Dockra or Dokra Brickworks, Old Mill Quarry, Beith.
1893 – 1896 – Dockra Limeworks, Robert Anderson, Lime Master, Beith. Station Barrmill.
1901 – 1904 – Dockra Limeworks, Robert Anderson, Lime Master, Beith. Station Barrmill.
The Dockra Lime Company started a brick making venture at the Old Mill Quarry, Beith.
1953 – The 1985 publication ‘A survey of Scottish brickmarks’ suggests the Dockra Brickworks, Old Mill (Limestone Quarry), Highgate near Beith commenced in 1953.
They made cement / concrete bricks. Initially, they had a frog and then this was removed and a flat block was manufactured.
They were then taken over by Edenhall Concrete Products, Edenhall, Penrith …
c. 1955 – PD Edenhall Ltd have been manufacturers of concrete products since 1955.
Below – 25/06/1970 – The Glasgow Herald – Makers of composition bricks at Avonbridge and Brucefield Works and sole distributors of Dockra, Cults and Fort William bricks.
1986 – Edenhall Concrete Products were in turn bought over by Boral an Australian Company – … In 1986, the Edenhall site and others across the UK were sold for almost £8 million to Australian company Boral, which ran it until the mid-1990s when the whole of what had become Boral Edenhall was acquired by Hanson for around £12 million.
Boral History – … There was also an ironworks, a single quarry and a cable manufacturing business. The foundry had operated from the same site for 160 years. Boral promptly sold the quarry and later the foundry and the cable manufacturing business and concentrated on improving the management of both Pozzolanic and Lytag. The ironworks were sold at a handsome profit in 1986 and this money was then used to purchase Edenhall Concrete Products. This company was owned by a larger UK company that was anxious to quit the building products industry. Neal comments, ‘There were about fifteen concrete products plants ranging from Cumbria in the north, down to London. It wasn’t making any money but we recognised that it was the sort of business that Boral understood, in that it was similar to our Australian concrete product operations.’ Once Edenhall was bought, Neal sent over a team of Australians to manage and streamline the operations. This proved very successful and the business was operating at a profit within a year …
The following refractory castable test samples were found during ground works at the Manuel Brickworks, Whitecross by Ian Suddaby and myself. These laboratory test samples are cement-based and have been marked with a marker type pen. Below – The cut edge of each sample. Below – some close up photographs of the cut edge. ….
Found at the Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank. These roof tiles appear to have been pressed or moulded using a cement mix. Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank, Alloa, Stirlingshire. . . . .
Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank, Alloa, Stirlingshire. 1913 – Works not present on this map. Below – 1946 – Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank (At B.M. – 20.28) Below – 1951 – Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank. Below – 1967 – Alloa Tileworks, Forthbank. Below – An assemblage of ‘Alloa’ roof tiles found on site. These look as if they are…
Many thanks to Lindsay Smith and Ian Roy for assisting in the finding and recovery of this brick from the Newpark Estate in Bellsquarry, Livingston area. Shotts Sand-Lime Brickworks, Shotts, North Lanarkshire aka locally as the ‘White Brickworks’. 06/05/1924 – The Scotsman – Electrical engineer’s visit to Shotts Works – Members of the West of…
Found by Ian Suddaby in the Dumbarton area. This example is not in my possession. Scottish Dunbrik Ltd, Stannergate, Dundee. . . . .
Russell Roof Tiles Below – 20/09/1990 – Galloway News – Russell Roof Tiles Ltd wish to recruit an Assistant Production Manager for their production facility at Lochmaben Nr Lockerbie The Company which is a member of the Alexander Russell Group of Companies manufactures quality roof tiles slates together with accessories in a highly competitive market…
Russell Roof Tiles 11/06/1987 – Galloway News – The Annandale Tile Co (1986) Ltd manufacturers of quality concrete roof tiles is a recently acquired subsidiary of the Alexander Russell group of companies. Their plans for business development have created an opportunity for an additional sales executive to represent their product range throughout North Cumbria, Borders…
Found by Ian Suddaby. These examples are not in my possession. They are made from cement/concrete, not clay. Ian states – These roof tiles were made by Russell Roof Tiles, possibly at Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire. The company was started near Glasgow by Alexander Russell in 1892. They’re made of a type of concrete, not clay. Nice though, and…
In ‘The British Clay Worker’ magazine dated 15/12/1952 there is an article entitled ‘Recent patents. An improvement hollow building brick or block. Stanislaw Sulich, 35 Grampian Road, Torry, Aberdeen. No 682,010’. This invention relates to an improvement in or modification of the building brick or block claimed and described in Patent No 607,557. This invention…
(Note – SBH – I have added some mention of Siporex here as a matter of interest only. It was a purely cement-based brick – no clay of any description used). Below – 12/06/1959 – Wishaw Press – Costain Concrete Co Ltd will manufacture Siporex in Scotland from early 1960. Siporex is a lightweight autoclaved…
