Bricks: More than just a building block!
Rarely do we walk down the street and pay any particular attention to bricks. Bricks are everywhere and we generally take them for granted, why? Probably the reason we ignore bricks is because we are so used to looking at them on our own house when in the garden, or the view through the front or rear windows of our property may look directly at a very similar, if not the same type of build. Many people would think that a brick is just a brick, maybe different colours exist, but that’s about as far as the changes go. In fact, the humble brick has more diversity and heritage than most would give it credit for.
The history of bricks and brick building is rich and the different textures, colours and properties of bricks is extremely diverse. Different periods in time have seen certain brick types favoured over others too.
For example, from the 1930’s onwards many houses were built using ‘fletton’ type bricks made fromcharacteristic lower Oxfordshire clays. Our Tradesman range has been meticulously designed to blend in with these bricks, whenever they are used. Trademan’s superior durability and strength means they are ideal for use in most locations, such as boundary walls and wall cappings or to match existing brickwork for extensions and other refurbishments. They are also popular because of their excellent colour consistency and are also easy to lay with minimal wastage.
Ibstock bricks: More than just a brand name
Ibstock actually takes its name from the original base in the village of Ibstock in Leicestershire, where the Company headquarters is still situated. Brickmaking has taken place on the site as far back as 1830. In 1899, the Company was registered as Ibstock Collieries Ltd. Its principal activity was coal mining as well as quarrying clay for the manufacture of bricks and pavers.
Ibstock Ltd now has twenty four brick and paver plants with a total annual capacity in excess of 900 million bricks. The Company employs a total of 1960 people across the UK and has the backing of one of the world’s largest building materials companies.
As market leader in the UK, Ibstock is well-placed in the market and continuous investment in manufacturing equipment and people will ensure that it will prosper for many years to come.
The London Brick Company: A standard amongst bricks
Possibly one of the most widely used bricks around today is the bricks manufactured by the London Brick Company. These bricks have the tell tale ‘LBC’ marking on the inside of the frog.
The original London brick goes back over 130 years and has been used in the construction of over five million homes. There are twenty three bricks in the range available in the standard 65mm size with 4 types available in 73mm.
The LBC range has a variety of colours and textures, from a classic Rustic brick, symbolic of the housing boom in the second half of the 20th century, through to yellows and buffs, such as Saxon Gold and Honey Buff.
Bricks for different regions
Different styles of bricks have been developed over many years and as discussed, certain bricks have come to be associated with a particular period of time. This is much the same as interior colour schemes and the varying textures that denote certain decades. Woodchip wallpaper, garish orange kichen cupboards and wipe clean formica work tops were, like the different bricks, evocative of the style of their time. Different regions have also been linked to certain bricks too.
The pairing of bricks with a particular region is often because of the raw materials used in their manufacture, being locally sourced. The composition of clays and sands can vary widely from one region to another, this lends itself to a completely unique aesthetic in the finished brick. Not only can the composition of the locally sourced materials effect the look, they can dramatically effect the texture of the brick too.
West Hoathly Medium Multi Brick
A classic example of local materials finding their way into the manufacture of the bricks is the West Hoathly Medium Multi Brick. Situated deep in the West Sussex countryside, West Hoathly is famed for its character stock bricks, not just locally, but throughout the country. Made from prehistoric Wealden clays fired in traditional clamps, West Hoathly bricks continue to give a depth of warmth and colour developed generations ago.
The bricks are fired using unique recipes and techniques to produce West Hoathly’s trademark colours. They are then sorted by hand to ensure quality and consistency.
All West Hoathly bricks are available in both 65mm and 50mm formats, whilst the Sussex Stock Paver is ideal for most domestic paving situations such as patios, paths and driveways.
So you see there is more to the simple brick than a mere building block. They can reflect the character of a particular region or even celebrate the heritage of a long established brick making company.