The following Scottish bricks were found by Consuelo Bravo Antúnez in the heart of the Atacama Desert, Chile.
The Atacama Desert was a huge source of sodium nitrate (saltpetre) which was mined on a large scale until the early 1940s. The UK imported many many shiploads of the saltpetre and it appears they supplied many of the fire bricks required for the industrial processes involved in the production of the fertiliser.
Other stamped bricks found were ‘Hanningtons’ from the NE of England and a broken mystery brick stamped ‘Balka?’
.
Below – A brick stamped ‘Glenboig’.
Below – Bricks stamped ‘Morningside’ and ‘Forth’.
Below – A brick stamped ‘Scotia’. The maker of this brick is still unidentified but it is thought to be of Scottish origins.
Below – A ‘Coltness’ brick. This is a building brick and such bricks are rare on foreign shores. Normally it was the more important refractory or fire bricks that were exported out of Scotland.
Found by ‘Siang Ler’, ‘Arpichart’ and ‘Phyllis’ at the Alexandra Hospital, Singapore. Many thanks to Eng Jia Wei for forwarding the photograph. Garnqueen Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire Alternative brickworks include: Gartliston Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Building bricks at Garscadden Works, Drumchapel. Below – Hurll 8.
Found by Julian Phillips at Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. Morningside Fireclay Works, Newmains, North Lanarkshire. . . . .
Found by Erica Weller in rural Humboldt County, California, USA. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for forwarding this photograph. The brick was found in St Petersburg, Russia. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. .
Found by Karen Colpitts in Saint John, New Brunswick Canada. The bricks were part of an old lime kiln near an abandoned quarry. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . Below – The original brick structure. Photo 1932 from Michael Milburn. Below – all that is left of the kiln in 2022….
Found by Kristin Schwab on the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
Found by Ian Suddaby in a burn at Glenboig. This example is not in my possession. (Note – SBH – Does anyone have any ideas as to the design and potential use of this fire brick – some sort of filter brick perhaps?). Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay…
The following bricks were found by Tony Millard in Antigua, West Indies. Below – Bonnybridge – Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire. Hepworth Ceramic Holdings plc (GR-Stein Refractories Ltd. parent co) bought the Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co. Ltd in 1972, closed Bonnybridge works…
The following Scottish bricks were found by Tim Westley in and around Sydney Harbour, Australia. . . . . Below – Ferguslie Patent – Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fire Clay Works, Paisley. Below – Gartcraig – Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. Below – Hurll – Garnqueen Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire Alternative brickworks…
Many thanks to Gustavo Coronel for the following information. The brick was found by Jorge Villafañe at Los Hornos de la Ochoa, Malagueño, Córdoba, Argentina. There may be a thumbprint to the top right. Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire. Hepworth Ceramic Holdings plc…
