Photo by Neville Akers.
James Pickard came from Wakefield, Yorkshire, and was in partnership with George Mallinson as firebrick manufacturers at Tow Law and Witton Park, County Durham, until October 1850 after which Pickard ran the business alone. In 1850 he was living at Crook and Billy Row and employed 34 labourers at the brickworks whilst in 1841 the census lists him as a brick manufacturer at Shotley Bridge. In 1861 he was at Wolsingham employing 13 men and 6 boys and remained there when last recorded in 1871. Photos by Chris Tilney.
Photos by Steven Tait.
Photo by Steven Martin.
Photo by Judith Wilkins.
The brickworks was active c.1860-1890 at Wellington Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford. Photo and info by Derek Barker.
Found on a slag bank at a former steel works site in Barrow in Furness by Richard Comish.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Photos by Mark Cranston.
Photo by John Paul Thompson.
PICKFORD, HOLLAND & CO. LTD. Head Office and Works: ATTERCLIFFE
ROAD, SHEFFIELD. T.A., "Canister, Sheffield". T.N., Sheffield
41191/3 (3 lines). Works: OWLER BAR, SHEFFIELD; CROOK, Co. DURHAM.
Established 1899.
"Alosil" Brand sillimanite refractories; P.H. Brand silica
refractories; all types of refractory brick, cement and monolithic
lining material.
Trade Names: P.H.; Alosil; Basex.
Photo by Ian Suddaby.
John Piggin, Pasture Lane, Stapleford, Notts. The brickworks was part of Stapleford Colliery which closed in 1878 after several failed owners. John Piggin reopened the business from 1895-1900. Photo by Frank Lawson.
Benjamin Pike & Son, Michelmersh, Romsey appears in Kelly’s Hants Directory 1885 & 1889 editions. The brick is on teh collection of George Beattie in Fife. Info by Martyn Fretwell, photo by Mark Cranston.
John Pike, who is listed in Kelly’s Directory 1885, 89 & 95 editions at Woolton Hill, Newbury, Hampshire. Then in Kelly’s 1920 edition the entry is Pike & Co. (late John Pike), Hollington, Woolton Hill, Newbury. He had a second yard at Burghclere where he is listed in directories between 1885 and 1895. Info from Martyn Fretwell, photo by Roz Cawley.
Webb Brothers, Battledown Brick & Terra Cotta Company, Pilford Brick Works, Battledown, Cheltenham.
Thomas Pilkington was born c.1799. His father Jonathan Pilkington, a Stamford parson (d.1844), came of building and carpenter stock. Thomas set up architectural practice in Stamford and took up his freedom in 1832 but was burnt out of his first office in 1838 and moved to Barn Hill in Stamford by 1842; by 1849 he was in Bourne with his own brickworks. The family moved to Edinburgh in 1854, apparently because of a lawsuit. Photo by Stephan Long.
Pilkington's owned a number of collieries in the St Helens area and also the ancilllary brickworks. Greengate Colliery was at one time owned by the Greengate Brick and Tile Co. The colliery closed in 1915 but the brickworks appears to have continued after this. It was situated close to the railway on land at the rear of the current Pilkington's Greengate factory. Info and photo by David Kitching.
Henry Pimblett, Fairy Lane, Bury New Road, Salford. He appears in the Manchester trade directories between 1850 and 1876. Photos by David Kitching.
Photo by Jason Stott.
The Pinewood Estate Brick & Tile Co. Chapel Lane, Little Hungerford,
West Berkshire, was in production between 1908 & 1967. In 1939 the proprietor is listed as W W Hall. More
details of the works at this link. http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB15880&resourceID=1030
Info & Photographed at Bursledon Brick Museum by Martyn Fretwell.
There was another Pinewood brickworks at Crowthorne that was part of the Thomas Lawrence business and which is said to have made rubbing bricks. It operated from before 1891 but was gone by 1910. I have discounted that works as the source of these bricks for the time being but am prepared to be proved wrong if someone can find some definitive eveidence otherwise.
Photo by John Harrison.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Norman Whitehorn.
In or around 1890 the small Pinxton Brickyard was situated between No. 1 Colliery & Langton. Mr. Cotterill being the brickmaker, pressed Pinxton in every one. The firing up was very primitive and the bricks were sold for as low as 16/- (shillings) per 1,000. Piece rate wages were very poor. The site was next used to build Brookhill Colliery on but is now an industrial estate. Photo & Info by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by David Kitching.
Photos by Jason Stott.
Photo by David Fox.
Pioneer Co. Buxton, Derbyshire. Found by Colin Driver in
Littleborough.
Pioneer Blue Brick & Fire Clay Co Ltd., Central Offices, Terrace Road, Buxton - Kelly's Derbyshire Directory 1904. Although the offices of this company were in Buxton, Derbyshire the brickworks was in Grotton, Lees, Oldham, Lancs, as is evidenced by the following article taken from : -
archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?r...
"The industrial complex post-dated 1854, and was known to have operated in the 1880s as the 'Lancashire and Yorkshire Blue Brick and Fireclay Works', although by 1900 it was known as the 'Pioneer Glazed Brickworks'. It had operated as a brickworks until 1943, when it had begun the manufacture of land drains; it closed in 1984"
Martyn Fretwell's blog on Pioneer may be read here.
Photo by Lauren Griffin, found at Hartford Mill, Oldham.
There was a brickworks at Pitts Deep shown on the 1867 surveyed OS map. 1875 Kelly's Directory - Henry Prangnell, Pitts Deep, South Baddesley, Lymington, Hampshire. 1885 John Lane was at Pitts Deep brick works. 1889 Hooper & Ashby. The 1897 OS map shows a brick field and kilns just behind the quay at Pitts Deep. All gone by 1930. Photo by Ian Summerfield.
The Pixham brickworks closed around 1920. The works was located on the bank of the River Severn, close to the village of Callow End, south of Worcester. Photo by Stephen Southwick.
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John and Joseph Place originally built a cotton mill at Hoddlesden 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 with two of Josephs sons, William Henry and John Henry. In 1892 the company started the Eccleshill firebrick and fireclay works. The company 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. Photos by David Kitching.
Photo by David Kitching.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Daniel Platt & Sons specialised in tiles at their Brownhill Tileries in Tunstall and also at Harpfield Tileries in Newcastle. They also made facing and paving bricks along with specialist items such as copings, ridges, and finials. Daniel Platt first appears in the trade directories in 1875 listed at Harpfield Tileries. BCM is a mark meaning British Commercial Monomarks, a company formed in 1925 to provide manufacturers with a London address and mail forwarding service. The 1931 Directory of Clayworkers lists BCM \ DP&S along with 18 other firms. Photos by David Kitching.
O P was a trade mark of Daniel Platt & Sons. Photo by Jim Stevens.
Photo by Chris Graham.
Photo by Richard Comish.
Photo by Kevin Alexander.
Richard Platt is listed in the 1881 census as a brick manufacturer at Coppull Moor, Chorley, Lancashire, employing 9 men and 5 boys. He was still running the business in 1901. Found in Southport, photo and info by David Kitching.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Spotted in Welwyn Garden City by Mark Plowman.
Henry Plowright is listed as a firebrick manufacturer at 40 Tower Street, Lynn (Kings Lynn) in Kellys 1869 & 79 editions in the Brick & Tile Merchant section. It is not until Whites 1883 edition that he is listed as brick maker at 40 Tower Street, Lynn & this address is in the centre of town. The 1883 map shows a brick yard on Saddlebow Road situated on southern side of the town and it is assumed that Plowright owned this yard as it is the only brick yard marked on maps at this date. Photo & Info by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by Richard Bull.
Photos by Richard Symonds.
A brickworks next to Pluckley Railway Station was opened in 1879 by the Kent Brick & Tile Company who are listed in Kelly’s 1882 edition with John Porter as manager. The works first produced their bricks in Scotch & Staffordshire kilns, but by the early 1880’s a 14 chamber Hoffman kiln had been built which was capable of holding 350,000 bricks. By 1891 this works was owned by the Pluckley Brick & Tile Co.
The Pluckley Brick & Tile Co. are listed in Kelly’s 1891 & 1903 editions at Pluckley, Ashford with W. J. Moody as secretary & manager. A web article reveals that Pluckley Brick & Tile Co’s. 25 foot deep clay pit contained several types of clay suitable for producing both red & blue bricks. Fireclay was also available to produce low quality fire bricks suitable for lining brick kilns & lime kilns. Pluckley B & T Co. mainly produced red bricks & blue vitrified stable & paver bricks of various patterns. Their blue & brindle bricks were of such unsurpassed quality that they rivalled those made in Staffordshire. Kelly’s 1913 edition records new owners at the works & the entry is Pluckley Clay Works, proprietors, East Kent Contract & Financial Co. Ltd. Pluckley, Ashford. At a later date & up to when this works closed, possibly in the 1970’s/80’s it was owned by Redland. Photos and info by Martyn Fretwell.
Photos by Ian Williams.
Found in Jarrow. Photo by Steven Tait.
J.& W. J. Saunders, Pinhoe. The Politimore Brickworks, Exeter was owned J. & W. J. Saunders & they are listed as owning the Poltimore Patent Brick & Tile Works, Pinhoe, Exeter in Kelly's 1893 to 1923 editions. This was Exeter’s last operational brickworks which closed in 2008 at which time it was owned by Ibstock Brick Ltd. More information here. Photo & Info by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Alan Bevan.
Commonly seen around Pontefract, Pomfret being the 12th century name for the town. Possibly made by Wilson & Walker, Monkhill, Pontefract. Info from PRBCO, image by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Don Boldison.
I have been unable to identify any firebrick manufacturers in Pontefract. Photo by Russell Firth.
Pope & Pearson Ltd., Altofts Brickworks, Normanton, W.Yorks Pope & Pearson Ltd. owned coal mines and brickworks mainly in the Normanton area of West Yorkshire and by 1973 owned the following three brickworks :- Altofts Brickworks Ltd. Normanton, West Yorks. Wilson's Sandal Brickworks, Wakefield, West Yorks. The New Brick & Tile Co. Ltd., Newhey, Rochdale, Lancs. Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Photos by Frank Lawson
Photo by Tony Gray.
Photo by Chris Shaw.
Made near Rochdale, photo by David Kitching.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Porth Brickworks, Newquay SW832629. Photos by David Kitching, part
of the collection at Wheal
Martyn China Clay Museum.
The Porth brickworks was operated by Martyn & Bennett in 1887. In the 1891 census (Edward) Albert Martyn living at Porth is listed as a Merchant of Coal, Brick &c. Photos by Ian Williams.
Manufactured by Richard Potter b .1827 Banbury and d. 1880 Middlesbrough. He had a building and brick manufacturing business in Middlesbrough with his partner David Doull Wilson. Information supplied by Julie Boynton, photo by Chris Tilney.
Photos by Chris Tilney.
Addison Potter started his Willington Quay Brickworks on the Tyne
near Wallsend in 1846, an extension of the newly created Towneley
Cokeworks, he already owned Throckley Colliery and Brickworks
further to the west.. Although the site was extended and additional
kilns built in the early 1850's, some thirty years later the site
had been turned into a Cement and Limeworks, with no further record
of brick production. A find from the estuary at Seaton Sluice, the
site of its Bottle & Glassworks, which offers a wealth of 19th
century industrial artefacts! Info by Arthur
Brickman & photo by Chris Tilney.
Photos by Steven Tait.
Photo by Chris Graham.
Found on a beach at Aberdeen. Photo by Andy Unger.
Tim Lawton writes: The Potteries Brick Co was a marketing and sales merchanting company for a group of around eleven of the Potteries area brick producers. The company itself did not have a manufactory but must have had arrangements with the respective producers for them to press their wares with the P B Co. stamp. The P B Co. office address given at 17 Albion Street was part of/ adjacent to the Bethesda Methodist Church on Albion Street in Hanley. The building has long since been demolished. This town centre location confirms that the company was purely an administrative organisation. Whether the company itself was jointly owned by those respective manufacturers it acted as agent for is a question still to be answered. Likewise, the date of commencement of business is still unclear but as P B Co bricks can be found in many late 1800s/ early 1900s buildings I would suggest that the company had a sustained history through to 1966 when it was dissolved. In terms of those letters pressed into the bricks along with the PB Co Ltd name, I believe that each manufacturer was given a specific allocation of letters to use. I have various examples ranging from PB Co A through to T plus AB and AC. Which letters were used by each producer remains unclear. The Potteries Brick Co must have been very significant and influential business within the North Staffordshire area and beyond. It is still possible to find vast quantities of the company's marked bricks in the locality. From the old trade catalogue advertisement, the combined capacity to produce 3,000,000 bricks a week is a huge by today's standards, never mind in 1942.
Ken Perkins has unearthed an advert, a copy of which is on the Photo Gallery page, showing the companies involved were: Berry Hill, Birchenwood, Bean's, Cobridge, D Duddell, Fenton Collieries, J Hewitt & Son Fenton, Leigh & Sons, J Noden, Wm. Palmer, Patent Hydraulic Saggar Brick & Marl (1927), Stafford Coal & Iron, Staffordshire Brick Co. Wall Grange, Sneyd Collieries, Stephens Bros. Fenton, T E Walley, Thos W Ward Apedale.
The one that breaks the rules by having no letter to identify the works. Photographed at Port Penrhyn by Hamish Fenton.
Photo by David Kitching.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Steve Dewhirst.
Photo by Ian Sneyd.
Photo by Nigel Furniss.
Photos by David Kitching.
Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Nigel Furniss.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photos by David KItching.
Photos by Greg Julian.
Photo by David KItching.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Ken Perkins.
Photo by David Kitching.
Photo by David Kitching.
Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Greg Julian.
Photos by David Kitching.
Photo by Endaf Owens.
Photos by David Kitching.
Photo by Martyn Fretwell courtesy of Shropshire Museums.
Photo by Aron Bowers.
Potts Brothers, Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. This small rural brickworks seems to have produced both bricks and tiles. It was established in the late nineteenth century and seems to have closed soon after 1914. Photo by David Kitching.
Photo by Martyn Fretwell.
John Poulton & Son produced bricks, ridge tiles, chimney pots
and moulded bricks at his Waterloo Kiln on Waterloo Road in
Katesgrove, Reading. He was well known for producing terracotta
dragon finials in the 1880's. In 1908 Poulton sold his kiln to S
& E Collier, Reading's largest brick manufacturer who continued
to produce various dragon finials & fancy bricks to Poulton's
designs at the Waterloo Kiln. Examples of these dragon finials can
be seen all around Reading and also at the Griffins Head in
Caversham. Photo by Guy Morgan,info by Martyn Fretwell.
Photo by Frank Lawson
Photo by David Kitching.
Peter Poxon, Stewton, Louth - Brick & Tile Maker & Parish Clerk - White's Lincolnshire Directory 1856 & 1861. Kelly's Lincolnshire Directory 1868 lists S Poxon. Photo and info by Frank Lawson.
In 1875 extensive brickworks were erected by Lord Vernon's Poynton Collieries near Poynton railway station. They were established mainly for the purpose of utilising the pit shales drawn in the course of coal work and also for the manufacture of ordinary bricks The works comprised a steam engine with a 16 inch cylinder, Boiler, Crushing and Grinding Machinery, pug mill and brick making machine (Morands). The machinery was made by Messrs. Easton and Tattersall of Leeds. The machine was reckoned to be capable of making 2 million bricks per annum at a labour cost of 10s per thousand. A brick drying shed in which the drying is effected by the exhaust steam of the engine was also erected. A patent brick kiln (Pollock & Mitchell) with 8 chambers was built, with a chimney 120 feet in height. By 1910 a third circular kiln had been added. The brickworks had closed by 1920 when it was offered for sale. Photo and information by David Kitching.
Alfred Prangnell, Elmsworth Brickworks, near Newtown, Isle of Wight. Photo by Wayne Richardson.
Photo by Elizabeth Thomson.
Found in West Bromwich by William Whitehead.
Joseph William Davey Pratt established the New Century Brickworks on Newbury Lane, Oldbury in 1900 & W.J.D. Pratt (blue & red) is first listed in Kelly’s 1904 edition at Newbury Lane. After his death around 1920 the company was run by his Executors until Kelly’s 1932 edition lists J.W.D. Pratt Limited & I expect this was when this P L (Pratt's Ltd.) brick was made. The works had closed by 1950. William Pratt had previously owned a brickworks on Taylor Lane, Oldbury, as listed in Kelly's 1892 to 1900 editions. Info by Martyn Fretwell.
Pratt's were builders and brick manufacturers at Southwick, Sunderland from 1828 - 1897. Photo by Chris Tilney.
Photo by Ray Martin.
Made by the Aldridge Brick & Tile Company, see entry for Utopia for Company Info. Photo by Frank Lawson.
Photo by Phil Burgoyne.
Made at Preston colliery, North Shields near Newcastle.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Found by Nigel Furniss in Fenny Compton. Nigel's research
follows: J T Price operated a brickworks and clay mine from the
late 1860's. In 1896 they are listed in Grace's guide as
operating the Blakeley Wood mine for manufacturing coal and
pyrites. ohn Thomas Price was listed as living at Aston Villas,
Colley Gate in the 1884 Kelly's directory. In 1896 the company is
listed as having 38 underground and 26 surface workers at the
Blakeley Wood mine, Wednesbury. In 1956 the company acquired
Mobberley & Perry. In 1957 they acquired E.J. & J
Pearson - to be known as Price-Pearson Refractories. 1958
acquired Timmis & Co. 1961 acquired the West Hunwich
Silica & Firebrick Co. 1962 opened the Albion Works,
Brierley Hill. 1968 merged with J & J Dyson.
Photo by Colin Wooldridge from the John Cooksey Collection.
This firebrick with a fixing hole was photographed by Ian Suddaby.
A Firebrick found in Barrow in Furness by Richard Comish.
Found in the Rotherham area. Photo by Phil Burgoyne.
Found in N E Derbyshire by Simon Patterson. made by Henry Priestley, Whittington, Chesterfield. Listed in Kelly 1895, 1904 and 1912. Info PRBCO.
Photo by Darren Priestley.
Albert Prime is listed as brickmaker in Barrington, Cambs in
Kellys 1879 edition. Prime had started his Shepreth Road brick & cement works around 1876, but his
company went into liquidation in 1891. In 1894 the brick & cement works was acquired by the
Barrington Cement Syndicate Co. in which Albert Prime had an interest. Again this company was short
lived & was in the hands of the bailiffs in 1896. The brick & cement works went on to change hands
several more times & both works had closed by 1909. Photo & Info by Martyn Fretwell.
This is believed to be a product of William Pringle, Brasside Brick Works, Framwellgate, County Durham. Pringle and builder John Donkin leased the brickworks from the Durham City Freemen's Trustees in 1867. The partnership with Donkin seems to have been dissolved in 1870 and Pringle continued running the business until it was assigned in 1882 to a Joseph Potts, an architect from Sunderland, and Henry Robson, a gentleman of Durham City.
Found in a stream at Brasside by Steven Tait.
Pringle & Donkin, Brasside Brick Works, Framwellgate, County Durham. William Pringle and builder John Donkin leased the brickworks from the Durham City Freemen's Trustees in 1867. The partnership with Donkin seems to have been dissolved in 1870 and Pringle continued running the business until it was assigned in 1882 to a Joseph Potts, an architect from Sunderland, and Henry Robson, a gentleman of Durham City.
Found in a stream at Brasside by Steven Tait.
William Pritchett, who was the great grandson of the original Pritchett to settle on the Isle of Wight, had a flourishing yard at Hillis near Cowes. In 1905 he produced an illustrated catalogue which offered over 130 artefacts for use in building. These included ridge tiles, key stones, arches, chimney pots, terra cotta 'enrichments' for the garden, gate posts and finials fashioned as dragons, lions and eagles. His sons, William, Francis and Harry helped in the running of the yard until they too set up on their own. Harry was artistic like his father and many of the artifacts were modelled by him.
In the 20th century the two brothers, Francis and Harry, together with Francis' sons, continued to run yards at Northwood and Rookley. They eventually closed Northwood and concentrated entirely on Rookley. In the late 1940s it became a Limited Company and by 1951, when Francis died, the Pritchett family were no longer majority shareholders. The Company continued operating until 1974 when Rookley Brickworks, the last remaining yard on the Island, closed.
Information from the Isle of Wight Brickmaking History website. Photo by Alan Bevan who found the brick at Wotton Station on the Isle of Wight.
Photo by David Morey.
Seen on the Isle of Wight, this is probably a Pritchett product. Photo by Wayne Richardson.
Proctor & Lavender who were brick distributors owned two
brickworks between 1936 & the mid 1970's. These were the Forest
of Dean Works at Cinderford, Gloucestershire & the Charnwood
Works in Shepshed, Leicestershire. Both brickworks are still in
production today operating under Coleford Brick & Tile Co. &
Michelmersh PLC respectively. P & L based in Solihull with seven
offices dotted around the country distributed bricks up to 1997 when
they closed due to financial reasons. This example is a hand made
Dark Bedford Grey facing brick made at Cinderford. Photo by Martyn
Fretwell with info received from Tony Coleman & Simon Jones.
Seen at Bursledon Brickworks Museum.
Photo by Jason Alsop.
Photo by Alan Baxter.
Photo by Chris Tilney.
Prudhoe is on the south bank of the Tyne near Newcastle. Photo by Frank Lawson.
Pyman, Bell & Co (1868-1929) and G Pyman & Co were ship owners with the former also coal exporters, pitwood importers and shipping brokers based at West Hartlepool. Bricks with the Pyman name on were made for them at a brickworks in the Witton le Wear area of Durham. Photos by Chris Tilney.
In around 1854 George Pyman set up a new partnership with Thomas Scurr as shipbrokers and coal fitters (or agents) for the local collieries. Pyman & Scurr became part-owners of a number of brigs and other sailing vessels used to export coal. Upon the death of Thomas Scurr in 1861, the firm became George Pyman & Co. This brick was probably made by a works in the Witton-le-Wear area for Pyman & Scurr with their name stamped on the face. Photo by Vladimir Smirnov.
The Quarry Hill Brick & Tile Co. is listed in Kelly’s 1903 & 1913 editions at Quarry Hill, Tonbridge with A.C. Moore listed as manager in the 1903 edition. The Tonbridge History website records this works closed in 1990. This brickworks had been established in 1895 by Edward Punnett, a local contractor & builder who also owned several other brickworks, brickfields & lime works in the area. Photo by Richard Symonds & Info by Martyn Fretwell.
Thanks to Brian Hartley for the photo.
Listed in Kelly Lancashire, 1901 / 1918 as Queen Red Facing Brick
Co., Rishton. This brick was found by the Leeds & Liverpool
Canal, NW of Rishton. image PRBCO.
Photo by courtesy of Colin Driver.
Photo by David Kitching.
Quinta Colliery was near Weston Rhyn and close to the Welsh border
in North Shropshire. Photo by Richard Paterson.
Photo by Nigel Furniss.