Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

This chimney is in the possession of Ian Suddaby and was found in Dalkeith. Manufactured at the Abercorn Brickworks, Portobello. . . . . .

Found at Eaglecairn, Haddington and donated by Nick Basden. Thomas Thornton & Sons at the Abercorn Brickworks, High Street, Portobello. . . . .

Many thanks to Ian Green and Jill Williams, Edinburgh for their outstanding assistance with regards information relating to these works. The references below come mainly from census and valuation roll entries. 1827 – 1829 – Robert Bruce, bricklayer, 5 Queens Place, Greenside, Edinburgh. 1830 – 1832 – Robert Bruce, bricklayer, Reids Close, Canongate, Edinburgh. 1833…

Brickwork to the East of the Figgate Burn, Portobello AKA Figgate, Friggat, Freegate, Figget and Frigate. Annals of Duddingston and Portobello – 1898 1763 – Portobello Advertiser dated 01/05/1896 … About the year 1763, a new settlement began to be formed the parish at the mouth of the  Figgate Burn, consequent upon the finding of a  valuable bed of clay,…

Canmore The Niddrie Brickworks, near Edinburgh, was a large common brickworks built in 1924 to supply bricks for house building by the Niddrie & Benhar Coal Co. It had three large Hoffman continuous kilns, and latterly, a modern shuttle kiln. The works closed in 1991 and were demolished. 04/04/1878 – Falkirk Herald – On Saturday…

Braehead Brickworks, Fauldhouse, West Lothian possibly aka Fallahill Brickworks (Note – SBH – Can anyone find a map with these specific works detailed). Canmore 30/03/1895 – Glasgow Herald- New companies. Turner’s Limited established with a capital of £60,000 in 12,000 shares of £5 each to adopt and carry into effect an agreement with William Turner…

Found by Ann Currie in the Cockburnspath, Berwickshire area. This is a hart top. It would have had a metal grating on top. It would be set in the ground and a downpipe would drop into it taking rainwater away from a roof. The bottom would fit into a trap prior to the pipework to…

Canmore At Portobello, close to the mouth of the Braid Burn (Figgate Burn), brick clay has been worked since 1765. The oldest pits have long been abandoned. Not far from their sites others have been opened from time to time, worked for a time and then closed. These pits are all grouped together within an…

Found by Willie Guthrie in the Helensburgh area. Turner‘s Limited, Brick and Tile manufacturer, Fauldhouse, West Lothian and Portobello, East Lothian. . . . . Below – Two bricks in the possession of Steve Simkin. These were found in an internal attic wall in Morningside, Edinburgh. This confirms the stamp is Turner and not Turner’s….

West Bank Old brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh and Esperston, Midlothian. 1765 – Cassell’s Old and New Edinburgh – In 1765, Mr William Jamieson, the feuar under Baron Muir, discovered near the Figgate Burn a valuable bed of clay, and on the banks of the stream he erected first a brick and tile works, and…