Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

The ATC brickmark was produced at various brickworks under the umbrella of the Alexandra Transport Company, the brickmark comes from the company initials, ATC and possibly AT (the AT’s could be examples of poor stamping). At one point they owned the following Scottish Brickworks.

Blackhill, Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire.

Summerston, Lanarkshire

Balmore, Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire

Walkinshaw, Renfrew, Renfrewshire.

Carsehead, Dalry, Ayrshire.

Airdrie, Petersburn, Lanarkshire.

Holytown, New Stevenston, Lanarkshire.

13/01/1932 – Kirkintilloch Herald – Developments at Westermains Sand Quarry. Some curiosity was aroused on Thursday afternoon, when a strange looking piece of mechanism made its way, on its own power and its caterpillar wheels, from the goods station to the sand quarry at Westermains, adjoining Adamslie Park. Enquiries elicited the fact that it was a Ruston-Bucyrus Universal Excavator or a mechanical drag shovel designed for work in a sand quarry and that it had been supplied by Ruston, Hornsby Co., Ltd., St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, to the order of the Alexandra Transport Coy., Ltd., Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, who have taken a three years’ lease of the sandpit at Westermains belonging to Jas. Fraser & Sons. Some months ago Mr Fraser was approached to take in hand with a contract for supplying the sand and gravel required in making the new dock for Messrs. Barclay, Curle & Co., shipbuilders, Scotstoun. It seemed that the contractor had been looking all around for the kind of material required and that nowhere else in Scotland could it be got like that at Westermains. The only other source of supply was in Ireland. A contract approaching 100.000 tons was mentioned, but Mr Fraser felt that personally he could not undertake such a large order. Negotiations proceeded, and in the end, a three years’ lease of the sand quarry was concluded with the Alexandra Transport Coy. The Coy. forthwith placed an order for a mechanical excavator with Messrs. Ruston, Hornsby & Co., Ltd., and, stated, it was put in position on Thursday. The excavator is worked by a diesel oil engine. The machine combines simplicity with reliability and has proved its value in almost every part of the world. It is expected that the daily output of the sand quarry, at the peak point, will be 500 tons. This will involve the running of a score or so of steam lorries between the pit and Scotstoun daily.

14/01/1942 – Kirkintilloch Herald – Allocation of £164 has been made to infirmaries by Alexandra Transport Company Ltd, Glasgow, and its associated companies, the Cadder Brick Company, Ltd., and Walkinshaw Brick Company Ltd., and various employees. A donation of £100 has been made also to the Red Cross Society and the Lord Provost Glasgow’s War Relief fund.

28/07/1945 – Milngavie and Bearsden Herald – Torrance. The countryside at Barraston and Baldernock is undergoing some change. The Alexandra Transport is busy transporting the special clay and blaize from Barraston Glen and Blairskueth Farm, and quite a number of men are employed in the process.

01/07/1946 – Dundee Evening Telegraph – Complaints of high rental charges for new industries in the Dundee Harbour area were voiced at a meeting of the Harbour Trust today. The board were considering a recommendation by a sub-committee that two acres of ground at Stannergate be leased to the Alexandra Transport Co Ltd for a brickworks at 25s a pole. Mr Charles Buick thought the charge too high in view of the nature of the industry. It would be £225 per acre and a new industry could hardly be asked to carry such a high ground rental. Seconding a remit back, Baillie Alex Scott said there was an impression that the Harbour Board was not at all enterprising in encouraging industry around the harbour area. Moving adoption of the sub-committee’s recommendation, Mr J Barlow pointed out that the Alexandra Transport Co Ltd were quite willing to pay. As the sand and brick would be delivered in the harbour area, there would be practically no expense for road transport. He did not think the ground would require much development for the industry. Adoption of the recommendation to lease the ground at 25s per pole for 14 years was agreed by 14 votes to 3.

02/08/1947 – Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser – It is learned that the Scottish Slate Industries Ltd, a new company, which was formed recently to merge the slate quarrying interests in Scotland have taken over the quarries at Onich belonging to the Alexandra Transport Co Ltd.

1961 – 1962 – A directory of British clay products and manufacturers – Alexandra Transport Co Ltd, 250 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow E1. Tel Bridgeton 181. T. Address ‘Whinstone Glasgow’.

Works Airdrie Brickworks; Bishopbriggs Brickworks; Blackhill Brickworks; Cadder Brickworks; Dalry Brickworks; Drumbathie Brickworks; Garngad Brickworks; Holytown Brickworks; Summerston Brickworks; Walkinshaw Brickworks – Composition bricks.

18/06/1965 – West Lothian Courier – The Alexandra Transport Company, Glasgow has been given permission by Lanark County Council to remove a bing in the Rosehall Road district of Dykehead.