Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
granted every bricklayer who served a traditional five-year apprenticeship the
automatic status of master bricklayer when in fact they were only journeymen.
A true master bricklayer requires not only peer respected consistent excellence
in the execution of all craft skills, combined with technical authority and knowl-
edge, but also thirty plus years on the tools to gain sufficient worthwhile breadth
of experience of basic to the more advanced craft work; including gauged work.
At this time the author was approached by Mr Richard Harris of The Weald
and Downland Open Air Museum (West Sussex) (who previously visited
Bedford College to view the work undertaken there) to develop and present
introductory courses and master classes in gauged brickwork at the museum
site (Fig. 166). This, supported by W.T. Lambs with donations of their over-sized
rubbing bricks as well as pre-cut units, has proved very successful down through
the years, and has led to the introduction of an advanced class in which flat and
Figure 166
A student practicing
dip-laying an ashlared
rubbing brick ready to
build a small panel as
part of an 'Introduction
to Gauged Work'
course at the Weald and
Downland Open-Air
Museum (Sussex), 2005.
camber arch construction is fully examined (Fig. 167). A number of the more
able students have further developed their skills and knowledge through per-
sonal tuition at the author's workshop and are now undertaking quality work on
site. Other organisations have subsequently made efforts to introduce the basics
of gauged brickwork to a wider audience, such as, Essex County Council in con-
junction with Bulmer Brick and Tile Company Limited. The author has also
tutored selected students for a 'The Prince's Foundation Craft Scholarship', the
finer points of cut and rubbed and gauged work.
In recent years national political attention has picked up on problems of
recruitment within the craft of bricklaying. According to the
Construction Skills
Foresight Report 2003
(CITB and CIC, 2003), the average annual requirement for
bricklayers is 5,300. Trainee numbers for construction courses, further education
colleges and training centres show that there are 5,029 for the under 18 age
group, with a further 3,370 from the over 18 age group. It is indicated that of
