Tuesday 29 October 2013

Walter Straw, Brickmaker, Sutton in Ashfield



With new information coming to light, I have now re-written this entry. The Straw family started as earthenware potters branching out at a later date to make bricks.

Census records reveal that there were two potters by the name of Walter Straw in Sutton in Ashfield. Walter senior (1830 -1888) was followed in the family business by his son Walter junior (1860 -1915) & it was Walter junior who was the brickmaker/potter.

A recent visit to the National Trust's Mr Straw's House in Worksop has also revealed that Benjamin & William Straw who moved from Sutton to run a grocers shop in Worksop were the sons of Walter senior & brother to Walter junior & with kind permission of the House Steward of Mr Straw's House I have added my photo of Walter senior to the post. Walter's photo hangs in one of the bedroom on the top floor.


So I start with some information about Walter senior who is only listed in trade directories & the census as a potter & these listings are as follows. Also to note in these listings is that Walter first owned a pottery on Eastfield Side (name of the road & coloured yellow on the map below) & then set up a second works called the Red House Pottery on Mansfield Road.
1861 Census Walter Straw, earthenware pottery maker, 30; wife Charlotte, 30 & Walter junior, 1, living on Eastfield Side.
Morris 1869 edition, Walter Straw, pottery manufacturer, Eastfield Side, S-in-A.
1871 Census Walter Straw, pot manufacturer & farmer, wife Charlotte, sons Walter junior, Benjamin, William, living at Red House Pottery, Mansfield Road.
Kelly's 1876 edition, Walter Straw, garden pot & earthenware manufacturer, Eastfield Pottery Works, Eastfield Side. 
1881 Census Walter Straw, potter & farmer of 33 acres, employing 6 men & 16 boys, 2nd wife Elizabeth (Charlotte had died), Walter junior, 21 & listed as a potter, Benjamin,19, William, 16, both listed as grocer apprentices, with all the family living on Mansfield Road (next to the pottery works).
White's 1885 edition, Walter Straw, manufacturer of garden pottery & glazed earthenware, Forest Side Potteries.

 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1877.

Now on to Walter Straw junior the maker of these W. Straw bricks & local historian Luther Lindley wrote in 1907, that Walter Straw (junior) owned two potteries, but are now closed. His residence was built on a site which formerly stood a windmill & his stack yard was on land next to the Baptist Church off Eastfield Side (name of road, coloured yellow). T
he 1877 map above shows Straw's two potteries, Red House Pottery coloured brown was opposite the school on Mansfield Road & the second was on Eastfield Side also coloured brown. The corn windmill (brown) is where Walter junior around 1900 built his grand house called Herne House. Today it stands on the corner of Skegby Road & Hill Crescent. I have added a 2018 photograph at the end of the post of this much extended house which was made into flats many years ago, but the front of the house although updated with modern windows & a new roof basically remains the same. Local legend says that he built his house not fronting Skegby Road, but at an angle so it faced his pottery works opposite, so he could watch to see if his workers arrived on time for their shift. All the streets & buildings on this 1877 map situated around Walter's stock yard next to the marked Baptist Church no longer exist. After they were demolished Tudsbury hosiery factory was built on part of the land, but today that has also been demolished & the cleared site is waiting to be redeveloped. First this land was going to used for industrial units, then it was changed to houses & now in 2018 an application has been put forward to build a Lidl supermarket there.

Walter senior died in 1888 & from 1895 Walter Straw (junior) is listed in directories in the Brick & Tile Makers section as well as in the Earthenware Manufacturers section. So the trade directory & Census entries are as follows.
1891 Census, Walter Straw, single 31, pot manufacturer & farmer, step-mother Elizabeth, 50 & brother Frank Straw, 16, all living at Red House, Mansfield Road. S-in-A.
Kelly's 1895 edition, Walter Straw is listed at Eastfield Side in the Brick Makers section & at Forest Side in the Earthenware Makers section. 
1901 Census, Walter Straw, single 41, Brick Manufacturer, step-mother Elizabeth, 60, both living with a servant at 28, Skegby Road, Herne House, S-in-A. Walter's new house is not shown on the 1898 revised OS map, so the building of Herne House must taken place around 1899 - 1900 with him being in residence for the 1901 Census. 
McDonald's 1903 edition - Brick & Tile Makers section, Walter Straw, Mansfield Road, S-in-A. 
Kelly's 1904 edition contains the last trade directory entries for Walter listing him just at Sutton in Ashfield in both the Brick Makers section & the Earthenware Makers section.
1911 Census records Walter as a retired potter, single & still living at Herne House with his step-mother Elizabeth now aged 70. 
Walter died in 1915 aged 55. 

I originally thought that Walter junior made his bricks at one of his two pottery sites, the Red House Pottery site being on Mansfield Road same as recorded in McDonald's Directory, but with Kelly's 1895 directory recording him as brickmaking at Eastfield Side, I now think he owned the red brickworks as shown on the map above, with this area of Sutton being marked on an older map as East Field. This works was only a short distance from his potteries & his grand house which I have coloured brown on the map above. Another fact which has drawn me to the conclusion that Walter owned the red coloured brickyard is that his father owned the next field to this brickworks & is numbered field 506 on the map above. This fact has come from an article wrote by local historian Luther Lindley in 1907, in which Lindley states Walter Straw (senior) owned the land (field 506) on Outram Street where St. Michael's Church was built. The sum of £2,000 was paid to Walter (senior) for the land & the church was opened in 1887. 

I have now added the 1898 map below which shows the red brickworks in relationship to St Michael's Church (blue). This area of Sutton by 1900 was now called New Cross.  I have to note & this is a little bit confusing is that all this part of Sutton from New Cross along Mansfield Road (green) & including Eastfield Side (road of that name & coloured yellow) to Sutton reservoir is now called Forest Side. It appears this brickworks closed after Walter retired from brickmaking & this may have been shortly after 1904, his last trade directory entry.

 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1898.


This W. Straw example has come from a house in the New Cross area which is only a short distance from Walter's brickworks. 


Walter Straw's Herne House in 2018 photographed from Hill Crescent. I don't think he would be able to stand at his bedroom window to look over to his pottery today as the view is totally obscured by two large trees. The Red House pottery site is now occupied by a plumbing salesroom & before that when I was a lad the buildings were a Wolseley & Riley car showroom.

With recently visiting Mr. Straw's House in Worksop the National Trust are displaying a wine cooler which is thought to have been made at Walter Straw's Sutton pottery, but the guides told me that the pot is not marked & they cannot say for certain that it was made at Walter's pottery. What they have told me is that Benjamin & William Straw, Walter senior's sons, sold there fathers pots & earthenware in their grocers shop in Worksop & the Trust have sent me a newspaper advert dated 2nd of April 1886 for the Straw's grocers shop advertising Mr. Walter Straw's Sutton-in-Ashfield made earthenware, a copy of which is displayed below. 


My photo of the wine cooler reproduced with the permission of the House Steward of Mr. Straw's House, Worksop.


Advertisement reproduced with the permission of the House Steward of Mr. Straw's House, Worksop.

If you would like to visit Mr. Straw's House in Worksop which has chiefly remained unchanged since the 1920's please see the link below as you have to book your visit due to the size of the house.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mr-straws-house 



While I was searching trade directories for Walter Straw as brickmaker in Sutton in Ashfield, I was finding in the Brick & Tile Makers section listings for William then Walter Straw as brickmaker in Farnsfield, Notts. These entries had got me stumped until I came across an extended family tree of the Straw Family on Ancestry. This family tree showed that William Straw 1824-1904, a potter was born in Sutton in Ashfield & was the older brother of our Sutton Walter (senior) 1830-1888. So it appears William moved to Farnsfield to make pots & then bricks. William was then followed at his Farnsfield works by his son Walter 1863-1954. These are the trade directory entries for Farnsfield Straw's as brickmakers - William, Kelly's 1876 & 1885. Walter, White's 1894, then Kelly's 1895, 1900, 1904 & 1908. 

I am now wondering if William & Walter also stamped there bricks "W. Straw". It's one I will have to investigate. 
Update - After talking to locals & scouring Farnsfield for Straw made bricks & visiting the sites of the brickworks & pottery of which there are no remains of all & are now in private gardens, I have come to the conclusion that the Straw's did not make the standard house bricks for the time, but made the smaller hand made bricks which can be seen in buildings throughout Farnsfield & these Straw made bricks were made so they matched the existing bricks when alterations or extensions were made to buildings in the village. If by chance a Straw stamped brick does turn up, I will add it to the post.

Below is the 1883 OS map of Farnsfield showing the Straw's brickyard & pottery. 


© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1883.




Thursday 24 October 2013

Wharton & Chambers, Brickmakers, Kirkby-in-Ashfield & Kirkby Station Brickworks

 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1898.

In the 1912 & 1916 editions of Kelly's Trade Directory, Wharton & Chambers are recorded as brickmakers at Hodgkinson Road, Kirkby in Ashfield. Notts. This is all the information that I have been able to find about these two brickmakers. Their yard is shown on the 1898 map above coloured green & this yard is still shown on the 1938 map, whether W & C were still at this yard at this date is unknown. 

The 1877 map below shows that this yard (green) is just shown as brick kilns & was accessed via a lane which later became Hodgkinson Road. Maybe there was a brickmaker called Hodgkinson around 1877 & working there, hence the road being named after him ? 

Updated 21.2.17. 
Kelly's 1881 edition has revealed that there was a brickmaker by the name of Hodgkinson, so I was correct in my theory of this access lane being named after him. The entry is George Hodgkinson, Kirkby in Ashfield. I then found that this yard was then taken over by Thomas Brunt who is recorded in Kelly's 1888 & 91 editions at Kirkby Folly. In 1888 this part of Kirkby-in-Ashfield (today it's the town centre) is shown on maps as East Kirkby & was also known as Kirkby Folly. White's 1894 edition now records the owner of this yard as Mrs. Sarah Brunt, Kirkby-in-Ashfield. Kelly's 1895 & 1900 editions records T. Brunt as brickmaker at East Kirkby, so this could be Thomas again or his son ? Then Kelly's 1904 & 08 editions now records W. Brunt as brickmaker at East Kirkby, so possibly Thomas' son this time. This then takes us to the Wharton & Chambers entry in Kelly's 1912 edition for this works.

The brickworks which I have coloured red on the 1898 map above was owned by Benjamin Holmes & I covered Benjamin & his sons in my previous post. The area which I have coloured yellow had been a brick works & I write about this yard next.


Photo by MF.

Photo by Frank Lawson.


 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1877.

Updated 3.1.17.
With just recently writing about Heanor brickmakers it has revealed who may have worked at the brickyard which was next to Kirkby railway station on Station Street (coloured yellow on the 1877 map above). To give you an idea of the location of this works it was situated between Station Street & Pond Street. 

So on to the information found. A family website has revealed that Alfred William Claxton before owning & running a brick yard in Heanor (1901 Census), he is recorded in the 1891 Census as brickmaker in Kirkby & living on Station Street with his second wife & their children & his children from his first marriage. His son Arthur aged 17 in 1891 & from his first marriage was also to become a brickmaker with his father at their Nelson Street yard in Heanor. 

So with Alfred living on Station Street, Kirkby in 1891 this has drawn me to think that he worked at this Station Street yard. Then with him being in Heanor by 1901 & this Kirkby yard is no longer shown on the 1898 map only as a clay pit, this is why I have come to the conclusion that Alfred was at this Station Street yard. When his Nelson Street yard Heanor had closed we find that Alfred/Arthur may have moved to Ripley to become brickmakers there as there is a listing for A. Claxton & Sons in Kelly's 1916 edition. 

Alfred & his family had moved to Kirkby from Norfolk around 1876 with his first wife Ann giving birth to their daughter, Frances in that year at Kirkby. The 1881 census records Alfred as a labourer & living with his family on New Street in Kirkby.

Also found in Kelly's 1876 edition that a Mr. Oliver (no initial given in this entry) is listed as brickmaker at the yard "near to the railway station, Kirkby in Ashfield." So it appears Mr. Oliver owned this yard before Alfred Claxton worked there. Morris's 1877 trade directory has revealed that Mr. Oliver's first name was Thomas & he is listed as brick & tile manufacturer in Kirkby. Then Benjamin Holmes is recorded as brickmaker in Kirkby from 1871, so he may have worked at this Kirkby Station yard before establishing his own brickworks on Portland Street in 1888. I have to also note that there is the option that Benjamin Holmes could have worked at the green yard owned by George Hodginson or another small yard at The Summit on Lowmoor Road as shown on a 1877 map. This Summit brick yard was taken over by the Butterley Co. when they sunk their Kirkby/Summit Colliery next to it in 1887. Please follow this Link to my Benjamin Holmes post to view this 1887 map which shows the Summit brick yard. (halfway down the post).





Wednesday 23 October 2013

Benjamin Holmes, Brickmaker, Kirkby in Ashfield


Photo by Frank Lawson.

Benjamin Holmes was born in 1835 at Bagthorpe, Selston, Notts. In the 1851 census Benjamin is recorded as a brickyard labourer aged 15 & then in the 1861 census he is recorded as a Selston brickmaker & living with his brother-in-law Levi Hankin. By 1871 Benjamin had moved to Kirkby-in-Ashfield, living on Forest Street & still working as a brickmaker. In 1895 Benjamin had his own brickmaking business & brickyard on Portland Street, collecting clay from a field on Lowmoor Road. He also went to live on Portland Street. His two sons John (born 1873) & James (born 1875) took over the business at date unknown & in 1902 John & James established a new brickworks on Lowmoor Road. This was on the land that they had previously dug their clay from & this works covered a very large area of land which is now occupied by Tesco Express, Farm Foods & a Car Auto Centre, with the site extending from the back of these properties to the houses on Marlborough Road. The business prospered employing several local men which included Messrs J Radish, T Dring, W Smith, H Gregory, J Flint, J Butler, Sid Taylor, Tom Houlston, Sid Houlston, Earnest Marriot, Herbert Cutts, Bert Mercer & Jack Wykes. After John died in 1915, James carried on until his son, William (born1904) took over the business. The company ceased work when William & his workers were called up for war in 1939. After the war due to the deterioration of machinery & shortage of coal, William did not re-open the yard. The company was well known for producing top quality house bricks & so called ” Fancy Bricks” which can be seen on the houses in the streets around the works & district, which were built before 1939. The streets off Diamond Avenue are particularly rich in “Holmes’s Bricks.”  James passed away in 1959 & William in 1967.  Many Thanks to Betty & Joan, Benjamin’s Great-Grand Daughters for providing me with this information & photos. Betty & Joan are daughters of William & William was James' son & James was Benjamin's second son.

Top Left - William 1904 - 1967. Bottom Right - James 1875 - 1959.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1900.
Benjamin's Portland Street works in 1900.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1921.
This 1921 map shows the new brick yard on Lowmoor Road. The old yard on Portland Street now has railway sidings on it & today this site is occupied by two factories, a builders merchants & a diy shop.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1938.
1938 map now showing Alexandra Street, Marlborough Road & Milton Street encompassing Holmes's brickworks.


With Benjamin's name being removed from the plate which made this brick, it will have been made by John & James after they had took over the running of their father's business in the early 1900's. 




This paving brick is shown in the catalogue below & will also have been an early example made by John & James. 




Some of Holmes's Fancy Bricks photographed in Kirkby with some featuring in this catalogue.









With Holmes being positioned central in this example, it will have been made by John & James.


Benjamin Holmes is first recorded in Kelly's 1888 edition at Kirkby Folly & this is followed by the same entry in Kelly's 1891 edition. From 1894 to 1900 editions the works is listed as East Kirkby. Then in the 1904 to 1925 editions the company is now recorded as Benjamin Holmes & Sons, East Kirkby. From the 1928 edition the works is listed as Lowmoor Road, East Kirkby. Benjamin's name & this address continues until the last available directory in 1941. 
As previously wrote Benjamin owned his own works on Portland Street in 1894/5 & his sons then established a new works on Lowmoor Road in 1902. Benjamin had passed his business down to his sons, with it then being passed down to his grandson, but the name of the company remained in Benjamin's name. As already said William did not reopen the works after WW2, due to the deterioration of machinery & shortage of coal. 

Going back to the entries for Benjamin in Kelly's 1888 & 91 editions & these entries record him as brickmaker at Kirkby Folly, so this now poses the question where was Benjamin working at these dates. I have found that Kirkby Folly was another name for East Kirkby, so there is the option that Benjamin first rented the Portland Street brickyard in 1888 before purchasing the land in 1895. Although I do not have any information from Benjamin's great-granddaughter's to collaborate this option, I think this is what happened.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of NLS/Ordnance Survey 1877.

As previously wrote, Benjamin had moved to Kirkby by 1871 & he is recorded in the 1871 census as a brickmaker in Kirkby. So the only option is that he worked for someone else between 1871 & 1888. The 1877 map above shows that neither Portland Street or a brickyard existed at this date, (the location of which was in the next field above the red marked brickworks), so we know that Benjamin did not work there. 

This 1877 map does show three brickyards in East Kirkby at this date & I have established that the yellow coloured yard at The Summit was taken over & later expanded by the Butterley Co. who sank Kirkby/Summit Colliery next to it in 1887. The green coloured yard was owned by George Hodkinson in 1881 & the red coloured yard next to Kirkby Station was owned by Mr. Oliver in 1876. So Benjamin could have worked at any of these yards between 1871 & 1888. If I do find any concrete evidence for my theories, I will update the post.

Update 4.9.17.
After visiting the nearly demolished CWS building on North Street, Huthwaite, I found that the outer walls of this building had been made with "Holmes's bricks" with the same lettering as the top one below. The main part of this building which fronted North Street & High Street was constructed in 1907. So it will have been a very lucrative contract suppling all those bricks for the Holmes family. Six photos of the CWS building can be seen at this link under the heading of North Street. 

The following three examples will have been made by John, James or William.




Many Thanks to Steve & Tom, two of my "brick scouts" for finding me this Benjamin Holmes brick in Kirkby. It's a little battle worn, but the lettering is spot on.



Photos by Richard Bull.

A Holmes reverse Best Pressed brick found by Richard Bull at Pye Bridge, Derbys. in March 2023, one which I have not seen before.