A. Kenneth & Sons Ltd.
Brickworks owned include:
Captain Archibald Kenneth of Shewalton and his two sons Robert and James, were substantial coalmasters in Ayrshire, with several brickworks using the fireclay and blaes mined with the coal. One of their earliest was the Eglinton Fireclay Works, on the east bank of the Garnock river between Buckredding House and Weirston Lodge, and beside the Eglinton Colliery. This brickwork should not be confused with the Eglinton iron Fireclay Works, which lay a mile to the southwest on the Ironworks site. Kenneth’s Eglinton brickworks is mentioned in Slaters Directory of 1889 and 1900, but it was demolished by 1911.
The Warrix Fireclay Works near Irvine was built about 1896 to use the fireclay mined from the coal pit of Warrix, about a mile to the south. The brickworks was disused by 1938, and the site is now covered by the Irvine by-pass motorway. Kenneth made firebricks after the 1914-18 war, but this was only a small part of their main business of building bricks. They were very large makers at their Springside, Montgomeryfield, and Annandale brickworks, with smaller production at Commondykes, Pitcon and Broadlie Works.
James Kenneth died on 23/05/1971 (Not 1972 as stated by KWS) and Robert Kenneth, the Chairman, on 26th March 1972. On 31st December 1977, the remaining brickworks were sold to the Glasgow Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. Source – Kenneth W Sanderson.
1893 – Eglinton Mine – Owner Archibald Kenneth & Sons, Eglinton, Kilwinning – Fire clay and Coal – Manager Charles McIntrye.
1903 – Archibald Kenneth & Sons, Montgomery Field Collieries, Dreghorn, Ayrshire.
28/07/1977 – The Glasgow Herald – A Kenneth & Sons, Brickmakers, Dreghorn, Irvine.
Below – unknown date – advert for Kenneth Building Services. A Kenneth & Sons,
Montgomery brickworks – Dreghorn
Annandale brickworks – Kilmarnock
Broadlie brickworks – Dalry
Pitcon brickworks – Dalry
Commondyke brickworks – Auchinleck
Nitshill brickworks – Glasgow.
Broadlie Brick Co Ltd – washed sand and gravel plant, Shewalton, Irvine.
Info page 21 – Ayrshire Historical Society booklet.
Below – Many thanks to Helen Kenneth for forwarding a photo of this ‘K’ stamp. Helen is James Kenneth’s granddaughter.
Ian Suddaby states – Carrick Academy in Maybole, Ayrshire is soon to replaced with a modern community hub, school and leisure centre. The existing school was built from red brick and red sandstone in 1925 and extra accommodation was added in the 1970s. Digging work in the grounds suggests that the 1925 building was made…
Photographed by Martin Sneddon in the Ayrshire area. I am not in possession of this example. There may also be another word stamped above Warrix but it is unclear. Warrix Fire Clay Works, Irvine, North Ayrshire. . . .
WIKI information – The British and Tasmanian Charcoal Iron Company (BTCIC) was an iron mining and smelting company that operated from 1874 to 1878 in Northern Tasmania, Australia. It was formed by floating the operations of a private company, the Tasmanian Charcoal Iron Company which operated between 1871 and 1874. This venture was the largest…
(Note – SBH – I believe these works were operated for some time by Archibald Kenneth and Sons) Canmore Below – 1908 – Canmore indicates the Works were situated as per the ‘red cross’. I am unable to find a map were the brickworks are noted at such.
Pitcon Brickworks, Dalry, Ayrshire. Canmore – This was one of three common-brick works in the vicinity of Dalry which were built to make pressed-clay bricks from the coal-measure clays – blaes – deposited as waste during coal and ironstone mining in the 19th century. As these works were built in 1939 it seems likely that…
Canmore – The Brickworks were situated adjacent to central washery of A Kenneth & Son, which served a number of collieries in the area. Montgomeryfield Colliery and Brickworks, Dreghorn, Ayrshire aka Montgomerie Field. 1907 – Slaters – Montgomeryfield Brickworks – Archibald Kenneth & Sons Ltd. Below – 1908 – Montgomeryfield Colliery and Brickworks, Dreghorn. The colliery is depicted on the…
Found by Tucker Kennedy at Ardeer, Ayrshire. Eglinton Fire Clay Works, Eglinton. or The Eglinton Silica Brick Company Limited, Dundyvan, Coatbridge. or Eglinton Iron Fireclay Works, Eglinton.
Broadlie Brickworks, Dalry, Ayrshire. Canmore Broadlie Brickworks, Dalry, Ayrshire This was the first of three common-brick works in the vicinity of Dalry which were built to make pressed-clay bricks from the coal-measure clays – blaes – deposited as waste during coal and ironstone mining in the 19th century. These works were built at a time…
17/08/1894 – Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald – … A new coal-pit is being sunk at Warrix, near Irvine, by the Bourtreehill Coal and Fire Clay Coy., and the sinkers have reached the coal. Miners were employed to take it out from the bottom of the shank. This was done, and it is said the coal…
(Note – SBH – There appear to be possibly two sites named Annandale Brickworks – Annandale Brickworks, Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire and Annandale Colliery and Brickworks, Mauchline, East Ayrshire – hopefully, clarification will follow!) Canmore Below – 1929 – Kilmarnock Standard 10/03/1989 – The men of Annandale Brickworks, January 1929. 06/07/1929 – Belfast Telegraph –…
