Bricks from Other Sites

Sandhill

Reddish-brown speckled bricks with no frog and the unusual legend below have been found in the Tavistock Canal Tunnel, apparently used c.1869-73 to arch in the bottoms of two shafts. They are stamped thus:
SAND HILL
BRICKWORKS
CALSTOCK

Wagstaffe Bricks

Found in and around the office and manager's house at Impham Brickworks are lightly stamped WAGSTAFFE in thick capitals, in a rectangular, deeply sunken frog. The bricks are slightly thicker than usual, in a rich orange-red fabric, very friable with killas inclusions.

Calstock

Large cubic, slightly wedge-shaped bricks, stamped CALSTOCK are to be found on the site of the 1867-1901 arsenic works at Devon Great Consols Mine, Gulworthy. Their shape and findspot suggests that they may have formed part of the arching of the flues or labyrinth of the works. It would be interesting to know whether other bricks like this are known from other arsenic works in Devon or Cornwall - none are known to the author.

It is possible that those in this photograph are of the same source - they are certainly the same colour. These are to be found forming a wall footing at the south-east side of the remains of the DGC arsenic works and the holes are suggestive of interlocking flue linings. Again, the shape of these is outside the author's experience.'

Hancock

Two of these bricks are present, of a relatively fine red-brown fabric with no frog. The stamp W HANCOCK is in small capitals, unusually on the side of the brick.

Dennis

A loud orange-red colour with the name DENNIS in serifed capitals in a deep rectangular frog. These were dumped in both the railway cutting and sawpit.

Rufford

Yellow speckled fire bricks by Francis Rufford of Trowbridge, Gloucestershire, have been found recycled on various parts of the Morwellham site, but all seem to have been used in the last lining of the small limekiln behind the Ship Inn, probably dating from the 1830s-40s. The majority of the frogless bricks are not identified, their colour varying from pale yellow to light orange. Two with stamps have been found, with
F. RUFFORD
TROWBRIDGE in large serifed capitals.
Identical bricks were used in 1840 to line an underfloor heating duct in the Town Church, St Helier, Jersey. This provides a fixed date for these occasionally stamped, but usually plain, frogless firebricks.