Handwritten discussion of the brick making industry in Marks Tey from Bryan Ambridge’s school project, page 1 of 2.

Brick Making

At W.H. COLLIER LTD they make hand made bricks. The Bricks are made out of clay and they used sand to stop the clay from sticking to the mould.

They get the clay from a pit which is 73 feet deep and has been there since 1863, and the sand they get from another pit.

The manufactured components which are used is again clay and sand and also colouring which is used to colour the bricks, the colouring is different sands, and the sand comes from a pit in Stanway.

Their main markets used to be in London, but now their markets spread for 100 miles all round, and now their main markets are in housing.

A long time a go the clay was dug up by hand. They used to employ 5 men to dig up their daily needs. Today Colliers hire the people from Cadmans and they dig the pit with a JCB and in a week they can dig enough clay to last Colliers for the whole year. They put it it on a concrete pad to help to scrape it. Around it are sprinklers which sprinkle water in case it is hot. They haven’t used them lately!