A wonderful day was had when I met Vladimir Smirnov and his family yesterday in the Scottish Borders. A good number of local historical sites were visited, lunch and some friendly and informative ‘brick’ chat too. The highlight of the day for me was Vladimir’s unexpected, yet most generous gift of a ‘Bonnyrigg Patent’ brick he had found some years ago in St Petersburg, Russia. As far as we are aware no such examples have been recorded yet in Scotland. It is believed this brick was manufactured at the Bonnyrigg Fireclay Works, Bonnyrigg, Mid Lothian, Scotland although the exact location for these works is still unconfirmed.
This was Vladimir’s first visit to Scotland and as he was staying in Edinburgh, a nice relevant brick momento was found to mark the occasion. Apart from the brick, Vladimir, his wife Tatyana and son Daniel, brought some other lovely gifts including a very unique brick inspired, printed cushion made by Tatyana.
A great visit and one we hope to reciprocate at some point in the future.
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Many thanks to Mark Schulze for the following 4 photographs taken in 2020 and information. Mark states – This brick stack (Starworks J*D Glenboig) is in Discovery Hut on Ross Island, Antarctica, where I worked for the last few months. British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott built the hut just after the turn of the…
The following photographs were kindly forwarded by Carol Durant, Vice President of the Rockingham District Historical Society in Western Australia. These Gartcraig stamped bricks are exhibited within the Rockingham Museum. The bricks were found locally and it is believed they would have been unloaded at the Port of Rockingham c. 1875 – 1908. Gartcraig Fire…
Found by Craig Powell at Mount Palmer, Yilgarn, Western Australia. Craig states:- There was an entire town at Mount Palmer but the hotel ruins are all that’s left. The brick was from a house site across from the hotel with several broken ones looking like a fireplace. Houses were mostly tin miners shacks around the…
This brick was found by Jan -Olof Bergman in Sweden. J-O states “Last summer I made a very interesting find. I found a brick with the inscription “Bourtreehill Kilmarnock”. It was found at a dumpsite for ballast in the little harbour of Furuögrund (approx. 500 miles north of Stockholm), where there was a big sawmill…
Found by Garry Bell in NE Victoria, Australia. Cardowan Fire Clay Works, Stepps, Glasgow. . . . .
The following bricks were found in and around the Melbourne area of Victoria, Australia. They were found by Mark Fleming and they are in the possession of Philip Lehocz, an Australian brick collector. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. and Blochairn Sand and Fire Clay Co, Blochairn, Glasgow. and Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig,…
Found to the South West of St Peterburg, Russia. (Near the Estonian border). Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for sending the photograph. Whitehill Brickworks, Rosewell, Edinburgh, Midlothian. . . .
Photographed at the Andromeda Botanic Gardens in Barbados by Barney Corrigan. The manufacturer is unknown but it is highly likely to have been made at Etna or Atlas as similar bricks have been found on site. Atlas Brickworks, Bathville, Armadale, West Lothian. Etna Brickworks, Armadale, West Lothian. Alternative brickworks include: West Works, Armadale, West Lothian….
This brick was found by Daniel Ruben Paz and his wife at Lujan Dam, a town in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Daniel states ” Today (02/01/2020), while walking with my wife we have seen something buried with an acronym, FC .., it looked nothing more than that, but given the place where we live it…
Found by Jennifer Richardson at extreme low tide buried in the sludge under the ocean water in Tod Inlet Victoria British Columbia. Usually, the area is under 15 feet of water. There used to be an old cement factory there in the early 1900s until 50s or 60s. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, by Millerston, Glasgow….
