The following bricks were found by John Gibson and to Mark Courneyea.
John states – We are researching the history of a munitions factory in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, which was built in 1941, and we have almost finished a book on the factory.
On a site visit a few days ago we came upon two firebricks marked “GARNKIRK” and we immediately realised they had an interesting history of their own, as we could nor recognise the name at all.
Soon afterwards I came across your site and found the story behind them – or at least a part of it.
We do know that bricks were often imported to Australia from an early date, often as ship’s ballast, to be sold on arrival, but just how these two bricks came to reach Ballarat in 1941, we can only speculate.
What we do know is that we found them close to a building that was used for the recovery of strong acids used in the making of munitions and that process involved boiling nitric acid in large pots. The bricks may have been used as linings to the fume chambers and vent stacks associated with that process and which stood close to the spot where we found them, or they may have come from a portable heat-treating furnace that we also know was used in the vicinity after the munitions factory closed down at the end of the war. Whatever they were used for, they are still in very good condition, considering their age and probable use.
The ghost image in the cement of one of the bricks is that of a ‘Northcote’ brick. We are not sure at present if the Northcote Company, who were in Melbourne, ever made firebricks, but I will try to clear up that point soon.
Below – Garnkirk Warranted Patent – Garnkirk Fireclay Works, Garnkirk, Lanarkshire.
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Below – ‘Northcote’ – Melbourne, Australia.
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’….
Found by Ian Suddaby in the Ravenscraig, Motherwell area. This example is not in my possession. Garnkirk Fireclay Works, Garnkirk, Lanarkshire. The stamp reads either 1 or I Garnkirk. . .
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. . .
