Bricks

First published in 1976, Bricks tells the story of bricks in Britain. The story of the brick begins with the sun-dried, mud bricks formed with hands alone. Walls built with such bricks have been found in the ruins of Jericho – probably the oldest town in the world. John Woodforde describes bricks and brickmaking in the ancient world and in Europe and America; he gives a comprehensive account of brickmaking in Britain up to the 1970s. He describes the properties of bricks, including those of the unique fletton brick, manufactured by the London Brick Company. The author looks, too, at the equipment and techniques used to fashion bricks, the brickmakers themselves and brickwork of many kinds: in garden walls, sewers, canals, railways and roads as well as in Hampton Court and the Nash terraces of Regent’s Park. This book will be of interest to students of architecture, engineering, chemistry and construction.