Dykehead Bonnybridge brick found in Denmark
— 14/01/2021Found by Asger Christiansen at Tybrind, Denmark. Dykehead Fire Clay Works, Bonnybridge, Falkirk. . . . .
Dykehead Fireclay Mine, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
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 N.W. Latitude 55° 59′ 21″. Longitude 3° 52′ 45″. Geological age: Millstone grit. The Dykehead Fireclay Mine is at present (1916) being extended and deepened. Hitherto only fireclay has been worked, but to meet the great demand for silica bricks it is now intended to use the associated ganister seams. A railway siding is being made to the mine at Dykehead; Brickworks are in course of erection, with crushing and mixing mills, drying sheds, and kilns of the continuous Newcastle type. (These are now (1917) in operation At the new works, an output of 500,000 bricks a month is expected. The full section of strata which it is intended to work is not yet completely opened up (Dec 1916), but will average some 24 ft. in thickness, and will be worked in three benches. A section recently examined in the newly-driven road showed: — Sandstone roof Ft.In. 1. Fireclay … … 0 8 2. Coal and blaes 0 4 3. Fireclay 1 6 4. Ganister 3 6 5. Coal 1 2 6. Brown rib 0 3 Coal 0 4 7. Fireclay and Ganister.
Below – Information – British Geological Survey. Ganister from the Top Ganister Bonnybridge Fireclay Works, Stirlingshire
Ganister from the Top Ganister Bonnybridge Fireclay Works. A number of works and mines were active in the Bonnybridge area. They worked and processed the Carboniferous, Millstone Grit Upper Fireclay, a series of fireclays and ganisters.
The works at Bonnybridge included James Dougal and Sons Limited working the Bonnyside Pit and the Bonnyside Fireclay Works (the only pit recorded working the ‘Top Ganister’); the Bonnybridge Silica and Fireclay Company working the Drum Mine; Dykehead Ganister and Firebrick Company Limited working the Dykehead Mine and the Glenyards Fireclay Company working the Glenyards Mine.
The ganisters were usually crushed at the works and sold in the ground condition to steel manufacturers for lining converters etc. Mixtures of ground ganister and fireclay were also
supplied to foundries and chemical works.