16/11/1950 – Dundee Courier – Concrete Worker wanted to take charge of brick plant at Dufftown. Apply in writing to General Manager, Parkmore Limes Ltd, Dufftown stating experience and salary expected.
1951 – A rich vein of limestone runs through the parish and at the present time there are upwards of 60 people engaged in the lime industry in Mortlach. The earliest lime works of any consequence appears to have been at Tininver, its first quarry, Priest’s Quarry, being in the neighbourhood of the Roman Catholic Chapel. Later the Tininver Works had another quarry farther along the road from the kilns towards Poolinch. The Richmond Lime Works are of a later date and their quarry provides road stone at the present time for the County Council. At first, the two works were carried on independently and later together by a company, two of whose directors were Mr George Gordon, Abbeyfield, (an Elgin surveyor and at one time a tenant of Tullochallum) and a Mr George Grant of Elgin. This company withdrew from the lime business in 1903, when J. and C. Kemp, proprietors of Parkmore Lime Works. entered into a lease of the ‘Tininver Works’, working them only during the busy season. It is doubtful if any lime was produced at Richmond Works after 1903. Parkmore Lime Works began operations about 1891 under James Kemp, who was then proprietor of the land on which they are situated. He succeeded in getting the railway to install a siding in front of the kilns, a great advantage in those days of no motor transport. On the death of James Kemp in 1903, his two, sons, James and Charles, became proprietors and in 1912 they brought into use a patent gas-fired kiln. In 1938 ownership was transferred to Mr James G. Birnie and in 1943 Parkmore Limes Limited was formed, with Mr W. D. Hutcheon, Turriff and Mr Birnie as directors. Besides the usual lump of shell lime for builders and plasterers, ground lime and ground limestone are produced for agricultural purposes. The limestone is also crushed for poultry grit, while lime hydrate is another product. Since 1945 Government subsidy has led to a boom in the production of agricultural lime and a considerable fleet of lorries and specially equipped lime-spreaders transport this product over the whole of the northeast. In 1951 a brick factory was established as a by-product and for this Parkmore Limes Ltd. have taken a lease of the Convalleys sand quarry.
Below – 13/01/1955 – Dundee Courier – Parkmore Limes Limited, Dufftown advertise for a manager. Lime works with brick producing plant attached.
Below – 16/01/1968 – Aberdeen Press and Journal – Assistant sales manager required for concrete brick and block works.
22/09/1969 – Aberdeen Press and Journal – Foreman required to take charge of concrete brick and block production. Time served tradesmen preferred but not essential. Good wages and pension scheme. Apply Parkmore Limes Ltd, Dufftown.
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…
