. Vass's brickworks. The map below shows these two works were next door to one another. This Kelly's 1899 entry is the only listing for Vass as this article goes on to say Vass sold his Leicester brickworks (to an un-named company) at a large profit in 1900. Vass then established the Carlton Brick Co. in Star Lane, Nottingham in 1901.
It appears nothing happened to the High Mere Brickworks after it had closed with the 1919 map showing no buildings only the old clay pit. Then the 1928 map shows the same, so my only thoughts are with the Barrow Brothers County Brickworks being next door they had bought the works for the clay, but there is no evidence to support this.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1900.
As a footnote, this 1907 article was reporting Albert Henry Vass was in Court addressing his situation with him running out of money & being in debt. After the sale of his Leicester brickworks in 1900 he next ran the Carlton Brick Co. on Star Lane, Carlton, Nottingham from 1901. He then ran another brickworks in Chesterfield from 1904 & this may have been the Wheeldon Mill Works which was put up for sale in October 1904. Vass also invested heavily in many house building projects, hence him running out of money. The Mortgagees of the Carlton Works took possession of the works in March 1906 & the Mortgagees of the Chesterfield took possession of their works in April 1907. Sadly Albert Henry Vass died in 1909 aged 52.
Star Brick Works
Star Brick Co.
New Star Brick Co.
Leicester Chronicle - Saturday 19 July 1879
Image © Reach PLC.
Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
An advert in the Leicester Chronicle dated 19th of July 1879 records The Star Brick Works, Thurmaston was owned by Robert Richard Gray & he was advertising he could supply Patent Pressed Facing bricks of high quality & colour. Kelly's 1881 edition is the first directory listing the Star Brick Works with R.R. Gray as proprietor.
The 1901 OS map below shows the Star Works (yellow) was on Humberstone Lane (purple) in Thurmaston.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1901.
A Notice in the Leicester Chronicle dated 19th August 1882 brings your attention to the Sale of the Star Brick Works, Thurmaston by Private Treaty, owned by Robert R. Gray. The works came with a Lease of 21 years on favourable terms of rent & loyalty which had started on the 25th of December 1878, so I think I can say that was when Gray had established this works. The notice states the buildings & machinery consisted of a 20 horse-powered horizontal engine, a Cornish boiler by Gimson & Co., dry press machinery by Whittaker of Accrington, capable of making 50,000 pressed bricks per week, wire cut machinery by Ward & Co. Leeds also capable of producing 50,000 bricks per week, a new Clay Mill, four Newcastle kilns holding 30,000 bricks each plus a round oven holding 14,000 bricks, drying house & offices. There is a railway siding from the main line of the Midland Railway into the works affording excellent facilities for the forwarding of bricks etc to all parts of the country. The site is of 5 acres & contains superior clay to produce excellent facing bricks. There is a bottom bed of clay from which white bricks are made. The works is three miles from the centre of Leicester. Arrangements to visit the works by bonafide people can be made with Mr. R.R. Gray.
It is unknown if Gray sold his works in 1882, but we find the next owners of The Star Brick Works were Thomas & Henry Herbert, Builders, Contractors & Brickmakers of Welford Road, Leicester. The brothers are first listed as the proprietors of the Star Brick Works in Kelly's 1891 edition & this entry is repeated in Kelly's 1895 edition.
I just write a bit about the Herbert's before they took over the Star Brick Works & as well as being builders & contractors Thomas & Henry Herbert, are listed with the address of Welford Road as brickmakers in Harrod's 1870 edition, then Wright's 1878 edition records them as brickmakers on Lancaster Street. The 1885 OS map does not show a brickworks on this street only the outline of the roads without any houses, so maybe the Herbert brothers were going to build the houses in this area, hence the listing. There are several Old Clay Pits marked on this map nearby in the Spinney Hills area, so in 1878 the brothers may have owned one of these brickyards.
Kelly's 1899 edition next records the Star Brick Works as being owned by Henry Herbert & Sons & the London Gazette reveals the brothers had dissolved their partnership on the 31st of December 1897. Thomas Herbert then traded under his own name as a Builder & Contractor at the Welford Road yard & Henry Herbert was now operating his builders yard & office on Millstone Lane, trading as Henry Herbert & Sons, Brick Manufacturer, Builder & Contractor.
Kelly's 1925 edition is the last entry for the Star Brick Works, proprietor Henry Herbert & Sons, however we find by 1928 Henry Herbert had moved to new brickworks with Kelly's 1928 edition now listing the New Star Brick Works, proprietor Henry Herbert & Sons, Thurmaston. The 1928 OS map below shows this new works (coloured green) was further down Humberstone Lane (purple) & the old works (yellow) had been dismantled. A later article on the company now records the works was on Barkby Road, coloured red (later renamed Barkby Thorpe Road).
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1901.
Photo by Peter Harris, courtesy of Brocross Old Bricks website.
Kelly's 1932 edition now records Sydney Frank Herbert as the proprietor of the New Star Brick Co., New Star Works, Thurmaston, however the builders & contractors side of the family business carried on as Henry Herbert & Sons. A quick check on a family website reveals Sydney was Henry's son. A 1939 newspaper article describes the New Star Brick Co.'s works as the most up to date in the area with the latest machinery & plant. The company is fortunate in possessing a bed of the finest red clay entirely free from lime & impurities covering many acres. The well known firm are the makers of the popular "Star-ruff" & Wi-ruff facing bricks & also manufacture Sand-stock facing bricks & common bricks. The 1943 Ministry of War Directory records the New Star Brick Co. was one of the very few brickworks which was allowed to operate during the war.
Sydney Frank Herbert died in January 1950 aged 74 & he is recorded as being the senior partner in H. Herbert & Sons. The article states he had three sons, Geoffrey B. Herbert was a Solicitor, then his partners in the building company & brickworks were Henry Davis Herbert & Samuel Frank Herbert.
The Leicester Daily Mercury dated July 1969 reports Mr. Henry Davis Herbert & his brother Samuel Frank Herbert, Partners in H. Herbert & Sons, Builders, Contractors & owners of the New Star Brick Co. were closing the builders & contractors side of the business, but the brickworks was to continue. Henry Davis Herbert stated the company which had been in existence for 160 years was not in any financial difficulties, but trade had been very slow over the last 12 years. Then with neither himself or his brother having any children to carry on the family business they had taken the decision to close the builders & contractors side & all manual workers & apprentices had been placed with other companies. With the brick company continuing a 1970 newspaper advert records The New Star Brick Co. were supplying facing bricks to the building of the Wigston Stage Motel.
My next find in the Leicester Daily Mercury dated 20th August 1975 states the New Star Brick Co. had applied to the Local Council to change use of the brickworks to warehousing, but this meeting in September had been cancelled. I am therefore assuming the brickworks had closed by this date.
I now write about the six owners/companies which operated the brickworks situated at the end of Red Hill Lane, Thurmaston.
Thurmaston Terra Metallic Brick Co.
The first newspaper reference found to the Thurmaston Terra Metallic Brick & Tile Co. appears in the Leicester Journal dated 22nd January 1875 when Architect & Surveyor, Mr. H. Barnard was prepared to receive Tenders from Contractors on the erection & completion of several proposed buildings for the Company's new brickworks at Thurmaston. Plans & specifications could be seen by contacting Mr. H. Barnard at Halford Street, Leicester. A July 1875 Notice notifies that an Ordinary General Meeting by the Thurmaston Terra Metallic Brick Co. for the present year would be held at the Freemasons' Hall, Halford Street, Leicester on the 26th of July. I expect this meeting was to update it's shareholders on the building of the new works. With the works operational Kelly's 1976 edition is the first directory recording this new company with offices at 9, Halford Street. A July 1877 newspaper advert tells you the works was producing Common & Patent Hand-Pressed Bricks, Tiles & Quarries, Ridges, Finials, Cornice & Beaded Bricks, String Coursing, Chimney Pots, etc, etc. Quotations on application to Mr. A. Yates, Resident Manager. The 1900 OS map below shows works (coloured green) was situated at the end of Red Hill Lane (red) & had it's own railway siding off the Midland Main Line. By December 1877 the company was now selling medium & best pressed machine pressed bricks & paving from their works which they had called Thurmaston Tileries. Please note the marked Pottery south of the works, coloured yellow was owned by Henry Woodfield from 1883 & his family continued to run this works to at least 1941 making pottery, terra cotta, tiles & bricks.
© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1901.
A Notice in the London Gazette informs you at a General Meeting on the 11th September 1879 of the Thurmaston Terra Metallic Brick Co. that the company was unable to fulfil it's liabilities & therefore could not continue. The resulting vote was to put the company into Voluntary Liquidation. In October 1879 the surplus stock was sold at Auction & then the works was put up for Sale as a going concern by the Liquidator. The works consisted of two Ensor Patent Angular Kilns having 12 arched chambers each, 2 buffalo ovens & 2 open kilns, drying sheds, three Murray's Patent pug mills & facilities to make land drain pipes outside. The works buildings were situated on an acre & a half of Freehold Land & there was another 11 acres of land available on lease & royalties. The Thurmaston Terra Metallic Brick Co. was wound up on the 22nd of September 1881 & this notice states the works had been deposed of & we find Thomas Miles was now running this brickworks & I write about him next.
Thomas Miles
Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works
Thomas Miles is listed as brick manufacturer at Thurmaston in Kelly's 1881 edition & this is the only entry for Thomas Miles. I then found Thomas Miles, a Solicitor of 19, Cank Street, Leicester was declaring himself bankrupt in June 1888 & this notice records Augustus Cufaude Palmer, a Charted Accountant as his Trustee. Thomas Miles' office for the brickworks was at 30, Cank Street as per Kelly's 1881 advert below.
Kelly's 1881 edition.
J.G. Burgess, Official Receiver was put in charge to dispose of Miles's works & the Sale of the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works with immediate possession was advertised in the Leicester Chronicle on the 2nd of August 1890. So from this notice it appears Thomas Miles also was trading as the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works. The works sitting on an acre of Freehold land consisted of a 12 chamber German Kiln (Hoffman) capable of holding 240,000 bricks, 5 round ovens holding 90,000 bricks, 4 drying sheds all heated by exhausted steam, mill room, 2 Murray's Patent brick machines, 80 horse-power engine, 2 boilers, 4 brick presses, 4 pipe machines etc etc. A further 11 acres of land was available which was on a 21 year lease from 2nd March 1881. I am assuming this was the date Thomas Miles took over the works & then renegotiated the lease on this 11 acres of land with the owner.
The new owner of this works then turns out to be Augustus C. Palmer, Miles' Trustee & his company A.C. Palmer & Co. are listed as the Proprietors of the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works in Kelly's 1891 edition. From this directory & another newspaper article it appears Palmer continued to trade as the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works.
A Notice in the Leicester Chronicle dated 30th of April 1892 tells you AC. Palmer was selling the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Works with 6 Acres of adjoining land by Private Treaty.
I have come to the conclusion this brick was made between 1881 & 1892 by either Miles or Palmer while operating as the Thurmaston Brick Works.
Thurmaston Brick & Tile Company
I am assuming the sale of Palmers' works was completed not long after April 1892 as we find a new company The Thurmaston Brick & Tile Company was now running the works & this company is listed in Kelly's 1895 edition with Robert Sneddon as Secretary & Manager. This company did not last long as we find the London Gazette dated 30th of July 1897 records the Thurmaston Brick & Tile Company was voluntarily wound up on the 26th of July 1897 so that the Works could be made ready to sell to a new Company. Signed John Wootton, Chairman. To me this says the transfer to a new company had already been agreed upon & we find the next owners of this works was the Thurmaston Brick Co.
Thurmaston Brick Company
The Thurmaston Brick Co. was owned by W. G. Birkinshaw & Co., coal merchants in Leicester. It appears this company took over the Red Hill Lane works not long after July 1887. Kelly's 1899 edition records the Thurmaston Brick Co. with Claude Arthur Brown as manager. The entry in Kelly's 1908 & 1912 is the Thurmaston Brick Co., W.G. Birkinshaw proprietors. A 1913 advert now records Birkinshaw & Co. as Birkinshaw, Brown & Co, Coal, Lime, Salt & Builders Merchants of Syston & they were the Sole Agents for the Thurmaston Brick Co., so it appears Claude Brown had now become a Partner in this new company of Birkinshaw, Brown & Co.
Kelly's 1916 edition now records the Thurmaston Brick Co. as a branch of En-tout-cas Co. Ltd. This entry is repeated in Kelly's 1922 & 1925 editions. En-tout-cas Co. Ltd were based in Syston & were designers of landscape gardens and manufacturers of chicken sheds & garden furniture. A 1932 newspaper article reveals Claude Arthur Brown was the owner of En-tout-cas Co. Ltd. So it appears Brown took full control of the Thurmaston Brick Co. from Messrs Birkinshaw by 1916. This 1932 article goes on to say with the slump in the sale of bricks around 1909 & with Thurmaston having to sell their bricks at a lower price than they could be made for, Claude Brown was given the task on how to utilise the works plant. A chance meeting with W.G. Hillyard, secretary of the All England Tennis Club about the time tennis could be played on a grass court resulted with Brown coming up with the idea of a tennis court made of burnt clay which could be played on all year round round. Naturally it took time to perfect this & it resulted in Brown taking over the Thurmaston Brick Co. by 1916 to produce this clay surface & brick production was scaled down. There are no more trade directory listings for the Thurmaston Brick Co. after 1925 & the 1927 OS map just records the name En-tout-cas Works against the former brickworks buildings.
