LANCASHIRE BRICKS

 

 

ACCRINGTON.

  

 

The Accrington area of Lancashire has a rich supply of mudstone which is suitable for brick making. The iron content of the mudstone gives bricks trhe brightr red colour. It was quarried on the sides of Whinny Hill and during the late victorian period a number of brick works developed. They specialised in strong engineering bricks and acid resistant terracotta-ware for chemical works.

 

The bricks were said to be IRON hard and this is thought to have been changed to NORI when the builder of the chimney laid out the letter in white bricks on the ground then built them in to the chimney but in the wrong order.

 

accrington-nori

 

 

 

Accrington NORI red engineering brick from the Accrington Brick and Tile company.

 

accrington-nori4

 

A slight variation with the start and end of the word ACCRINGTON curved slightly.

 

 

norig

 

Brick stamped NORI G.

 

nori 8

A slightly curved brick stamped NORI 8.

accrington nori stretcher

 Accrington NORI stamped on the stretcher surface of a brick.

accrington arc

An arc impression stamp on a brick with no frog. 

 

accrington-redac

 

accington-redac2

 

Accrington REDAC brick. From the Huncoat brick works.

Founded in 1894 by the Huncoat Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. major parter was Stephen Holgate of Enfield Brick was the major partner.

company was liquidated in 1918 and taken over by B Whittaker & Sons of Leeds. they merged in 1965 with redland holdings ltd.

Site was sold in 1971 to G H Downing & Co Ltd of Newcastle under Lyme.

 Site SD 773 305.

 

 

acrrington-bc

 

Brick from the Accrington Brick and Tile Company.

Accrington Brick and Tile Company was formed in 1887, principal partners in the business was Henry Stephenson a Burnley brick maker, john sharples a builder and J H Heap.

In 1898 employed 130 people making engineering and facing bricks, tiles and terra cotta specials.

company acquired in 1902 by the neighbouring colliery comp[any owned by G W Macalpine and family.

Acquired in 1958 by Lancashire Cotton Corporation Ltd, later taken over by Courtaulds. 

The site  was at SD 756 302.

 

 

huncoat-plastic

 

Brick from the Huncoats Plastic Brick Company. Accrington.

 

 huncoat-accr

 

Another variation on the Huncoat mark.

huncoat redac

Another version with the 'REDAC' mark inserted.

 

whinneyhill

 

Brick from Whinney Hill Plastic Brick Works.

 Built in 1896-97 by Whinney Hill Plastic Brick Co. Ltd. The company formed by Henry Stephenson, hannibal Ramsbottom, R S Crossley and others.

Taken over by G W Macalpine in 1916-17 to become part of the Accrington brickworks.

Site SD 764 303.

 

An acid resistant brick from Whinney Hill.

 

enfield-acc

 

A brick from the Enfield brick works.

 The Enfield Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. was formed in 1893 by Stephen Holgate, quarrymaster, Charles Foster, builder, and others,

By 1900 they employed 100 people and produced engineering, and rustic bricks and terra cotta specials.

The works were sold to the Accrington Brick and Tile Co Ltd in 1938 when the Enfield company moved to new works at Deerplay

 

accrington diagonal

A brick with Accrington stamped diagonally across the frog. Maker unkown. 

 

 

ENFIELD DEERPARK.

 

enfield deerplay

 

DARWEN.

 

 

WHITAKERS DARWEN

 

whitiker-darwen 

 

 

A brick from Whitakers Brick works Darwen.

 

whittaker-millhill

 

A brick from the Millhill brick works.

 

BULL HILL

 

bullhill

 

NEW CENTURY DARWEN

 

new-century-darwen 

 

new century darwen

Similar design without the description 'plastic'

 

 

 

 

 PLACE DARWEN

 

place

 

place-b

John and Joseph Place originally built a cotton mill at Hoddlestden about 1832. In 1838 joseph Place sank the Hoddlesden Colliery. In 1878 the fireclay associated with the coal was started to be mined and used for brick and other clay products Joseph Place and Sons, sanitary pipe manufacturer, was formed. tow of josephs sond William Henry and John Henry and 1892 started the Eccleshill firebrick and fireclay works. The comapny became limited in 1897.

 

The coal pits were taken over by the NCB in 1947.

 

Fireclay extraction stopped in 1952 when demand fell with the colliery closed in September 1961 and the site was cleared.

 

 

place chimney     place stamp

A large chimney pot. The stamp is poor but no other 'sons' brickworks are known in Darwen.

 

 

 

JOHN WOOD DARWEN

 

john-woods

 

 

THOMAS KNOWLES

knowles ventilator

A salt glazed ridge ventilator.

knowles stamp

The stamp of T Knowles Darwen.

T Knowles ran the Spring Vale Fire Clay works Darwen. 

In 1914 they were described as Sanitory Ware Manufacturer specialising in salt glazed sanitary pipes, bends, junctions, gullies and all kinds of traps and fittings. Cattle troughs, pig troughs, horse mangers, sinks, waste water closets, latrines and urinals. Patent man holes, patent anti-flood traps, patent outlet pipes for gas cookers and Knowles paptent golf sand boxes.

The company was acquired by Hepworth Iron Company in 1962.

 

YATES HORWICH

 

yates-plastic

 

 

 GRANE

 

grane

 

crane2 

 

Grane brickworks

 

 

 

CLAUGHTON MANOR BRICK WORKS

 

claughton

 

Claughton Manor Brick works are still working (2014) using an ariel ropeway (only remaining working example in the UK) to bring the shale down to the works.

 

cloughton2

 A much plainer brick mark.

claughton squares

Name arranged around squares in the frog.

MATTHEW BLACKBURN

 

matthews-blackburn

 

 

 

 

PHILLIPSON BOLTON

 

phillipson-bolton

 

 

 

Both sides of a white glazed brick.

 

 WITHNELL

 

withnell

 

 

Withnell Brick works.

 

 withnell-terra

 

 

QUEENS RISHTON

 

queen-rishton

 

CLARKE RISHTON

 clarke bricks

Advert for George Clarke brickworks Rishton in Barrett's Directory of Blackburn and District 1947. 

 

RPB LATHOM

 

rpb lathom

 

RPB Lathom. Lathom is near Ormskirk. RPB stands for Ralph Platt Barker. the site  was associated with the Bluguegate Colliery.

 

H R

h r

h R: hall and Rogers, Stott pit, Westhoughton, Bolton.

 

WALTON

WALTON 2

Walton brick from the Walton Quarry & Brick Co, Walton Sidings, Entwhistle.

 

CROFTS

crofts plastic

Crofts Preston.

 

HULTON

 

hulton brick

 Hulton, Bolton made by Hulton Colliery Company.

 

SHARPLES BOLTON

sharples bolton

 

TURTON MOOR SANITARY PIPE WORKS.

turton sanitary1

 

turton sanitary 2

 A six inch salt glazed pipe.