Many thanks to Chantal Soucy and Jean-Marie Fallu for the following photographs.
These Scottish bricks were found on the Beach of Barachois, Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec, Canada.
The bricks were found near two old sawmills erected around the beginning of 1900 by the Sherbrooke Lumber Co. and the Calhoun Lumber Co. There are still remnants of milling activity.
The Scottish bricks were found alongside bricks stamped ‘Lucas’ and Carr’ from the North East of England.
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Below – A broken ‘Gartcraig’ brick and a broken ‘Rawyards, Glasgow’ brick.
Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, by Millerston, Glasgow.
Rawyards Brickworks, Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
Below – Calder bricks.
Hepworth Ceramic Holdings plc (GR-Stein Refractories Ltd. parent co) bought the Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co. Ltd in 1972, closed Bonnybridge works in 1973 and closed Chapelhall in 1980. Therefore between 1972 and 1980, GR-Stein Refractories probably continued to manufacture bricks with this trademark for a time.
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Below – A mystery brick found at the same location – ‘Cramton’. The origins of this brick are unknown but the colour, fabric and the style and size of the lettering very much remind me of bricks manufactured at the Atlas and Etna Brickworks, Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland.
Etna Brickworks, Armadale, West Lothian.
Alternative brickworks include:
and Atlas Brickworks, Bathville, Armadale, West Lothian.
Below – This ‘Special’ brick was also found at the Beach of Barachois. The manufacturer is unknown.
The above is very similar in look to this ‘Special’ brick found in the Glasgow, Scotland area and tentatively attributed to the Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, by Millerston, Glasgow.
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 Ian Suddaby in the Ravenscraig, Motherwell area. This example is not in my possession. Rawyards Brickworks, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. . . .
