Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

Doura Fire Clay Works, Doura, Kilwinning, Ayr.

29/06/1867 – Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald – Doura Fire Clay Works. Fire Clay and Composition bricks of every description may be had by application to W. Chalmers, Manager, Doura by Kilwinning or to William McJannet, Ardrossan. 09/11/1866.

11/09/1869 – Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald – Irvine flower show … A new feature on the present occasion was the exhibition of a number of vases of very chaste design, and excellent workmanship by the Doura Fire Clay Company, also, a female statue, large as life, made of the same material, exceedingly graceful in her attitude, and giving effect to her position by holding in her hand a choice selection of flowers …

30/04/1870 – Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald – Ayrshire Agricultural Show – Stand no 50 – Messrs Barr and McJannet of the Doura and Coney Park Coal, Fire Clay and Paraffin Oil Works, Ardrossan – a fine collection of fire clay ornaments – lions, vases, flower baskets etc and a number of useful articles such as collars, troughs etc. The judges awarded a medal for collection. The articles were designed and modelled by Mr William Bonar, modeller, Liverpool.

03/08/1870 – North British Agriculturist – The Highland and Agricultural Society’s Show at Dumfries … Barr & McJannet, Ardrossan, had a number of articles made of fire clay. The busts, vases, sewerage pipes, cattle troughs, milk coolers, flooring tiles, ornamental pavement, and enamelled bricks, were all excellent specimens of articles manufactured from clay.

06/08/1870 – Farmers Gazette – Highland and Agricultural Society Show at Dumfries  – Medium Silver medals  – Barr and McJannet, Doura Fireclay Works, Ardrossan for collection of fireclay articles.

Below – 28/07/1871 – Belfast Telegraph – Doura Fireclay Works advert. Barr & McJannet proprietors.

Below – 13/04/1872 – Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald – Doura Fireclay Works advert. Barr & McJannet ( Note: I think this is all one advert!)

Common building bricks; fire bricks; white enamelled, and other coloured bricks; chimney linings; oncomings; plain and ornamental chimney tops; wall coping; flue covers of all sizes; flooring tiles – hexagon, octagon, and 9 and 12 inches square; ridge tiles, plain and ornamental; glazed sewer pipes; inverted sewer blocks; channel blocks; garden borders; horse mangers; cattle troughs, of all sizes; milk coolers; cisterns; gas retorts; tresses; ballusters; ground fire-clay; flower vases; statutes; fern stands; fountains; enamelled, encaustic, and tesallated pavement. Busts modelled from life or photographs; figures or animals to any design given. Coats of arms, crests, &c. Architects designs carefully moulded. Capitals and corbels Gothic or Grecian, correctly modelled. Parapet and all other kinds of Ornamental Work. Estimates are given to supply building material for elevations of houses. churches, Etc. Door jambs, lintels, windows, all complete; quoins, etc; Gothic windows, complete – sills, jamb, arch mould, label, corbel and tracery – to either of the four periods of Gothic architecture – can be inserted into old stone walls; Decayed buildings carefully restored to their original interior or exterior. All communications to be addressed to Barr & McJannet. Offices – Ardrossan.

13/10/1876 – Edinburgh Gazette – Thomas Kirkhope, Writer in Ardrossan, Trustee on the Sequestrated Estates of William McJannet, Coalmaster and Fire Clay Manufacturer and Shipping Agent, residing in Ardrossan, and Partner of the Firm of Bark and McJannet, Coalmasters and Fire Clay Manufacturers at Doura, near Kilwinning and in Ardrossan, hereby intimates that the Commissioners have postponed declaring a Dividend until the recurrence of another statutory period. Thos Kirkhope, Trustee. Ardrossan, 10th October 1870.

23/07/1881 – Irvine Times – A fire, causing damage to the extent of several hundred pounds sterling, occurred at Doura Fire-clay works on Sabbath last.

23/08/1884 – Ayrshire Weekly News – For sale Caithness and Arbroath. Pavement and hearths. Granite crib, on edge, flat and circular and Doura Fire Clay goods. Apply to Thomas Glen, Mason, Ardrossan or A. R McJannet, 5 Barr ?, Ardrossan.

1886 – Doura Fireclay Co, Doura Works, Robert Armour managing partner.

21/09/1894 – Glasgow Herald – Irvine – More picketing at Doura – On Wednesday eleven miners were at work in the Doura coal pit and the brick-work there was being supplied with fuel, but yesterday a band of about 40 picketers appeared on the road, and the men, with one or two exceptions, turned and did not go to work. It was for picketing a man employed in this pit that the Sourlie men were apprehended on Wednesday morning. A large number of men turned out at Bensley yesterday morning, their object being to induce the oncost men to remain above ground, but in this, they were not successful.

Below – 1895 – Doura Fire Clay Works.

1903 – Doura Fire Clay Co – Robert Armour, Proprietor, TA – Doura, Montgreenan.

Below – 1908 – Doura Fire Clay Works.

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1935 – 37 – The Sourlie Colliery and Brickworks and house coal— AH Grades of Washed Coal.  Manufacturers of Doura plastic clay facing and engineering bricks and common building bricks. The Sourlie Colliery and Brickworks Phone 211 Doura Irvine.

Below – 1938 – Doura Fire Clay Works.

Below – 2018 – On a visit to the site, the following interesting products were seen.

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Below – An unmarked byre brick or paver found on the Doura site.

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