Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

(Note – SBH – I am not convinced that Luke & Co actually manufactured the fire bricks as a business. There is a good chance that the bricks were manufactured at the Preston Grange Brick and Tile Works and the Luke and Co company name was added to the brick as the purchasing customer for onward selling. Francis Luke was also the manager and secretary of Preston Coal and Fire Brick Co Ltd).

F R & C H Luke & Co, Slate Quarry owners & general factors for building materials Head Office, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

04/12/1878 – Naval & Military Gazette – The following gentlemen were the successful candidates at the recent examinations for assistant clerks in the Royal Navy … Francis R. Luke …

Below – 20/04/1883 – Haddingtonshire Advertiser.

Below – 05/02/1885 – Edinburgh Evening News.

Below – 30/12/1887 – Haddingtonshire Courier.

Below – 29/07/1887 – Haddingtonshire Courier.

Below – 09/11/1888 – Haddingtonshire Courier.

25/05/1889 – The Army and Navy Gazette – The Navy … Appointments … Assistant paymaster … Francis R. Luke to the Anson …(Note – SBH – There are numerous such appointments to different ships referenced in the newspaper archives concerning Francis R. Luke).

Below – 1893 – Prestongrange Coal & Fire Brick Co Ltd, Prestonpans. Manager and secretary Francis R Luke.

07/11/1894 – Aberdeen Press and Journal – To builders, bricklayers and contractors. For sale, a large quantity of finest white enamelled bricks. For prices and particulars apply to Luke and Co, Prestonpans, Nr Edinburgh.

1896 – Luke and Co (Successors to Francis R. Luke) factors for Portland cement, sanitary pipes, bricks, vent linings, cans and builders materials of all kinds. Preston Pans. RSO Haddingtonshire. Tel address Luke Prestonpans.

1897 – Luke & Co, Fire Brick Manufacturers, Preston Pans.

01/07/1897 – Edinburgh Evening News – Penrhyn Quarry Strike. Yesterday there arrived at Leith per s.s James Brand from Newport News, Virginia, USA  a consignment of slates being the first lot which has come into Leith from America. The consignees are Messrs F. R & C. H. Luke & Co, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

28/09/1898 – Edinburgh Evening News – Second-hand red roofing tiles, price 50s per 1000. Apply Messrs F. R & C. H. Luke & Co, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

Below – 1899 – Advert Luke & Co. Agents for P and M Hurll’s Garscube ‘Hydraulic’ Fireclay.

R. & C. H. Luke & Co., Slate Quarry Owners & General Factors for Building Materials, Head Offices: 122, George Street, Edinburgh.

Depots:-

7 Trinity Street, Aberdeen.

8 Dock Place, Leith.

Cromwell Guard Room Warehouse, Citadel, Leith.

2 India Buildings, Dundee.

Ballast Quay, Berwick on Tweed.

Charlestown Harbour (Fife).

Glasgow Slate Depot. (General Terminus).

Manager, Glasgow office, Mr John Kelly, late agent for the Ballachulish Slate Quarries.

Edinburgh TA – Goliath, Edinburgh.

Glasgow TA – Lukes, Glasgow.

Aberdeen TA – Gamma, Aberdeen.

Dundee TA – Luke, India Buildings, Dundee.

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Sole consignees in Scotland for Temple Rogers & Co., enamelled slate and marble chimney pieces, slabs etc.

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Sole agents in Scotland for Peter Wood Limited, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, blue bricks.

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Sole agents in the East and South 0f Scotland for P, & M, Hurll’s “Garscube Hydraulic” fireclay, spiggot and faucet pipes, especially yellow glazed, and Carmyllic Pavement Quarries, Arbroath, est 1861.

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Agents for Coltness Iron Co’s enamelled sanitary goods and bricks.

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Sole agents for Newmans pressed fire bricks and Hermand red facing bricks.

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Sole agents in the East and South of Scotland for the Cleghorn Terracotta Co, Ltd., bricks, tiles etc.

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Sole agents in Scotland and the North of Ireland for Mathews bright red and unfading green slates and sole importers of “Arfon” unfading blue slates in Scotland.

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Sole agents in Scotland for “Goliath” brand London portland cement and importers of Gibbs & Co’s, Peters Bros and other standard brands of best London cement.

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Wholesale agents for Charlestown hydraulic lime.

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Sole agents in East of Scotland for “Glenarm” white Irish lime shells.

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Sole agents in Scotland for the Malkin Tile Works Co., Burslem, manufacturers of encaustic mosaic and glazed tiles for all purposes.  Contractors to Her Majesty’s Government.

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Chimney pieces – Genuinely polished marble & durable enamelled slate.

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Slate Department: Billiard beds, urinals, shelves, lavatories, brewers tanks.

Marble  Department: Counters, window fittings, lavatories, staircases, coil case, tops. All polish on marble is guaranteed to be genuine and free from the use of acids.

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Sole retail agents in Scotland for Purimachos fire-resisting cement (Manufactured only by the Bristol Purimachos Works, Bristol) for building and repairing all structures, exposed to heat, such as Stoves, Ranges, bakers ovens, retorts, furnaces.

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Sole agents in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth and surrounding territory for the British Luxfer Prism Syndicate Ltd, manufacturers of daylight distributing and fire resisting window glass, lucical engineering, luxfer prisms and electric glazing

08/09/1899 – The Scotsman – Man (smart) wanted, to be able to carry cement and do general builder’s merchants store work. Wages 21s per week. Apply in writing to F. R & C. H. Luke & Co, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

28/11/1899 – Dundee Courier – At a committee meeting of Dundee Harbour Board yesterday an offer by R & C. H. Luke & Co, to rent a piece of ground at Carolina Port for the storage of slates was accepted …

Below – 08/03/1900 – Northern Times and Weekly Journal for Sutherland and the North. (Note – SBH – There is no reference to any Scottish Brickworks at this time).

28/03/1902 – The Scotsman – Application for admittance to the Edinburgh Merchant Company were submitted by … Mr Francis R. Luke (F. R & C. H. Luke & Co) …

20/05/1902 – Edinburgh Evening News – Fire was discovered shortly after three o’clock this morning at the cement store at Citadel, Leith, occupied by Messrs F. R. & C. H. Luke & Co., cement merchants. The first floor was burned through and the ceiling damaged. The fire originated in a pile of empty bags.

Below – 06/04/1903 – Goods held by the Trust Estate of F R & C H Luke & Co for sale.

29/07/1903 – The Scotsman – Scotch Bankrupts. Sequestrations F R & C H Luke & Co, factors for building materials and contractors, Edinburgh, Glasgow &c to be examined in the Sheriff Courthouse, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh 4th Augustat 12 o’clock. Creditors will meet in the chambers of John Stuart Gowans, 33 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh 14th August at 2 o’clock.