Brick making-Hand made bricks-Beehive brick kiln-rescuingthepast.co.uk

Before the 20th Century, buildings were often constructed with bricks made 'on site' by the local tradesmen & sometimes by traveling contractors moving from job to job, as work permitted.
Clay dug from the cellars & foundation excavations of new buildings was used to make the bricks, the clay being worked to a dough-like consistency, thrown & shaped in wooden moulds. The bricks, after drying for seven to fourteen days were then fired in a temporary clamp style kiln. This type of kiln was simply constructed by stacking the dried bricks on top of a layer of coal appropriately raised from the ground to enable air-flow and sealed with prepared clay. After firing, the clamp kiln would be left for some days until it was broken into and hopefully, the bricks would be sufficiently fired and ready for renovation purposes or new buildings as was needed.
The main advantage of the above method was cost. It was far cheaper making bricks on-site rather than buying them in, and of course money was saved not having to cart and clean away the clay dug for the foundations and cellars.
Permanent kilns, such as the beehive kiln shown below, was useful for making good quality bricks for new buildings, also, for the constant repair work on the estates or within the area they were situated in.

The pictures of the kiln & description of brick making below has been taken from the display at the Acton Scott working farm museum. 2006.

The Acton Scott brick kiln (above pictures) is an upright beehive structure modelled on a surviving kiln, situated at Oreton, near Clee Hill.
Bricks are carefully stacked in the kiln, in such a way, that enables the flames of the fire to pass through the brick stack & so 'burn' the bricks.
When the kiln has been stacked, the fire openings are bricked off & sealed with wet clay, the kiln is fired up & left to burn for three or so days. The openings are then blocked off & all are left to cool slowly for a further three to four days, at which time the bricks are ready for use.

A moulder & clot moulder, with assistance of a feeder, a taking off boy & two men to wheel & hack the bricks, will make about 5,000 bricks in twelve hours, & often more.

“On Wednesday last, Joe Rush at Petersyke, Cumberland, performed the feat of making 1,000 bricks in an hour: 100 in five minutes: and 26 in one minute”. Carlisle Journal. Taken from Edward Dobson's “A Rudimentary Treatise on the manufacture of Bricks and Tiles”, 1850.

Making and using cement. 1830
Artisans mensuration

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