Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

(Note – SBH – When researching information regarding the various brickworks in the Bishopbriggs area it is often difficult to determine exactly which piece of information should be associated with which particular brickworks. This is in the main caused by newspaper articles referring to the ‘brickworks at Bishopbriggs, or similar and not precisely naming the individual brickworks. With this in mind if anyone notices a piece of information that I have recorded for a particular Bishopbriggs Brickworks and thinks it is wrongly attributed then please let me know).

(Note – SBH – Mount Vernon Collieries opened a new brickfield at Moss Cottages, Bishopbriggs in 1928. Some entries below may refer to these works).

Keir & Cawder, Bishopbriggs Works, Glasgow.

Alternative brickworks include:

• Blackhill Works, Glasgow.
• Holytown Works, Glasgow.
• Summerston Works, Glasgow.
• Cadder Works, Glasgow.

11/12/1901 – Kirkintilloch Herald – The brickworks at Bishopbriggs were exposed for sale by public roup in Glasgow last week. The upset price was £1000 and they were disposed of for £1100.

14/01/1904 – Edinburgh Evening News – Following upon numerous complaints by the proprietors of Bishopbriggs Brickworks as to men sleeping in the vicinity of the kilns without permission, a raid was made by the police this morning, and 25 men were apprehended on charges of trespassing. The offenders were driven to Glasgow in a char-a-banc and dealt with at the J.P. Court. One man who pleaded that he would lose his situation was admonished, but the others were each sentenced to five days’ imprisonment.

14/08/1934 – Kirkintilloch Herald – A new brickwork. Preparations for the opening of a large new brickwork have commenced at Bishopbriggs. A start has been made with the building of the chimney stalk and also a 24 chamber kiln, each chamber capable of holding 10,000 bricks. Machinery of the latest type suitable for dealing with a large output is also to be installed. A lease of the ground has been secured by Messers The Cadder Brick Co Ltd, 250 Alexandra parade, Glasgow from Messers Keir and Cawder Ltd, Bishopbriggs, the proprietors of the Cadder Estate. The new brickfield is situated on the ground adjoining No 15 pit, a former colliery now closed and worked by Messrs Carron Coy, Falkirk. There is a large blaes bing at No 15 pit and also 2 other blaes bings at 2 old disused collieries nearby, which ensures a plentiful supply of material for many years. The opening of the brickfield will give work to a number of men in the district, who have suffered much unemployment since the closing down of the collieries in the vicinity.

(Note – SBH – I am uncertain if ‘new’ means there was no brickworks there before or the ‘old’ works were knocked down to build a ‘new’ one on the same site!).

18/11/1936 – Kirkintilloch Herald – Brickworks transport. To facilitate importation of the necessary material and also the export of bricks, Messrs Keir and Cawder Ltd, Bishopbriggs, have overhauled and relaid the old colliery railway formerly owned by the Carron Company which runs from Cadder yard off the L and NE Railway near Lenzie, to their brickfield at Cadder Moss, Bishopbriggs, a distance about two miles. The demand for bricks has necessitated this step, and the railway will be used in addition to the present motor transport.

1936 – 1937 – Keir and Cawder, Ltd. (Composition bricks), 12 Waterloo street Glasgow C.2; Tel. No., Central.

24/07/1937 – Milngavie and Bearsden Herald – Busy brick workers. Employees of Messrs Keir and Cawder. Ltd, Bishopbriggs engaged at the firm’s Crofthead Sand Quarry, Bishopbriggs; Rusheyhill Whinstone Quarry; Summerston Brickwork, Summerston; Bishopbriggs Brickworks, Bishopbriggs, also the transport workers are being granted four days’ holidays with pay at the Fair. Key men whose services are retained during the holidays are being paid double time for the period in lieu of loss of holidays. Two hundred employees will participate in this concession. Owing to the orders on hand and the demand for bricks, employees of Cadder Brick Company, I.td., Balmuildy Road, Bishopbriggs, are not being granted holidays, but are receiving double pay for three days, this being the recognised period of holidays. About 50 workers are affected.

1961 – 1962 – A directory of British clay products and manufacturers – Bishopbriggs Brickworks (See Alexandra Transport Ltd) – Composition bricks.

1969 – c.1980 – The 1985 publication ‘A survey of Scottish brickmarks’ suggests the Scottish Brick Corporation were owners.