2008 Yearbook

42 Y e a r b o o k 2 0 0 8 BUILDING · CONSERVATION INSTITUTE · OF · HISTORIC · supplied replacements for an ornate balustrade in the form of a fleur de lys . At Jesus College we supplied bricks for the parapets and, again, some very ornate chimneys. Although we continue to be asked occasionally to replace ornate brickwork in badly weathered chimneys, we have a much more regular demand for non-standard plain bricks for historic buildings. For the restoration of Murray Mills in Ancoats, Manchester, for example, we supplied 100,000 special-sized and special- textured bricks for its restoration, as the original bricks were handmade on site from clay excavated from the canal basin itself, and so varied in both size and quality. For the Valve House, Icknefield Park, Birmingham, which was probably designed by Thomas techniques remain traditional, we have adopted the most up-to-date quality assurance system to ISO9001.2000, and the drying, firing and other parts of the production cycle have been modernised and updated. We bought state-of-the-art computerised kilns which enable us to control the temperature far more accurately and guarantee a more consistent product than could be achieved in traditional kilns. Through careful use of modern technology and the ingenuity of the works management we have been able to maintain the appearance of traditional firing but with a much more predictable outcome. The projects which we have supplied since our inception in 1988 include Hatfield House and Jesus College, Cambridge. At Hatfield we Telford as part of the improvements he made to the Birmingham Canal Navigations, we supplied special radial headers and stretchers to match the existing. The flexibility of the handmade process is thus key to everything we do, whether it is for a small quantity manufactured ‘on the bench’ in the traditional way, or for a larger number manufactured in our ‘circuit’, which is more a mechanized handmade production method. One of the finest examples we have replicated was a brick for the restoration of various buildings in Eastern Germany in the early and mid 1990s. These individual pieces measured 290 x 135 x 90mm and were commonly known as kloster bricks (literally ‘abbey’ bricks). These were introduced to the Hanseatic League towns and other areas of Germany by the Franciscan monks when they moved into Northern Europe. The monks became heavily involved in the design and construction not only of churches but also of city-walls and related civic buildings. The size of these units made it difficult for mainstream manufacturers who had neither the inclination nor the facilities to make what was required. Along with these relatively standard rectangular products, we have also provided specials for the reconstruction of a church at Ratenow in the heart of Eastern Germany. The church had been destroyed during the Second World War but has now been restored to something like its former glory. Another important part of our work is more mundane than the projects described above. This concerns producing bricks to match those of period buildings throughout the land. Typically, planners require an extension or a new building in a traditional brick area to match its surroundings and look comfortable, so that it does not stick out like a sore thumb. We achieve this by blending various primary colours as on an artist’s pallet. We then mix the colours required with the clay to create a bespoke blend to suit an individual building’s need. The weathered look of our product also lends itself particularly well to matching surrounding structures. One of the chimneys at Jesus College, Cambridge: the new brickwork blends easily with the existing. An ornate balustrade at Hatfield House in the form of a fleur de lys Radial headers and stretchers at the Valve House, Icknefield Park, Birmingham Murray Mills in Ancoats, Manchester