Bricks made in a factory in Blockley, Gloucestershire feature in many iconic, award-winning buildings and the company continues to innovate to this day
As one of the last remaining independent brickworks in the UK, Northcot Brick is a hidden gem. It produces an extensive range of traditional handmade, wirecut and reclaimed-style bricks, much sought after for their warm tones and distinctive character.
Its specialist bespoke brick-matching capabilities have produced award-winning brick architecture, from the Stirling Prize-winning Newport Street Gallery to several RIBA Nationals and five ‘Supreme’ Brick Award-winning projects.
Northwick Brick & Tile, as it was known, was founded in 1925 by Sir Winston Churchill’s cousin, EG Spencer-Churchill, who wanted to create jobs for families who were living on his estate.
Initially, he intended to grow materials for basket making. Instead, he discovered a rich seam of Lower Jurassic and Middle Lias blue clay, excellent for brickmaking.
In the 1930s, these high-quality bricks prompted his friend Giles Gilbert Scott to order approximately six million Golden Brown Pressed bricks to construct Battersea Power Station, which was then Europe’s largest brick building.
Almost a century later, conservation architects Purcell used historic documents to identify Northcot as the original manufacturer and the enormous task of turning out 1.3 million handmade bricks for the Power Station’s restoration began.
This involved creating two bespoke blends, each with six or seven brick colours, meticulously laid out to match the exterior pre-war walls at various stages of weathering. They were produced by a team of just five master brickmakers.
Traditional handmaking – a ‘working museum’
Visitors often describe the brickworks as a ‘working museum’. The Victorian Pan Mill, which was purchased secondhand in 1927, still processes clay for handmade bricks and is believed to be the oldest working example in Europe.
The Hoffman kiln, installed when the factory was built, continues to produce bricks with greater organic variation than modern kilns.
At the heart of the operation, highly skilled master brickmakers still throw processed clay by hand into sanded moulds to create bespoke bricks and special shapes with traditional creases and smiles.
Advanced bespoking capabilities
Over the years, Northcot has extended the scope of its production to fully automated wirecut and ‘tumbled’ reclaim ranges.
It has also refined its sophisticated weathering techniques to enable the subtle ageing and bespoking of the majority of brick types.
By combining technical advances with traditional craftsmanship, Northcot’s master brickmakers can match most regional brick variations. This has led to work with several National Trust and Historic England properties, as well as contemporary architectural projects.
1 July 2025 is Architects' Open Day at Northcot Brick
As a passionate advocate of brick architecture, Northcot continues to innovate and develop new products. To mark its centenary, the company will unveil its new Artisan Brick range at an exclusive Architects' Open Day on 1 July 2025 where you can also take a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic brickworks.
To book your place on the Architects' Open Day, call 01386 700551 or click here.
Award-winning brick architecture
Over the past decade, Northcot has created bespoke brick blends for several RIBA National award-winning projects.
- Newport Street Gallery (Caruso St John, 2016 Stirling Prize) Two distinct, acclaimed blends that matched the ‘common’ style brick facades of the semi-industrial listed building.
- Newnham College’s Dorothy Garrod Building (Walters & Cohen, 2019 RIBA National) Blend of four bespoke red handmade brick types for the intricate facades and solid bricks for striking contemporary ‘hit-and-miss’ brickwork.
- Radley College Chapel extension (Purcell, 2023 RIBA National) Three bespoke handmade and machine-made blends with special shapes to complement the grade II* listed Victorian chapel.
- Shrewsbury’s Flaxmill Maltings (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, 2024 RIBA National) Three bespoke blends with matching specials, which involved the handmaking of oversized ‘Great Bricks’ one-third larger than standard bricks.
- Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery (MUMA, 2015 RIBA National) Smooth, bespoke, machine-made bricks with handmade specials, reflecting the dark red of the original Edwardian building.
For more information and technical support, visit northcotbrick.co.uk
Contact:
01386 700551
sales@northcotbrick.co.uk