Behind the Bricks: A Visit to York Handmade Brick Company

There's something grounding about standing in a place where things are made with care, by hand, from the earth itself. My recent visit to the York Handmade Brick company was just that - a rare chance to step into a world where tradition, craft and materiality are still held in high regard.

I first contacted the York Handmade Brick company when I read that they had produced bricks for the renovations at Theatr Clwyd. The architects, Haworth Tompkins, worked with them for a bespoke blend of handmade bricks which were sympathetic in colour and texture to the existing brickwork of the theatre. I reached out for some more details and Mark Laksevics, York Handmade’s senior sales manager, was incredibly gracious and invited me to come and have a tour of their brickworks.

Nestled in the North Yorkshire countryside, York Handmade Bricks is known for producing bespoke, characterful bricks using time-honoured methods. The tour began with an introduction to the clay itself; dug locally, rich in colour and texture. I was taken on a tour following the clay's journey from raw material to finished product. Moving through each stage of the process: mixing/refining, moulding/throwing, to drying, firing and finally the finished bricks.

Raw clay ready to be processed.

I was completely drawn to the brick moulds - beautiful, functional objects, worn from use. Each with it's own character: patina from the clay stains, softened edges from repeated handling.

What struck me was the quiet choreography; machines working alongside people, hands guiding the material at crucial points. It isn’t like other factories of a soulless production line - it's a dance of skill, experience and patience. Each brick being unique yet uniform, carrying the imprint of the people who made them, both literally and figuratively.

One of the most memorable parts of the visit was the chance to throw a brick myself. After watching the process step-by-step, I was invited to try it under the guidance of one of the skilled workers. They demonstrated the technique: prepping the mould with water and sand, scooping up the clay off the conveyor belt, wedging the clay in the sand ready to place in the mould, pressing the clay into the mould, throwing the mould and then wiring off the excess. It looked deceptively simple until I had a go.

As someone with a background in ceramics, it was deeply inspiring to see another form of clay work on such a scale. There’s a shared language between potters and brickmakers; an understanding of the material, form, firing, though possibly expressed with slightly different dialects.

Mark was very kind and provided some clay for me to make some pieces with. I will be creating some of the tile mould pieces from the clay using brick making methods via a wooden mould.  

It was a fantastic experience, a great insight into a craft that has shaped our built environment for centuries and continues to do so.