Friday, November 8, 2013

Victorian Bricks



Sample from my old backyard collection










Brick Manufacture in Victoria has been dominated by a small number of companies who adopted Bradley & Craven mechanical brick presses, and the Hoffman continuous kiln technologies in the last decades of the 19th centuries.

Northcote, Brunswick, Hawthorn and Camberwell provided the early clay grounds, and hence brickworks, but small brick pits were opened up across Melbourne and most larger country towns, wherever suitable clay could be found and there was a demand for the product.

Following will be a sample of bricks I have collected mostly from demolition sites, sometimes to the surprise of the contractors: 

Can I have some of the bricks?

"How Many do you want?" (obviously calculating the $50 a ton value)

One or Two

"Huh?" 


2 comments:

  1. one not on your list is Colac Bricks see http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23992113. I remember going to clearing sales in the area in the 1970's and seeing some.

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  2. Does anyone know the location of a clay pit known as "STRANDS CLAY PIT" Albert Street, Brunwisck?

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