Furness Vale Brickworks

Here is Knowles lorry parked at the brickworks, perhaps 1960's. It is loaded with firebacks, one of their products ready for delivery.  A close up section from a photo in our archives

Furness Vale Brickworks, A note from the past

Last summer a message appeared on the Whaley Bridge Forum posted by "Goneaway":

" Iam long gone from the Whaley Bridge area - about 60 years - however I did come across a notebook of my father's which contained working details of the R.E. Knowles Fireclay works at the end and just after the WW2 and only of interest to a very small niche audience. It may be that niche audience reads this forum. It was more than a bit tatty but I have put the pages together and scanned them. They can be found at the following link :....."

The link unfortunately is no longer active but David Kitching has kindly sent a copy of the document which will be printed for the History Society archives.

This is the notebook of Felix DeBass one of the investors in R. E. Knowles when the present company was incorporates in 1944

Many of the notes from c1945 are technical and include details such as recipes for firebricks, porcelain, glazes etc. There is production and cost data and much information whilst of historical value, is not an exciting read. Of more interest are the tables showing output from Furness Clough and Diglee pits, 1721 tons in 1945 and from the Brickworks. There are details of wages paid to the miners and brick workers, some of whose names are still familiar. One mineworker was paid 17 shillings and 10pence halfpenny per shift, plus 4 shillings and 6 pence timekeeping bonus. He worked 7 shifts per week so his wage for 1944 was quite good. A new electric kiln was commissioned in 1946 and at its overnight trial lasting 11 hours, reached a temperature of 600° C and consumed 606 units of electricity or 910 kilowatts.

The notebook will be available at future Society Meetings.

R. E. Knowles Siding

Furness Clough Colliery, the Brickworks and the canal wharf were all linked by a narrow gauge tramway.  There is no record of the date of construction although it was certainly in existence in 1810.  

The History Society has acquired a plan  by the London North Western Railway of a the railway siding constructed to provide a link with the tramway.  The map is dated 1918 and was perhaps the time of construction of the siding.  Trucks were hauled between the brickworks and siding by a cable system and carried firebricks and firebacks for onward transport by goods train. 

There had been an earlier siding at Furness Vale operated on behalf of Levi and Elijah Hall, earlier owners of Furness Colliery. This was sited slightly further north and had a spur which  ran back as far as Station Road.

Bahamas and Furness Brickworks

Jack Hardman has sent the following story of the maintenance of the locomotive "  Bahamas"   at Dinting Railway Centre: 

In the early 1970's, it was decided that 5596 Bahamas (the loco that was the "cause" of the Dinting Railway Centre) needed a new brick or concrete arch in the firebox. The purpose of this is to ensure more complete combustion, which improves efficiency, and reduces smoke. Obviously in the firebox, ordinary bricks or concrete cannot be used, and so refractory materials are used. The proper materials were therefore acquired from R E Knowles at Furness. I can't remember the names of all the stuff, but Ganister was definnitely one, and I think, something called Grog.

My Dad, and a chap called Cliff Barnes put the concrete arch in, and I laboured for them, so I know this to be true. As the refactory material "went off" quickly, and generated lots of heat, it was mixed in small batches, and carried to my Dad & Cliff in the firebox in buckets small enough to fit through the firehole door,  I know I had to run with the buckets, in order to get it to them in a still workable state.

Knowing my Dad, he had probably persuaded the manager at Knowles to sell the stuff to the Loco Society at cost price (or even gratis!) as some sort of goodwill gesture!

I spoke to my dad, he can't remember what the payment arrangements were, but he knows that he got the fire cement, and the grog from Knowles's.
Grog is crushed-up firebricks, used as the aggregate in making refractory concrete, much as limestone chippings are used in normal concrete.

Furness Vale Brickyard

A 3D digital model of the brickyard under development.  The main buildings are yet to be added.