Grey Brothers' Brick and Tile Works

A Brick and Tile Works, with a Clay Mill is shown at this site on the1st edition Ordnance Survey map. It began production some time after Joseph Grey bought the land for it from John Lawson in 1839, and seems to have been in continuous production from circa 1840 to 1906, trading initially as J. Grey, then in 1853 as Robert Grey, and from 1859 as Grey Brothers. ‘Brickworks of the North-East’ by Davidson (1986) contains an illustration of an early steam-driven pug mill in use at the site in 1857, which can be identified with the circular feature marked ‘Clay Mill’ on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. The brick works had its own railway siding, connected to the main railway network, as well as road access. Ward's Directory of 1859/60 shows the Grey Brothers were also Builders and Timber Merchants, with their own saw mill on Stowell Street.