Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
to a given ratio, mixed with sand from a seam in the same pit. It is then soured
for up to 15 months. Due to the inherent lack of major inclusions, it is no
longer washed but only ground and then pugged ready for moulding.
All rubbers are hand-moulded. The clay on the sanded bench is rolled in to a
clot for throwing in to the dampened and sanded timber mould box. The excess
clay is trimmed with the wire bow and smoothed with a timber 'strike'; the green
brick then turned out on to a pallet and placed on to a drying tray for internal
shed drying. The rubbers dry naturally during a three to four-week period.
During the winter a gas-oil fired blower and under-floor heater are used.
Burning takes place in one of four fuel-oil, up-draught scotch kilns, each
with a capacity of 36,000 bricks. The rubbers, as green-moulded specials, are
set within a box within the upper part of the setting to protect from over-
firing. The fire temperature is from 1,000ºC up to 1,250ºC over 50 hours, time
dependent on the weather, with a cooling period of 5 to 10 days. The loss is
negligible.
No in-house cutting service is offered and all bricks are delivered by contract
haulier on shrink-wrapped pallets, or collected by the customer direct from
their coastal brickyard.
Wm C. Reade Ltd
The Aldeburgh Brickworks
70 High Street
Aldeburgh
Suffolk
IP15 5AF
Tel: 01728 452982
Fax: 01728 454159
e-mail: jba@wmcreade.co.uk or jha@wmcreade.co.uk
Contact: Mr Julian Alexander, General Manager
Michelmersh Brick and Tile Company Ltd,
Hampshire
Michelmersh Brick and Tile Company Limited, based near Romsey (Hamp-
shire), was founded in 1842 and records show that rubbing bricks have been
produced in the area for over 150 years. To fulfil demand from customers for
matching local arches, in the mid-1990s the company began offering purpose-
cut gauged arches for on-site construction from their orange/red and red-
multi range; that have a texture and appearance of many rubbers dating to
before the mid-nineteenth century.
All of Michelmersh products are produced from their Reading Bed Clay,
varying in seam depth from 1.5 to 15 metres; and lies between 1 to 5 metres
