 Best Environmental Web site 2006
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The Brick and Tile Making Process
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Working the Clay
At Haunchwood No 1 Yard explosives were used to loosen the clay within the clay hole and it was then loaded into tubs by men using picks and shovels. In the latter years mechanical diggers were used, but vibrations from the machines caused the pure clay to be mixed with other material, resulting in poor quality bricks.
The clay was carried from the clay hole to the brick yard in tram tubs, which moved along a cable pulled double trackway, four at a time. The tubs were clipped onto the metal cable, which was about one inch thick. This was dangerous work as there were no guards to prevent feet from getting tangled in the cable.
On arrival at the yard the tubs were tipped via a 'Tippler' down a 45 degree slope into a hopper. This was then hauled up the slope into the Top Mill for processing.
Inside the Top Mill the raw clay passed through two sets of rollers where it was crushed into fine dust. This was then mixed with water to form a workable clay and fed down a chute to the pressing machines. Here it was cut into blocks using a wire cutter and then pressed into brick, tile or chimney pot moulds. Some of this pressing and moulding was done by machine, some by hand.
The shaped bricks, tiles and pots were then loaded onto boards and carried by barrow to the drying sheds | |
| Drying and Firing
The floors of the drying sheds were made out of special tiles called 'molt tiles', which had lots of little air holes to allow warm air to rise up through the wet bricks to dry them ready for fiting. The bricks were laid out on this floor end up.
The dried bricks were loaded onto barrows which had one wheel at the centre. They were carefully stacked to ensure the barrow was balanced otherwise it would be difficult to push. Chimney pots were carried two at a time on a flat barrow with four wheels. The barrow had a leather covering with a dip in the middle to support the pots and prevent them from collapsing
Gangs of four men worked together to wheel the dried bricks to the kilns for firing. Inside the kiln was a man called a 'setter' who laid out the bricks in sections with spaces between to allow the hot air to circulate. Dry sand was scattered between the layers of bricks to prevent them from sticking together.
When the kilns were full to the top, piles of loose bricks called 'baggins' were stacked between the bricks and the fires to prevent the flames from reaching the new bricks. The coal fires were lit and the entrances sealed with loose bricks and daub (sandy clay mix) to seal the gaps. The fires were lit and tended by specialist 'Firemen'. |
Drawing and Stacking
The bricks were fired at a temperature between 950 degrees celsius and 1150 degrees celsius. The time taken depended upon the type of brick but it was usually between one and a half and two days.
Removing the bricks from the kiln is called 'drawing the kiln'. First the entrances were knocked down to allow the heat to escape. When it was cool enough, the men went inside to remove the bricks. They wore special leather hand protectors as the bricks had very sharp edges. If any bricks had stuck together a rubber mallet was used to tap them apart.
The bricks were then loaded onto barrows once more and wheeled across the railway cutting via a wooden plank to the 'Bank' where they were stacked ready for distribution by lorry, railway or in the early days, horse drawn cart. | 
(courtesy of Yvonne Everitt) |
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