Allan & Mann Govan Patent Glasgow brick found in a shipwreck off Struis Point, Nr Arniston, South Africa (Struisbaai).
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Allan & Mann, Port Eglinton, Glasgow.
Alternative brickworks include:
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Olivier and Nicolas from Belgium were visiting the “Shipwreck Museum” in Bredasdorp, South Africa when they saw the above-named brick. They remembered hearing the piece on BBC Radio Scotland which covered my brick collecting activities. They kindly took the time to photograph the brick and send me details behind its recovery.
The note typed alongside the brick reads – A brick form the ‘Borderer’ (in perfect condition – recovered from deep under the pepper and silt – the most perfect bricks ever to be recovered off an Overberg shipwreck). The Borderer was wrecked near Arniston in 45 metres of water. She was carrying a general cargo of Indian produce which included many tons of tin ingots.
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“The Borderer 1868”
The Borderer was a British iron ship of 1062 tons, built in 1864 by Lawrie, Glasgow. She was commanded by Captain J. Laback and owned by Messrs J. Willis and Son, of London.
The Borderer left Penang where she had loaded a general cargo of Indian and Straits produce for London. This cargo consisted of rum, tin, rattans, pepper, hides, horns, sugar, tapioca etc., etc.
She struck the middle blinder of the Struis Point reef on the 27th October 1868, during a westerly wind and sank in 45 metres of water. The commander and twelve of his men got into one of the boats and reached the shore, the remainder of the crew (12 in number) jumped into the other boat. Of this second boat, nothing was heard. It was later reported that Captain Harverberg of the steamer Namaqua picked up a capsized boat from the Borderer, about twenty-five miles east of Agulhas.
The Borderer was discovered in 1977 Brian Clarke and Tubby Gericke and part of the tin cargo was salvaged.
During 1990, Aqua Exploration re-located the site and found that there was still a considerable amount of tin left. The depth and poor visibility most of the time made this an extremely difficult and dangerous site to work. However, they managed to excavate and salvage the remaining tin successfully, without any serious diving accidents.
This was the deepest excavation and salvage done in South Africa.
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Brian Tarbuck states this brick was found in Augusta, Maine, USA while replacing a water pipe. Allan & Mann, Port Eglinton, Glasgow Alternative brickworks include: Rutherglen Pottery, Glasgow. Mallsmire Works, Myrtle Park, Crosshill, Glasgow. ,
Found by John Barnard at Fitzroy, Falkland Islands. 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 highlighting this brick to me which was found in the vicinity of the St. Petersburg Region, Gatchina Region, Russia by a brick collector, Alexander Korolev. It was discovered the stove of a private house. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein &…
Found by Glyn Harrison at an unknown location in New Zealand. This example is not in my possession. Douglas Fireclay Works, Dalry, Ayrshire. The reference to Bigelow on this special undoubtedly refers to the Bigelow Arch Company of Detroit, USA. Bigelow-Liptak Corporation was originally incorporated in 1927 with the merger of the Bigelow Arch Company of…
Found by Ken Sousa in Massachusetts, USA. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
Found by Claudio Ernesto Rios. Claudio states – The bricks were found in the City of Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a fridge (almost totally destroyed today) the fridge’s name was Smithfield Refrigerator of English capital, built in 1903, so I would believe those bricks were manufactured in the last decade of the 19th century….
Found by Patricio Peralta in an old bakery, Lincoln, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Calder British Made”. 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…
Found by Senja Salmi in Sääksjärvi, Mäntsälä, Finland. Senja states – We are not sure how old this house is but at least about 100 years old and it was built by the last blacksmith of this village. Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire….
Found by Hans Nilsson in the sea at Furuögrund, Sweden. Hans states – The brick was found in Furuögrund north of Skellefteå. Furuögrund was the port where wood products from the area where produced and shipped. At many places ballast was left. The ballast, usually stone not found in Sweden…like flint and sometimes even a…
Found by Sarina Martin in Bremerhaven, Germany. Prestongrange Brick, Tile and Fireclay Works, Prestonpans, East Lothian. . . . .
