Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

Brickwork to the East of the Figgate Burn, Portobello AKA Figgate, Friggat, Freegate, Figget and Frigate. Annals of Duddingston and Portobello – 1898 1763 – Portobello Advertiser dated 01/05/1896 … About the year 1763, a new settlement began to be formed the parish at the mouth of the  Figgate Burn, consequent upon the finding of a  valuable bed of clay,…

West Bank Old brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh and Esperston, Midlothian aka Valleyfield Brickworks? 1765 – Cassell’s Old and New Edinburgh – In 1765, Mr William Jamieson, the feuar under Baron Muir, discovered near the Figgate Burn a valuable bed of clay, and on the banks of the stream he erected first a brick…

Canmore Tochieneal Tileworks, mid 19th century. The decaying ruins of a small tileworks. There is a rectangular brick kiln of normal tile-works type, with lean-to covers for fire-holes. The remains of ancillary buildings and a square-section brick chimney also survive. A light railway carried the clay down to the mill from the pit c100m to the…

Found by Ian Suddaby in Annandale Street, Edinburgh. West Bank Brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh. . . . . Below – The same stamp on a brick found by Jim Crockett in the Portobello area. Note the frog on this example has square corners. This example is not in my possession.

Annals of Duddingston and Portobello – 1898 – The trade of Portobello has for the past hundred years been of a varied character. As we have already indicated in these pages, its principal and earliest products were derived from the excellent bed of clay found in the estuary of the Figgate Burn. Bricks and tiles, and…

. . . . . Below – The Village of Figget (Portobello) 1783. 1898 – William Baird’s Annals of Duddingston & Portobello  – … About the year 1763, a new settlement began to be formed in the parish at the mouth of the Figgate Burn, consequent upon the finding of a valuable bed of clay,…

Below – 21/09/1812 – Caledonian Mercury – Fire brick and Clay Joppa. To consumers of fire brick and fire clay – The public are informed, they can now be supplied with these articles from the brickwork at Joppa, three miles from Edinburgh, on the London road.  The brick has already been submitted to the severest tests….

Found Old Niddrie Brickworks, Cleikimin, Edinburgh. Turner’s Limited, Abercorn Brick and Tile Works, Portobello. Turners Ltd Coal & Quarry Masters & brick manufacturers, 130 George Street, Edinburgh. TA Freestone. . . .  

Found Polton, Midlothian. William Hunter & Co, Westbank Brick & Tile Works, Portobello W Hunter & Co, Portobello. . . . Below – A similar stamp on a red brick. Found by Ian Suddaby in the Tranent area. Below – The same stamp on bricks found by Ian Suddaby in a flytipping pile near Edinburgh….

Found in the Fife area. West Bank Brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh. . . . . .