Nori Brick
 

They were red and hard as nails and made in accy. NORI is IRON spelt backwards.

When I was at Accrington and Rosendale College on Blackburn road we dug some shale from the old Nori quarry on the side of the Coppice and ground it up, the clay was fine and very easy to work. Then we fired it, just to see what the result would be. It was firey red and rock hard and impervious to water. A very satisfying result.

But Nori made more than just the bog standard engineering brick, they also did a lot of decorative stuff in the same material. Does anyone know what happened to their pattern books? Did they all go to the county archive in Preston or are they lost now? It would be fascinating to find out just how much they did and where it ended up.

Re: Nori Brick
 

You are speaking in the past tense, are Nori bricks not made any more?

Re: Nori Brick
 

bloody hell. that brings back memories.

nori bricks. wow a blast from the past.

dunno to be honest mate

Re: Nori Brick
 

Re: Nori Brick
 

Yes they are still made by Marshalls Clay Products Ltd of Whinney Hill Road. But they are a different company and they don't make the decorative stuff. I will be going to Blackpool this weekend, I will take the camera and bring back some shots of what I mean - if I get chance- I have a business relocation on this weekend.

Re: Nori Brick
 

So, is the Nori Brick Company now defunct?

Re: Nori Brick
 

As the Nori brick Company Ltd, yes. I am not sure when they went out of business, probably the lovely and V. V. knowlegeable Atarah would be able to help out on that one.

Re: Nori Brick
 

This is a poor example of what I mean.

Nori Brick
 

Hi A-Bob. Not too sure about Nori and went they vanished, but .. will try and investigate. I believe there is a fine example of this type of work in the arcade in Accrington. Look over the entrance to Bootleggers and you will see what I mean. This building used to be the Post Office.

Here, for those that never saw it, is an old aerial view of the works.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Taken from a German Bomber?

Re: Nori Brick
 

Atarah, is that a Railway line running from the middle of the pic to the bottom right?

Re: Nori Brick
 

There were two brickwork sites, one at the Clayton side of Whinney Hill & the other at the Huncoat side. In the 1950s the half of the road outside the 'Huncoat' works was made of bricks. The sites were connected by railway & a steam engine went to & from each site. One of the workers used to yodel & you could hear him from long way off. As kids we used to play on Whinney Hill - go into the quarry sometimes & sledge down the hill when it snowed. Happy days!!

Re: Nori Brick
 

what happened to it?

the reason it is called nori is because sombody put the mold the wrong way round on the brick

Re: Nori Brick
 

The nori brick company set out the IRON brick company and the guy who painted the chimneys started of the with the letter I and painted upwards and got NORI ence the name NORI,any other suggestions ?.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Another example, this one on Abbey Street.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Have I not seen this pic on another thread Acrylic-bob? :-)

Re: Nori Brick
 

Well spotted. It was meant for this thread, but I thought I would have a bit of fun with it too.

Re: Nori Brick
 

That is beautiful brickwork. I remember the old Nori works in Clayton. I was always told the brick mould story for how the name came about.

Re: Nori Brick
 

What happened to the brickworks in Clayton?, we used to play around there, in the kilns and in the barns, where they stacked the hay bails,we used to take the girls in there too. The old tramps used to sleep in the opened kilns, when they were still warm, we used to go in and scare the daylights out of them. Where are they made now?. NORI was next to Broadley's print works and Grayhound Garage.By the way can you tell me is the Royal mill still standing in Clayton?, Allspeeds, had it last.

Re: Nori Brick
 

The Allspeeds building, on Atlas Street is still there.

Allspeeds made the local news this week, when 31 of the workers went on strike. Apparently, they want a £10 per week pay rise, and the company were only willing to offer £7.50 per week rise.

Re: Nori Brick
 

The site of the old brickworks is now a housing estate.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Built with Nori bricks I hope. What of the quarry at the top of Whinny hill, my uncle Jimmy worked all his life there and we used to play in the quarry climbing all over the macheinery, its a wonder nobody was killed. do they still make Redac bricks.

Re: Nori Brick
 

They don't look like Nori bricks. I posted the photos in a new thread. Mainly because I'd lost this one!

There's still a quarry at the top of the road.

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god that was quick, thanks WTW. should'nt you be in bed.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Yes lol...........................

Re: Nori Brick
 

I thought somebody might have mentioned that the Empire State Building is built of Nori brick, because it was the world's hardest brick. You can keep your concrete.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Owd Bert, had some great photos of NORI befor and after, on his site.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Are they still making bricks at the works on the Huncoat side of Whinney Hill - you know, opposite where the farm was? And is the farm still there? I left Accy in 1955 so I'm a bit out of date, as you can imagine!
Houses built with Accrington Brick really do look classy & are very distictive. It does beg the question though, why arent they in use now if they were so good??

Re: Nori Brick
 

They don't appear to be the same kind of traditional Accrington Nori bricks anymore.

Re: Nori Brick
 

As to where the name of nori brick comes...I was always told that it was somethiong to do with the original cast for the brick being designed incorrectly thus spelling the name backwards.

Have i been mis-informed? I would be intrested to find out.

Re: Nori Brick
 

That's what I was always told too. That the person who designed the mould forgot that it would come out in reverse order on the actual brick.

Re: Nori Brick
 

yeah i was told that

Re: Nori Brick
 

I was very interested to read this thread. It was only the other day I was talking about the Nori company and wondering what the origin of the name was. I used to be able to see the brickworks from my bedroom window - and the smouldering fires from the rubbish dump at the top of Whinney Hill (what a horrible stench that was, if you walked or cycled over the hill, which some people did as it was a short cut to Clayton). Some evenings, with all the glass roofs reflecting the sunset, it looked like the brickworks was on fire too! I understand they are still making bricks, but very specialised ones in all shapes and colours.
The factory was not all that far from Accrington Cricket Club Grounds. Is that still there in the same place?

Re: Nori Brick
 

Yes; misinformed it was on the Stack ( Chimmney) that mistake would have spotted right away because they were made of Brass, also there were 5 presses going at the same time.
The bricks that had names on NORI.ENFIELD BIRCK, or WHINNEY HILL were all called Engineering Bricks.
But the Special Bricks where 'SPECIAL' most of the ornamental facing brick were made by hand throwing clay into a Plaster of Paris mold.
But the hand made bricks YES HAND MADE, only the brick layers saw them in there Glory, they were all acid resistant bricks that were made for in and outlet`s of huge tanks that were also made with Special`s.
When I was sorting we sent MILLIONS of them to Sea-scale now Sellafield,I`v only just joined this site, but anyone needs help with any 'Brickyard' questions please ask.
There are many Stories all true about the 4 brick yards,they should be passed on and on, anyone who needs help with the history I will gladly help...

Re: Nori Brick
 

Accrington Brick closes over housing slump - mirror.co.uk

Check this out.

Re: Nori Brick
 

A question for Nori brick sorter.
I am interested in old railways and tracks and seem to think there was a line running from Huncoat station to the brick yard at the bottom or Whinney Hill where Hansons now are.
This is only because there seems to be the path of an old line along there.

When I came to this neck of the woods I did a bit of brick haulage and took many a hand made brick well wrapped in straw to furnaces where they were built into the fire box.
I also did a lot to Barry power station nwhere they used millions of the acid resisting ones.
I decided that my tender young hands weren't suited for that work, it was all hand ball in those days, no cranes or stacker trucks so I decided to give it the big heave ho and find something with better pay and less back ache.

Re: Nori Brick
 

The old railway line is marked on the OS Explorer map 287 (West Pennine Moors),roughly Grid Ref 767307, scale 2 1/2" = 1 mile

Re: Nori Brick
 

Was a line ran behind Accrington Cricket Club, we used to ride on the Bogey down it, when we were kids.:)

Re: Nori Brick
 

your spot on cashy
that line ran to the nori brick works,there was also
a spur line that cut across and over whinney hill road at the bottom over what was gowans farm fields and in to whinney hill brick works
as kids we all used to dare each other to walk over the bridge
DONT DO THINGS LIKE THAT NOW KIDS
ITS SILLY AND DANGEROUS :dflam:

Re: Nori Brick
 

I don't buy the 'backwards way' story. The company's directors knew just what they were doing when they chose the NORI name and it helped to sell the product.

REDAC bricks were named because they were red and came from Accrington.

The railway line and its engines are discussed in an essay by the late Robert Rush in 'An Accrington Mixture' which I edited and published a few years ago.

The brick industry in the area is poorly documented. I shall try to interest the Local History Society in getting in touch with NORI Sorter and Gremlin to record their knowledge.

It is interesting to note that a NORI became, like the word HOOVER, a word meaning any brick or vacuum cleaner. Evidence of this is in the phrase " Ah chucked hafe a Nori at him"

Re: Nori Brick
 

i took nori literally n smacked one mon wi a full un.:D

Re: Nori Brick
 

I think there was also a small brickworks on the side of the cut in huncoat at clough bank bungalow which is at the end of altham straight its accesed from of the rabbit run there are boats moored there i work on the canal by the way, on the construction team.

Re: Nori Brick
 

I wonder did I ever meet nori specials sorter, first my time working for the NCB over a ten year period I tipped coal at all the different brickyards including deerplay and then when that finished with the gibraith group helping to build two new power stations in south wales which took a lot of accrington brick and also the one near warrington fiddlers ferry I did two loads there one day that made my hands sore thankfully the gilbraith subsidiary firm I worked for moved into storage and container traffic and so the hands healed up

Re: Nori Brick
 

I found a different theory about where the NORI name comes from some time ago. It seems more plausible than the others I've heard, and would also explain why it isn't common knowledge. Text is taken from the Penmorfa Old Bricks website.

"There are two places in the British Isles where you get a particular bed of clay containing alumina (refractory ore), lower red marl and iron ore all in the same measure. They are Broseley in Shropshire and Accrington in the Darwen Valley in Lancashire. Both areas are renowned for their very high quality and extremely resillient bricks. At one stage or another on the Broseley clay beds there were around 45 brickworks. One of these was the works of Capt. John Anstice: confusingly named The Madeley Wood Tile Works. Set up in 1851 this works produced bricks, roofing & floor tiles, also chimney pots and land drain pipes. It closed in 1956.

The brand for this company was IRON, as they also owned several ironworks and blast furnaces. When the Accrington Brick Company began mass production, they also branded their bricks IRON. Capt Anstice got to hear of it and threatened them with court action for breach of his brand copyright. So in an excellent euphoria of marketing, Accrington spelled the name backwards on their bricks and advertised that their brick was "Iron whichever way you put it." Hence today the Accrington NORI is well known and the IRON BROSELEY is forgotten."


This seems more likely than all of the popular local theories I've heard (several listed on this thread). I contacted Tony Mugridge who runs the website to see if he had reference material for this, and unfortunately he didn't, but said that it was considered relatively common knowledge amongst those who know.


He was also able to reasonably discredit the 'muddled mould' theory:

Quite from common sense: To put the letters in the wrong order on a brick would never matter. Only brick collectors and historians are interested in what it says in the frog [the frog is the indented bit at the top and bottom that carries the logo] . But to put the letters in the wrong order in the foundry, well that would never happen as even apprentice work is checked! No business after all, is going to suggest that they changed the brand on their product because they were threatened with legal action because they copied a brand name.

So my question is, does anyone have a copy of one of these "Iron whichever way you put it" adverts? I haven't been able to find one so far, and I think it would help to finally clear up the mystery.

Re: Nori Brick
 

just been down a beach in the west of scotland and found it littered with nori bricks heres a few pictures.does anybody know how old they are:confused:

Re: Nori Brick
 

the two out side ones will be the older and look like specials, the middle looks like a saint annes engineering brick,made exclusively by nori. who also made thousands of various shapes in ridge tiles, they even made buttons,

Re: Nori Brick
 

As for the muddled letters theory, having spent the first 12 years of my working life as a pattern maker at Lang Bridges & Bulloughs, no way could that have got thro, several patterns would have been needed before the product reached the brick makers, misspelling on so many patterns, never.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Interesting to find three different types on the one beach. We were at Silverdale at the top end of Morecambe Bay a few years ago and found loads of 18th century china sherds. I used to be an archaeologist and it was hard to not pick them up!

Here on Morecambe beach it's a bit of a desert as the town doesn't go back much before 1850. There are one or two interesting finds though...

BBC News - Rare whale vomit found on Morecambe beach

Re: Nori Brick
 

Never realised Morecambe was that bad susie:D

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The whale obviously did.

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Probably the result of a stag/hen night at Blackpool. :rolleyes:

Re: Nori Brick
 

there was a huge dynamite factory nobel peace prize fame.they employed 30,000 people at one point these bricks must have came from there as theyve came down a cliff so some must be about 1860

Re: Nori Brick
 

I think you will find that Dynamite was not invented until 1867

Re: Nori Brick
 

Nice one Barrie:D

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Would this be the very one cmonstanley?

Alfred Nobel in Scotland

Some dates for you and Mr Yates too.;)

Re: Nori Brick
 

"The prevailing academic consensus is that gunpowder was formulated in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists" - wikipedia

Re: Nori Brick
 

Lot's and lots of ways of making a big bang.
The IRA used weedkiller mixed with another common household item to make explosives as some correspondents on here will attest to ;)* I have always liked the tale of how Hannibal shattered the boulders blocking his way across the Alps with fire and vinegar.
See wiki "Fire-setting"
*No names no pack-drill

Re: Nori Brick
 

Gunpowder and dynamite have very little in common except the properties to make a big bang.

Re: Nori Brick
 

looks like Nori werent the only ones to "misspell", saw this today so got a pic for you all

Re: Nori Brick
 

And before anybody mentions it, no my Grandfather didn't work at Nori Brickyard:D

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So your grandpappy worked at the Barrow yard then J ;)

Re: Nori Brick
 

No unfortunately not D:D

Re: Nori Brick
 

Do you remember a chap called George Robinson who was manager in the 20s or 30s? Did he have any children? Just following a friend's family back and surprised to find the Robinsons came from Bedfordshire and the family went all over the place before settling in Clayton le Moors. George's father George and his brother Baldwin were called terra cotta modellers on the censuses. It must have been a skilled job. Marie

Re: Nori Brick
 

Bedfordshire was another area big in brickmaking at one time. They could been following a trade around the country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/e...s_herts_bucks/

Re: Nori Brick
 

Thanks for your reply. You're quite right, Susie. In 1911 George Robinson senior's family evidently had enough of moving house and they all stayed in Clayton le Moors in Fielding Terrace while he worked on a job in Stoke. George Robinson junior, I am told, later became the manager at Nori and lived in a row of cottages near the house that was bombed in the war, Marie

Re: Nori Brick
 

Agreed.

I think the copyright theory is sound... but as yet still unproven :(

I haven't managed to find any of those "iron whichever way you spell it" ads yet, but I'm still on the lookout. I wonder if there's a way to search for legal proceedings as to the copyright story - I don't have a date to work from or any idea how to go about it. Having said that, even if the copyright theory is true, maybe it was decided amicably away from the courts and so no records were kept.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Hi

I am just seeing your post now. I'd love to hear more.

How do we do that?

M

Re: Nori Brick
 

I used to work at Nori until they made me redundant. Up for sale now. Shame. Lots of families worked there in the past. Great place to work

Re: Nori Brick
 

Sadly, this place is up for sale and no longer produced nori,s for years

Re: Nori Brick
 

A rather nice Accrington Nori advert from 1938 that some of you might like to see.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/14734167604/

Re: Nori Brick
 

Amazing to see that advert from 1938. My Dad would be working at Whinney Hill then. He started in 1930 when he left school and while he was in the Navy during the war there was a fire there and it ceased producing for a while so when he was demobed in 1946 he was transferred to the Nori works in Clayton where he stayed until 1961. While he was there Blackpool Tower was refaced with best Nori brick. It was built originally from Huncoat brick I believe.The Houndshill shopping centre was built from best Nori too. Actually my house is Nori brick too and the garage. There has been some blue air a few times when hubby has tried to drill into it.

Re: Nori Brick
 

i think same time as ici nobel ardeer expanded now abandoned was there yesterday as it only 25 mins away from my house

Re: Nori Brick
 

these were used for the testing of dynamite :eek:

Re: Nori Brick
 

Found this set of archived pics, if anyone's interested:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/610349...7629219958788/

Re: Nori Brick
 

What is on the site of the old ICI nobel place cmonstanley?
I used to deliver Sulphuric acid there, they made explosive stuff.
Where about do you live?

Re: Nori Brick
 

I have noticed today that the Accrington heritage unit in the Arndale have a section all about the Nori. Very interesting especially the photo of the Nori football team in 1950s as my dad and his brother are on it.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Hi, oh when were you in. I was there in the afternoon. Yep we do have some good stuff re NORI. If you want a copy of that photo, you only need to ask :-)

Re: Nori Brick
 

Thanks for the offer but I think it was my photo you copied once. Just nice to see it on display.

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I assume Thwaites famous dray wagons artwork feature was made using nori brick.
Attachment 43316

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The famous Noris have been granted a new lease of life.

Famous Accrington brickworks set to reopen (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Re: Nori Brick
 

That's wonderful news. I have read the article in the Telegraph but they are wrong saying the foundations of Blackpool Tower were Nori brick. The Tower was originally built with Huncoat brick which was a different firm. It was refaced with Nori in the late 50's.The firm which owned Nori had their works at Whinney Hill which was on a different site to Huncoat brick.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Hi Mr Rowlf, that is very interesting to read. Could I perhaps print that off and display in the Museum in our Nori section?

Re: Nori Brick
 

Nice idea but that wouldn't reverse the letters rather it would produce a mirror image. Try writing it and holding it in front of the mirror.

Re: Nori Brick
 

I think the foundations of "The Empire State Building " were made from NORI bricks..

Re: Nori Brick
 

Hi Atarah, You can if you like. I only know what my dad told me and he worked at Whinney Hill until he went into the Navy in WW2 and as there was a fire at that site during his absence he was put to work on the Clayton Nori site after the war. He spent 30 years working for the company. The North West Sound Archive at Clitheroe Castle have a CD of him talking about Huncoat in his childhood and he talks about the Nori on it too.

Re: Nori Brick
 

As I understand it the bricks have been specified for the next generation of nuclear power stations, very good news

Re: Nori Brick
 

I believe it was Thurston Smith who invented the famous NORI brick..

Re: Nori Brick
 

Thurston, grand fellow. I once visited him at his home in CLM where he had built a large working model of the mill engine in the mill on Atlas st. He actually made some miniature Nori bricks from the original clay and fired them himself. Fantastic thing it was. I believe he also made a model brick pressing machine.

Re: Nori Brick
 

There is such a (model) machine in the Market Hall. Maybe this chap made it. Howewver, the NORI was first made long befo
re his day.

Re: Nori Brick
 

That machine was made by Thurston Smith. His photo is beside the machine.

Re: Nori Brick
 

http://www.accringtonobserver.co.uk/...nowned-4066631

You learn something new all the time on Accyweb.
I'd love to see that- what a labour of love.

Edit- I don't think that worked??
More edit-It does now!

Re: Nori Brick
 

How the humble brick became fashionable again - BBC News
Article on bricks and notably Accrington NORI

Re: Nori Brick
 

Interesting article in the BBC online magazine stjosephfc.


Never heard the lettering on the chimney* being why NORI got it's name before. Seems the best explanation by far.

* Was there a chimney? Maybe Atarah has a pic?

Re: Nori Brick
 

Same link "D":confused:

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Too quick on the button Mr H...

I did a speedy edit already.

lol

Re: Nori Brick
 

Seems we both were lol

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This of any use David

Re: Nori Brick
 

An interesting article. My dad always said that Blackpool Tower was originally built with Huncoat brick. It was refaced while he was at Nori with Nori brick. I understood they were separate companies. Whinney Hill was the same company as Nori at Clayton.

Re: Nori Brick
 

Our brickmaking history is crying out for an in-depth academic study

Re: Nori Brick
 

That'll do for me thanks A