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Brickworks
- Thread starter RobertS
- Start date
devonjim
master brummie
Hi Devonjim thanks for posting the photo of the pit. It shows so much, as you say the Adelphi the pit and the brickworks, but the best thing is you can see Arthur terrace which was were I lived for over ten years. It's the first time I've ever seen a photo of the terrace and my Grandchildren will be able to see it all. I believe that when they demolished the terrace and the houses in Arthur road, the rubble was put down the pit to help fill it. Thanks again for posting this photo you've made my day.
Plain Tiles were often also made by the same firm as bricks. I would have thought they would mainly (pre 1930s) be used locally, but purely by chance, I recently found one from Kings Heath decorating a fireplace in a local pub in Reading, The Alehouse, Broad St. Photos are attached. W. H. Parton was in High St Kings Heath . William H. Parton started out as a carpenter & joiner. He then became (according to 1871 census) a master builder and around 1867 set up at 4 Norfolk st, 2 doors away from another older builder, James Parton, who may have been his father. The firm moved to 160 Mary St, Balsall Heath in the mid 1870s, and in 1880 successfully bid for the construction of Handsworth Wesleyan Theological college . But in about 1882 (1883 Kellys), he also has a lime business in Alcester Road, Kings Heath, and a year later the lime business has transformed into a brick, tile and lime merchants. Around 1899 the firm becomes W H Parton & Son and is now described as Brick, tile and lime makers and merchants. The site where the bricks were made is not separately listed, but is probably in Grove Road, as shown on this map. The firm was liquidated in 1916, and the merchant site and the brickworks in Grove road (listed capacity 70000 bricks/day) were sold, possibly at the death of William, as the arrangements are made with his wife Emma.. It looks like the brickworks was where the Wilmott Dixon partnership on Partons road is now, and the builders merchants where Pizza Hut is now (no 51)
Attachments
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
It is quite difficult to decide where the old pics in #520 were taken but maybe near Quincey Drive just before Hollydale Road. The chimney of the brickworks can be seen in the old pics and the feature which seems to fix the location is the old wall on the right which appears in some form or other in the old pics. A small unnamed stream runs toward the wall on the right and can be seen in GE aerial views. The distant houses on the right in the old pics appear to be in Woodacre Road. I've often noticed that distant objects always seem closer in old pics than they do in Google streetview pics.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
An aerial image of Nocks Brickworks dated 1937. Holly Lane going out of the bottom of the image.
A 'britainfromabove' image.
A 'britainfromabove' image.
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
It's a wonder I'm still here. I used to play around that clay pit
It's a wonder I'm still here. I used to play around that clay pit
Yes, I spent a few happy and hair-raising hours there too.
They were still using steam power to drive most of the machinery. There was a conveyor belt that bought the clay up from the pit where it passed thought a tin hut that added a small amount of coal to the clay. So, the guy in the hut said.
The clay then fell thought a set of enormous steel rollers and onto a pug mill. They guys wold then cut it with wires into brick sizes.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Presumably when the brickworks closed, the clay pit was used as a landfill site and eventually covered over to become what almost looks like a small nature reserve today as seen below. Some properties have been built on the site of the works. The stream going towards the previously mentioned old wall can be seen in the bottom left of this view.It's a wonder I'm still here. I used to play around that clay pit
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
Nocks brick works was more or less finished when I played round there. I remember throwing bricks into the pit, it would take ages to reach the bottom.I remember the wall that went around the works made up of panels of different bricks they made.
The pit was filled with household rubbish and still can't be built on because of methane leakage. If only someone had the presence of mind to lay pipes down while it was being filled, the houses built on there would have had gas for a very long time.
The pit was filled with household rubbish and still can't be built on because of methane leakage. If only someone had the presence of mind to lay pipes down while it was being filled, the houses built on there would have had gas for a very long time.
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
The stream goes underground here
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
What is the tall chimney in the left background? When I started at Dunlop and the weather was fine I would cycle down and back up every day when it was fine. But somebody remind me in addition to the tram did other works buses go there? I lived in Court Lane, but I cannot remember how I got to work. Going home I think I used to catch a 28 and then either the S73 at Wylde Green, the S76 at Goosemore Lane or the S67 at the bottom of Court Lane, although I do remember when the 28 was running a demonstrator - single deck standee - I went to the Crossways and caught the 5a
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hi Bob,
The tall chimney is at Nocks Brickyard and can be seen in the aerial view in post#525. I not sure of which buses and trams ran in the road but there is a photo of two trams in Holly Lane in a post quoted below ....
In this photo (maybe pre hack) lots of people scattered around two trams in Holly Lane Erdington. some hanging out of open tram windows, others crowding tram platforms, several people apparently 'helping' a tram driver, is it the end of trams on that route ? I can see two possible photographers, it looks a good day out !
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
Thanks, I regularly took thr tram on a Friday night for aight out up town, it was just that I suddenly could not remember how I got to the fort in the morning.....although having said that I think a works bus did run down Holly Lane, in those days it hosted no regular routes, because I had a fried who lived in the 500s near the delta at the Tyburn Road end and that was walk down Chester Road to Wylde Green and then 28, but thanks for the picture reminder, until the trams finished the specials were usually open balconies
Bob
Bob
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
There were actually two works at Stonebridge. The old Bridge works and Jackson's. I worked at Jackson's in the late 60s and early 70s. I learnt every job on the yard. Sanding, Castleing,Drawing,Setting ect and ended up operating the wet pan temperer in the mill. I also helped demolish the drying shed flue chimney.
superdad3
master brummie
Used to be very interested in "Brickworks" & in particular the very interesting brickworks and associated "village" at California. This has been touched on in several threads but there is a brilliant web site called "UK Named Bricks: Birmingham Brickworks part 3". This covers California, Harborne, Quinton & Hay Mills. Can be found at: https://uknamedbricks.blogspot.com/2018/04/birmingham-brickworks-part-3.html It covers Smarts brick works in details with very good maps.
On a different note, my house in Moseley was built with bricks from Hough & Co. in Kings Road, Kings Heath also mentioned in this thread. Pic below of brick found in our garden.
mills.
On a different note, my house in Moseley was built with bricks from Hough & Co. in Kings Road, Kings Heath also mentioned in this thread. Pic below of brick found in our garden.
mills.
Radiorails
master brummie
John Hough & Sons of Wharf Road also had a brickworks in Kings Norton. By 1905 this had become known as Kings Norton Brick Co.I wonder how the name was pronounced? Was it (how) or (huff)?
superdad3
master brummie
View attachment 130133John Hough & Sons of Wharf Road also had a brickworks in Kings Norton. By 1905 this had become known as Kings Norton Brick Co.
I wonder how the name was pronounced? Was it (how) or (huff)?
Reminds me that when I came to Birmingham many years ago our neighbour's name Houghton, was pronounced "Howton" - in Liverpool it was pronounced "Horton". When spoken it sounds quite different.
Heartland
master brummie
I put together an account for Workshop For the World p 132-141 of the Birmingham Brick Trade. It is nice to see all the reports made on this website. It is a complicated subject, when the different types of kiln are considered. It is also important to consider the transport of bricks from the South Staffordshire works by canal boat.
Before the days of mechanised brick making there was the hand made trade. When the canals were constructed (1767-1830) the bricks were hand made, later canal work and the railways tended to have machine made bricks.
There are still a few canal bridges left where it is possible to see the hand made bricks in the structure.
Before the days of mechanised brick making there was the hand made trade. When the canals were constructed (1767-1830) the bricks were hand made, later canal work and the railways tended to have machine made bricks.
There are still a few canal bridges left where it is possible to see the hand made bricks in the structure.
You may find some at https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/ . Searching for garrison lane does not give any, but if you search for other nearby places you might find some. To get the best use it is advisable to register (free)
devonjim
master brummie
Early C20 map of brickworks. Of any help?
