Scotland's Brick Manufacturing Industry

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

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…

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…

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…

West Bank Old brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh and Esperston, Midlothian. 1770  – Westbank pottery was erected for Anthony Hillcoat. 1803 – Hillcoat died. The business was taken over by his son and son in law. Roof and drain tile were the initial products. 1825 – 1826 – D. McEwing, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, West…

Canmore Tochieneal Tileworks, mid 19th century. The decaying ruins of a small tileworks. There is a rectangular brick kiln of normal tile-works type, with lean-to covers for fire-holes. The remains of ancillary buildings and a square-section brick chimney also survive. A light railway carried the clay down to the mill from the pit c100m to the…

Found by IS in Annandale Street, Edinburgh West Bank Old brick and Tile Works, Portobello, Edinburgh and Esperston, Midlothian. . . . .  

. . . . Annals of Duddingston and Portobello – 1898 Below – 25/02/1775 – Caledonian Mercury – The corn mill at Frigate Bridge is advertised for sale. Apply to Mr Jameson, the proprietor at the brick and tyle works. Below – 11/11/1782 – Caledonian Mercury – Lands and Tenements of Portobello and a house…

Also referred to in the Portobello Advertiser dated 04/12/1896 . . . . Below – The Village of Figget ( Portobello) 1783.  William Baird’s Annals of Duddingston & Portobello (1898) .. About the year 1763, a new settlement began to be formed in the parish at the mouth of the Figgate Burn, consequent upon the finding…