Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for the following information.
This brick was found in St Petersburg, Russia by Georgiy.
This Bald brick should be manufactured by Alexander Bald, Alloa Brick & Tile Works, Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
All known bricks marked BALD, are accompanied by the initial ‘A’ – A. BALD.
The top line has 3 Russian Cyrillic letters which translate to A P K.
If this brick is an original BALD product manufactured in Scotland then the top line of Russian letters could easily be some form of advertising in order to encourage further Russian sales. Apparently, the lettering does not make sense in Russian but this may simply have been a mistake on the translator working for Mr Bald.
It could, however, be a forgery, manufactured elsewhere than in Scotland. In saying that the style and size of the lettering, the shape of the frog with the scalloped corners and the colour of the brick are very very similar to an original Bald brick.
Below – The above brick was found in Russia and as it was the first to be recorded there was the possibility that it was a Russian forgery however since then, two similar bricks have been found in and near Alloa which now points heavily to this brick being manufactured in Alloa by Mr Bald. The 3 Russian Cyrillic letters do not seem to mean anything directly but surely it was either meant as an advertising gimmick for the Russian market or indeed the letters represent a Russian customer … perhaps the person translating for Mr Bald got it wrong!
Below – A similar brick found by Ian Suddaby on the Firth of Forth.
Below – Another as found by Bill Duff in Alloa
The following bricks were found in Suriname, South America by Marnix (John) Visser. Marnix states – I have found several bricks on an old Scottish plantation in Suriname South America with the name Waterloo and located in Nickerie at the border with Guyana. James Balfour was the plantation owner. . . Below – Hurlford –…
Found by Hector Miguez in the area of Mendoza, Argentina. Prestongrange Brick, Tile and Fireclay Works, Prestonpans, East Lothian. . . . .
Found by Michèle Côté and Marc Trudel on the beach along the Gaspé shore of Percé, Québec Canada. The ‘Gartcraig’ brick is most definitely Scottish. It was found near to a brick stamped ‘Vulcan’ which may also be Scottish as ‘Vulcan’ is a trademark of Campbell & Co, Roughcastle Fireclay Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. (However, ‘Vulcan’…
Many thanks to Bruce MacDonald for the following photographs which were taken at The Sunbury Plantation House, St Philip Parish Barbados. All the bricks present were fire bricks and included English manufacturers such as Ruffors of Stourbridge, Cowen of Newcastle and Duddell of Fenton. 90% of the bricks present appear to have been stamped ‘Glenboig’….
Many thanks to Charlie Terry for the following photographs and information. Charlie states – My great-grandfather worked at the Beaconsfield and Lefroy gold mines in Tasmania. He was an assayer. Some of the bricks are still in their original boxes and have been stored in a shed for decades. Below – An example of one…
This brick is in the possession of John Hicks, West Monroe, Louisiana, USA. John is uncertain where the Docken brick was found in the USA as he picked it up at a brick swap meeting. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. .
Found by Joe Fletcher at “Turonville” in Tarana, NSW Australia. The property is a farm dating back to the 1850s. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
The following Scottish bricks were found by Tracie Perrie on the shore at Borden, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Below – ‘Glenboig’. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire Below – ‘Gartcraig Scotland Gaskil’. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow….
Found by Dr Ali Asghar Hemmati in an old building previously belonging to the Iranian oil company located in Haftgel City in the province of Khuzestan, Iran. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. . .
Found by Jeffrey Valli on the railroad tracks in Truro, Massachusetts, USA. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
