Scotland's Brick Manufacturing Industry

Found by Eddie McLean in the Renfrewshire area. Darnley Fireclay Works, Nitshill, Glasgow (Allan Kirkwood). . . . . Below – The same stamp on a similar curved brick with a chamfered edge to the inner curve.  

1888 – Parliamentary Papers of 1888 record Mr Hugh Jack, Dalry operating a coal and fireclay mine at Crossroads.

1920 – Dykehead Ganister and Firebrick Co., Ltd, (Formerly George Turnbull & Co.), Bonnybridge. Dykehead Mine – Situated at Bonnybridge, at the side of the North British Railway, Glasgow to Edinburgh line; it is 1/2 mile east of Greenhill Junction on the Caledonian Railway. Maps: One-inch New Ser. Ordnance and Geological 31; six-inch Stirling 30…

These bricks were found by Guillaume Girard on the banks of the Ottawa River near to Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada. Other brickmarks found nearby were “T Carr” from the NE of England and a brick stamped “National” which may well have Canadian or American origins. Around the 1900s this area was heavily used in the…

Robertson, Love & Co were liquidated in 1916 but continued to make firebricks as part of United Collieries Ltd. When coal was nationalised in 1947, the brickworks were reorganised as United Fireclay Products Ltd. and comprised the Etna and Atlas Firebrick Works, the Bathville Pipe Works, the UNICOL Tileworks, all at Armadale and the Brownhill…

Monkcastle Fireclay Mine, Dalry, North Ayrshire aka High Monkcastle. Canmore Douglas Works used local fireclay mined from Langside at Galston, Smithstone at Kilwinning and Monkcastle, which was the last of these local mines to supply fireclay to the works. After Monkcastle stopped supplying the works in 1981, raw materials for production had to be brought…

This mine was sunk to supply the Stein Castlecary Fireclay Works with high alumina grade clay. (Thistle fireclay). Silica clay was also found and this was used to manufacture silica-based firebricks. 20/04/1903 – Work starts on the mine. 04/11/1903 – Clay was reached and a further return airway shaft was dug and this took 7…

Ayrshire Bauxitic Clay – An allochthonous deposit? – S.K. Monro, F.C.Loughnan and M.C. Walker. 1944 – 1967 – Bauxite Clay, Dubbs Quarry, Saltcoats. (Note – SBH – I believe this was operated by the Ayrshire Bauxitic Clay Company Ltd.)

17/11/1887 – John Stein starts to drive the mine with 6 employees. 26/02/1888 – The clay is reached. 11/11/1911 – Falkirk Herald – Sequel to a clay mine fatality – ln Falkirk Sheriff Court Thursday, a public inquiry was held in presence of Sheriff Moffatt and a jury, in regard to the death of Clark…

Garnqueen Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Gartliston Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Gartliston (opened 1889) and Garnqueen (opened 1895) which was closer to Glenboig village, being about 1 mile south-east of the village. Canmore – Gartliston. Canmore – Garnqueen. Monklands – a cracking read – A personal recollection By Bob McMillan. P & M Hurll Ltd owned Birkhill Clay…