Visit to West Hoathly in June 2003

A number of members of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers visited the West Hoathly works of Ibstock Brick Ltd on 26th June 2003, and were conducted round the plant by Ray Austin, Factory Manager, and Alexis Harrison, South East Design Advisor, who gave this overview before the tour started.

The brick making process at West Hoathly is a fascinating one, using traditional clamp-firing to produce a stunning product with a strong identity and appearance entirely in keeping with the local Sussex vernacular. The market for these products is strong. Ibstock Brick is the largest UK brick manufacturer with 24 production sites across the UK. In contrast to many of our much larger, highly efficient modern factories, traditional brickworks such as West Hoathly provide an important product in the market place, as the aesthetic of such a product cannot be replicated using modern production techniques. West Hoathly bricks are a favorite choice among planners, architects, builders and developers alike.

From the point of view of sustainability, the argument for brick is a strong one. Few products stand the test of time like fired clay or can rival its' appearance. All 24 of our manufacturing sites have a strict environmental management system and comply with ISO 14001. Our use of natural resources is prudent and emissions are highly controlled. Redundant clay pits undergo a decommissioning program, often restored to provide new natural habitats. The need for road transport of products is kept to a minimum due to the wide geographical spread of our manufacturing sites. Brickworks also provide an important source of local employment, often in remote rural locations and provide a long-term industry. 58% of our employees have more than 10 years service.

In a changing construction industry we are also keen to address innovation - our strap line is 'Innovators in Clay'. As the market for cladding materials constantly shifts, often following the government's initiatives to streamline the construction industry, we continue to push the boundaries of clay products. Innovations such as our Tilebrick and Fireborn ranges help cut the cost out of construction and provide exciting new alternatives to more traditional appearances and ways of building.

For more information on Ibstock, our environmental strategy and our commitment to innovation please visit our website at www.ibstock.co.uk

The Master thanked Mr. Austin, Mr. Harrison, and all other members of Ibstock staff who had made this visit so interesting and successful.

Ray Austin - Factory Manager of Ibstock West Hoathly stands outside the clamp shed	The claypit & lagoon
The clay hole where clay is 'puddled' (mixed with water.) 002	Sand, smokeless fuel and town ash is added to the clay
A sample of town ash	The Wet Pan. Here the clay and its additions are ground and mixed with water
The prepared clay is fed to the brickmaking machine	The clay is injected into moulds, moulded bricks are turned out...
….and loaded onto drying trays	The trays are loaded onto bricks cars and fed into the drying tunnel…
where they are dired for are dried for 48 hours	Dried bricks ready for loading into the kiln
West Hoathly bricks are fired in a 'clamp' under a long, open sided shed. A grate is formed from previously fired bricks on to which a 9" bed of coke is laid.	The dried bricks are then laid over this coke bed…
and are encased in a weather proofing layer of old previously-fired bricks 016
Once the end of the clamp is encased, a brazier is formed from bricks and the coke bed is ignited. The clamp is 70 metres long and burns for a total of 8 weeks. The ignited coke moves very slowly along the clamp which means that one end can be dismantled whilst the coke is still burning in the middle and the other end is being loaded.	Once the bricks have cooled sufficiently they can be packed. This slide clearly illustrates how the colour variation is formed. Bricks at the base of the clamp tend to burn more blue, where there is less oxygen, whereas bricks toward the top tend to burn more red. Whilst clamp firing is laborious compared to modern tunnel-kilns, only clamp firing can produce the rich variation of colour and unique appearance of a West Hoathly brick. 019
Packing fired bricks	The finished product
Quality assurance. Suzy checks the bricks against standard colour panels for a consistent product	Special Shaped Bricks - These are produced to create architectural details and are hand made in small quantities and fired separately to the main plant.
The clay is rolled in sand and thrown into a mould
The specials are then dried in the main dryers	The dried specials are then set in a smaller kiln, ready for firing
	Group shot