goodlet and smith ltd. brickworks,roofing...
TRANSCRIPT
GOODLET AND SMITH LTD.
BRICKWORKS,ROOFING TILE MANUFACTURERS,CEMENT WORKS
&
"BENEDICT ST0NE" MANUFACTURERS.
GRANVILLE,N .S.W.
(1886-1982)
Volume 1.
('
Major Project for Ristorical Archaeology 11.
Submitted by A.W.Johnson.1982.
History of Goodlet and Smith Ltd.
The firm of C.and J. Smith,timber merchant,s was well
established in Melbourne when 17 year old John Hay Goodlet
landed in Australia from his native Scotland in June 185~·.
It was at this firm that Goodlet was employed and by 1855
Goodlet and ',Jam~-s Smith had formed the nucleus of the
company that bears their name today.
Goodlet moved to ~ydney in 1855 and established the
business in Erskine St.,where he is believed to·have been the
first to introduce saw-milling to New South wales. 1
The small business soon grew in the following decades.
Saw mills were set up at Ulladulla and Coolongolook near
Cape Hawke and The Victoria Saw ~d Joinery Works was built
on harbourside frontage at Pyrmont(plate 1).The company had
a fleet of three ships,'Nineveh', 'Samoa' (sunk off Cape Hawke
in 1~96)and 'Shannon'(sold 1925)2.TRese ships were engaged
in trade up and down the N .• S.W. coast, bringing timber to
~ydney and other goods manufactured by the company to ·the
coastal settlements.
Around 1868 uoodlet and ~mith expanded into the pottery
side of the building industry with the opening of their
brick and pottery works in Riley St, Surrey Hills,where Jj .H .•
Goodlet gave his name to a nearby street.
The last of the manufactories established by Goodlet and
Smith was the Granville Brick,Roofing Tile and Cement Works
situated on the Ureat Southern Railway line between Granville
and Merrylands.This works took over from an existing brick
works on the site, the Junction Brick and Pottery Works, the
original name being retained for some years.
By 1890 Goo~let and Smith's ~epe mention~d as producing
a wide variety of goods including plate sheet and ornamental
stained glass,wooden doors and balusters,shop fronts,cornice
mouldings,o'rnamental fireplaces and even weatherboard houses. 3
The staircase windows in the Sydney Town Hall were
executed by Goodlet and Smith(see plates 2 and 3).The original
managers residence at the Granville works is fitted with a
wide range of the companies domestic fittings. . .
The business seems to have reached its peak in the last
decade of the 19th centny and the early years of the 20th.
The Granville works cOfuIllenced the production of Australian
Portland cement in 1893.This cement was manufactured under
the trade name of 'Rock' brand and was used extensively on
public works projects including 8 miles of telephone tunnels
laid throughout the city.4 In 189S the cement production
suffered a setback when the duty on imported cement was
dropped and the local product could not compete • Pr.o.duction
ceased until a fall in the cost of raw materials could be
brought about,which occured the following year.
The First World War gave this new industry a boost with
the halt of imports from Europe.At about this time the
West Australian Cement Co. and the N.S.W. Cement Co. were
established and in 1919 Goodlet and Smith's plant was sold
to the former, the company having a large interest in the
N.S.W. Cement Co. it was thought best that concentration
on the terracotta side of production would be more profitable.
From 1907 Goodlet and Smith's began to close many of
their works.In 1915 the Surrey Hills Brick and Pottery Works
closed,leaving Granville to handle all production of terra
cotta.The last of the works to close was the pyrmont saw
mills in 1927 with the expiry of the leases and also due to
the fact that the Harbour 'l'rust had made moves to acquire
the harbour frontages.Granville was now the sole remaining
concern of the company.
The company continued in business until 1956 when it was
taken over by Newbold Refractories,a company set up by two
brothers who also bought the Clyde Brickworks at Auburn and
Walker Benson Brickworks,Merrylands.Production continued as
it always had and in 1975 Manufacturing Hesources of Australia
took over the company, _
Manufacturing Resources was bought out by Hooker Industries
(who had previously held 75% of the shares)in 1979.Throughout
the lifetime of Goodlet and Smith's the company has maintained
the original name,keeping the link with past.
~9hn Hay Goodlet. ~----------------
Goodlet and Smith Ltd owes much to its founder J.H.Goodlet.
It was he who established the firm in Sydney,his partner
Capt.James Smith appears to have had very little to do with
the running of the corllpany as no mention is made of him in
-----------------------------------------------~--------------------~--------
the records of the company.
As I have said above he came to Australia in 1852 and
within 3 years had established the company of Goodlet and
Smith in Sydney.
He made a fortune for himself in the business and most of
the land on which the works were built was purchased by Goodlet.
Goodlet led the life of a philanthropist and judging by
his obituaries in the Sydney papers,he would have to have
been one of the most admired men of his day.
In 1877 Goodlet built the Queen Victoria Homes (hospital)
at Thirlmere and carried it on for a number of years at his
own expense.
Being a staunch l'resbyterian,Goodlet was a benefactor to
the Presbyterian Church in Australia.He was one of the founders
of the Presbyterian Ladies College,GroydonoThe Presbyterian
Church's connection with the company was strong.For many
years they were major shareholders.Goodlet's successor as
managing diector of the company,Alexander Copeland(see plate
4) was the son of a Presbyterian minister,and on his death
his son,George Ful ton Copeland vias ruanaging direct6r until
his death in the Middle East in 1942(see plate 5).Much of
the construction of the waterfront works at l'yrmont was
carried out by A and G McCredie,Engine~rs.George McCredie,
also a staunch Presbyterian,established the first church of
that denomination in the Mer~ylands-Guildford area.
From 1866-1886 Goodlet was the Director of the ~ustralian
¥utual providen~ Society and also served as director of
the Benevolent Society and Sydney Hospital.
John Hay Goodlet was also a keen member of the early
Australian volunteer defence association.In 1860 he became
a Gaptain of the Glebe Company(National Rifles Assn.) and
rose to the rank of Lt-Col of the 2nd Infantry Regiment,
retir~pg in 1893 at the age of 58 and after 33 years of servive
with the rank of Colonel.
Largely instrumental in establishing the cement industry
in Australia,Goodlet personally travelled to Europe in
November 1e92 where he purchased a complete plant which he
had installed at Granville.Under his lead the company rose
to prosperity.John Hay Goodlet died on the 13th January 1914. 5
The \Oc.o.\ days II\'dv~hy.
Est o.b \ \.$ h III e",yto~ ~e:>od\Q....\- ()n~ $fVll+k5 -\/\ -\hQ.. .at \~+-~\c.....t.
History of Production at the Granville Works.
The Granville works of Goodlet and Smith is situated
between Merrylands and Granville Railway Stations,on a
railway siding for easy transport.The land was originally
part of two grants granted to John Bowman and Hichard
Atkins in the early decades of the 19th centurY.6
During the subdivisions of the area, then known as the
Municipality of Prospect ad Sherwood but since renamed the
Municipality of Holroyd,the land on which the brickworks
stands was known as lots 1/5 section 3 of the Denman Farm
subdivision. This was purchased by the Junction Brick hnd
Pottery Co. in:1878. 7
The discovery that local clays were excellent for pottery
production dates back to 1855 when Arthur Todd Holroyd
produced the first pottery goods at ,his property in
Merrylands.From these beginings Holroyd established a brick
works on Me~~ylands Road,now the site of Central Gardens.
~ Holroyd produced a range of pottery, writing to Sir William
Macarthur to supply drainage pipes for the modern-day
Woodwille Road. 8
Holroyd was largely instrumental in the establishment
of a pottery works on the Goodlet and Smith site.The Journal
of the Royal Australian Historical Society mentions his in
volvement in establishing the 'Great Western Steam ~ick Co'
in 1878,however this may just be another name for the 'Junction
Brick and Pottery Co.' that was taken over by Goodlet and
Smi th. 9
~his works was taken over by Goodlet and Smith in 1886.
The first four years of the Granville works under Goodlet
and Smith are unrecorded.In 1890 the works occupied 32 ha,
and fronted a railway sidin~.The builQi~gs consisted of a
wooden cottage,offices(possibly the building adjoining the
older managers residence) ,brickworks and a kiln. 10
In~i89j,a new kiln was in the course of erection.This
was a rectangular Hoffman kiln with the chimney situated in
the centre of the kiln.The present Hoffman kiln has the
chimney situated at the southern end,this chimney being
the original.As chambers fell into disrepair those on the
southern side of the chimney were demolished and chambers added to the northern side.In this manner the entire kiln
has moved half its length towards the north to its present
positi0n.This happened sometime between 1919 when the cement
plant was disassembled and 1944(when areal photographs show
the ~iln in its present position).
The following year,in 1892,it was decided to experiment
with the production of Portland cement.The following year
the plant was erected,J.H..Goodlet having travelled to.Eur
ope the previous November seeking professional advice.By
1894 cement was m,eing produced at Granville.
Also in 1294 the production of terra-cotta was commenced
with a building for making roof tiles and finials being
erected.By 1896 the demand for roofing tiles had sufficiently
increased to warrant production on a greater scale.That
same year the duty on imported cement was dropped causing
impossible competition for the local product,a difficulty
overcome when the cost of raw materials was lowered consid
erably.
The first view of the works is known from a photograph
published in 1899 in Cumberland Press' MParramatta and
Districts Illustrated".(see plate 6).This view shows the
works from the other side of the railway,showing left to
right the single tile building, two kilns and "eellent plant •
Not shown in th:e photograph is the terrace house built between
1886 and 1890 or the office attatched,dating from a slightly
later date.The kiln to the left of the photograph is poss-
ibly older, that mentioned in the 1890 Prospectus.This kiln
may have been in the process of having its chimneys re-erected
when this view was taken as it is shown with three chilllneys
in the next picture drawn around 1903(plate 7).There is no
record of this kiln being demolisha~ but it took place sometime
between 1935,when both kilns are said to be in operation,
and 1944(date of the earliest known arial photo of the
brickworks).
The one four storied tile factory was in the next few
years to multiply into the large tile complex as seen in
the following photographs(plates 7-8) of 1903 and 1911.0f
these buildings,mostly destroyed in 1924,only the building
to the very left of plate 7 survives today.
The company's annual reports of 1897 record that the
market for terra cotta tiles was profitable and in 1900 the
works was increased.The production figures attest to this,
the number of tile increasing from 475,000 in 1901 to 1,175,000 in 1903.
v
Proavc...\-tOf\ of In regards to cement production, the company possessed large
ce,'M~-T. deposi ts of limestone in the li1udgee district that was sent to
the works by rail where it was burnt in patent kilns(and
after 1901 in rotary furnaces) and thence lllade into cement.
The cement works as shown in plate 6(1899)shows the chimneys
in operation,these chimneys are abse~t from the 1903 and 1911
photographs, thus showing that they were demolished soon after
the switch to rotary furnaces in 1901.11
Once made the cement had to be stored and to accomodate this
large sheds were constructed around 1901-2 when production
rose from 40,000 to 60,000 casks,a considerable increase
from the 25,000 cask capacity of 1893.In 1907 the 5 acre plant
was capable of storing over 50,000 casks(the store can be
seen to the right of plate 7).Each cask consisted of three
bags,each wieghing 125lbs,therefore the works had a capacity
of storing 9,375 tons(or 8503 metria tonn~s).1'2 Also on site was a labratory for the testing of the
finished product.The N.S.W. Governme~t,which employed the
cement on many of its public works projects,set standards for
its production reportedly higher than anywhere in the world. 13
rt"'od",ctlof) of' The cement works closed in 1919,not apparently through nec-
Ti\Q.!O. essi ty judging by the production_figures,but most probably
so that the works could concentrate on roof tile production
which was booming,having risen from 460,000 in 1900 to
1,750,000 in 1920.
1.921 saw a minor disaster in MfoJrrylands when Walpole street,
the northern boundary of G.oodlet and Smith Ltd,slid into the
brick pit.As a result of this Walpole street was relocated
further to the north and blocks of land that had previously
fronted the street were purchased by the company.A reminder
of old Walpole street can at present be seen on the works
site.~he two brick pylons of what once was the bridge over
A'Bec&ett's Creek can be located,although heavily overgrown
with blackberry bush.
Another disaster followed within four years,though this
time it was far from beneficial to the company.Shortly after
9 p.m, on the night of the 29th October 1924,fire broke out
in a coal bunker situated near the tile kiln which had been
installed in 1922,presumadely replacing the cylindrical kiln si~
~uated-behind the left Hof£man.kiln~in plate.7.
The fire was first noticed by an employee,Ernest Littlejohn,
who had been a~tending the kilns.Littlejohn wasted no time in
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------~-
alerting the fire brigades, those from Parramatta,Granville,
Stanmore,Burwood and neadquarters.By the time they had arrived
the fire had enveloped the tile kiln ,spread to.,a dryi~g ~hea .
nearby and was at the base of the 150ft chimney by the time
the brigades arrived.Immediately a major problem arose),
there was insufficient water with which to fight the blaze,
water would have to be pumped from A~Becket~s Creek.
The main danger came from the 150ft chimney which was
in danger of collapse(.It was decided that attempt should be
made to contain the fire to the tile':works which appeared to
be doomed.It would seem that the southern section of the
tile works,situated near the 150ft stack,was saved but the
stack later demolished as this section is all that survived
of the original tile plant.
At their peak the flames leapt high into the sky,surmounted
by a column of thick smoke.So intense was the blaze that it
could be seen from the city.Parramatta Road was choked with
traffic as people rushed to the spectacle and many couldn't
advance any further than Woodville Road.The crowd of onlookers
was reckonned at 5000.
The battle with the fire lasted for 2 hours and when at
last it was extinguished, the machinery and engine house was
destroyed as was the kiln and drying sheds,with damage
estimated at between£20,000 and ~50,000.Only one photo is
known of the fire,taken at its height from Pitt st,
Merrylands(plate 9).14
Of the early machinery of this tile building,nothing
remains with the exception of perhaps a tile press whi~h
at present can be found in the remaining portion of the
original building amongst a variety of abandoned machinery
from the work'spast.(see plate 10)
After the fire plans for a new tile works were drawn up
immediately.By December 1924 the ceramic expert A.B.Searle
had been consulted as to the most modern and efficient type
of plant and in January 1925 one of the directors of the
company,G.F.Copeland-later Managing Director(see plate 5), was sent to England to consult with him and thence to any
part of Europe or Nth America.Searle advised Goodlet and
Smith to install a DressIer Kiln and Dryer(Aust.Commonwealth
Patents 17217,15420,18816 all of date 1920)at the cost of
~2000.The plans were received by April 1926 but a strike
prevented the supply of· steel and thus delayed the erection
of the plant.Tile presses were delayed in France and it was
found that the conduits for the new kiln could not be made in
Australia and would have to be imported from America.
Finally by May 1927,almo'st three years after the fire,the
,presses had arrived and the kiln was started up.It was found
that there was a loss in burning and the following year the
works were closed down and on bringing an engineer out from
Dressler Co,America,it was found that the kiln was not suited
to Australian clays and,the necessary alterations made,the
works was again started up by October 1929.
It was reported that excellent tiles were being produced
however due to the slump in the building industry, sales were
poor,not only at the Goodlet and Smith works but at all works
in Sydney.Once again the tile works closed down(March 1930),
though this time it would be for ,three years, being restarted
in December 1933.In the nine years since the destruction of
the tile works,the new plant had operated for 15months.
When the tile plant again commenced production the products
were for some reason burnt in the brick kiln.This may have been
due to the small number that was being produced.
While the tile works had been closed,lioodlet and Smith
engaged the services of A.J.Vermess between January and
April 1933.His job had been to experiment with coloured bricks
and tiles and by the time business was improving(1934)it was
reported that "warious colour selections(were being)well
received by architects and builders etc.,,15
In 1934 attempts were made to form a Roofing Tiles Assoc.
to regulate the production d ~oofing tiles.After many attempts
failed,including one instance when Wunderlich's pulled out
only one hour before a meeting on 25th November,the association
was formed.Goodlet and Smith's decided to cease tile production,
being paid compensation instead by the association, and rather
concentrate on the production of texture bricks which they had
been experirl1enting with in the previous couple of years and
whi,ch were to be produced in the tile works, being burnt in the
Dressler tunnel kiln.(see plate 11)
There are substantial remains of the second tile works at
the site.The works were. rebuilt on the same site,the kiln
being incorporated in the building.A network of railway lines
lead through the plant,used to wheel back and forth the heavy
tile laden racks and to conduct them into the kiln(see plate
12).The tile rack themselves can be seen stored in the kiln
~----------------------~----------------------------------------------.-.. --~----------------
which is now abandon~d.The tracks are in various stages of
burial, being unused since tile production stopped in 1935.
Although tile production ceased in 1935,it was not until
October 1936 that all stacks were cleared.Below is the record
of sales from the end of production to the sale ,of the last
tile;
period
1936-4th Mar-1st Apr.
1st Apr-29th Apr.
1st May-30th Jun.
30th Jun-30th Jul.
no. tiles sold
1,765
2,649
7,400
8,500
\ " , eQ.1\e.d icJ ShAe.. The Granville works was also the site of another first
Art\f'G\~\ ~to~~ in Australia,the manufacture of artificial marble.In 1921,
~anv~~~~v~QY. an agreement was made between the company and Benedict stone
Ltd,U.S.A.The terms were to be that Goodlet and Smith were
to produce the stone under licence and the profits were to
be divided 15% to Benedict Stone Ltd,America, and 85% to
Goodlet and Smith Ltd.
By October 1927 the buildings were being ere.cted at
Granville and gantrys and cranes installed.Contracts with the
Benedict Stone Co. were few but they included some important
examples of architecture.Contracts included facing the new
offices of the 'Sun" newspaper,war memorials for the Granville
R •. S.L and the Blackheath Memorial' Park as well as minor
contracts with churches and private contracts for headstones.
Like the other industries carried on by Goodlet and
~mith this works too was hard hit by the depression and
the slump in the building industry spelt the end for
manufactured stone in Australia for the moment.Benedict
Stone went into liquidation in 1931 .Two years later the
company still advertised its product in the vain hope that
they could make a go of the product but to no avail.
The Benedict Stone works is perhaps the best preserved
of the early Goodlet and Smith manufactories.Although the
machinery was disposed of,the building owes its preservation
to World War 11.
In 1942 the military authorities proposed to dismantle
the Benedict stone building and gantry crane.The British
Standard Machinery Co. ·were poised to purehase the crane
for :61,325 when the Di.S. Army stopped the sale and requisitioned
the building and crane for their use,paying the monthly sum
of £51-2-6.Soon after the Australian Navy requisitioned the
E. \e.c..-\-r\c\t{
5 u ff\Y·
building. Some time after the war the building was leased out
for factory space.The only known such leasee is Auland Engineering
which occupied the building until the mid 1970's.Today it is
used in connection with the brickworks,though this will be discussed
later. The Benedict Stone building is an interesting comment in itself
as to the history of Goodlet and Smith's.The roof is entirely
tiled, undoubtably with tiles froll! the reconstructed tile works.
The workers bathroom located off the southwest corner of the build
ing appears to have changed very little to when it was built.The
building of this bathroom is also interesting,it would appear to
be an addition of at least nine years after the main plant as it
is rooved not with Goodlet and Smith roofing tiles but with tiles
from the Wunderlich plant at Rosehill,Goodlet and Smith's main
competitor during the peak of tile production.The offices in this
building retain their wooden and glass panels,though from which
period of occupation these are frolfl is not known.
Before I mowe on to the production of bricks on'the site I
would first like to make mention of the means by which the site
was powered.
On the west bank of A'Beckett's Creek there stands a two
storied brick building,now used as a rubber factory.This building
was constructed sometime between 1903 and 1911 to supply the area
out as far as Penrith with electricity,the Goodlet and Smith
station being itself connected directly with the power station at
Pyrmont.In 1911 two suction gas engines were installed in this
building,said to be tVIO of the largest in the country(see plate 13) .16
In 1923 the present substation was constructed not far from
the old one on the northern side of Walpole Street.It seems however
that the Sydney County Council continued to lease the old building, ProOtvc,t1o{\ o~ renewing that lease in 1942 for a further 20 years.
B,~(,\<,s. . I shall now proceed with the major potion of this work,.the
production of bricks at the site of Goodlet and Smith Ltd.
As I have recorded,in 1890 the works are known to have con
sisted of a brickworks and a kiln,the new Hoffman kiln being
constructed in 1891.Probably the oldest remnant of the brickmaking
plant is the building in the centre of plate 7, shown directly
behind the newer Hoffman kiln.
This building would seem to have housed the crusher when this
view was drawn in 1903,as can be seen by the conveyor belt leading
up from the pit.More recently this building has been converted
for other aspects of brickmaking which will be seen later,having
its windows blocked up and much of the wall in view in plate 7
rJ 11,.;
demolished.
Of the early machinery,nothing can be positively identified
as belonging to this period of the works.The existing brick presses
are certainly early,though precisely when they were first employed
at the works is not certain.Likewise the mill wheels which lie
among piles of rusting machinery on the site.There are three sets
of crushing mills,two of which have both mill wheels,however the
excess of wheels on the site may indicate renewals rather than
remnants of older machinery.
To the north of the early crusher,an extension built to accomod
a te both later crushers and brick presse"s can be found .It was
this extension that warranted the renovation of the early crusher
building.
This extension houses much of the old machinery ,still to be
found in situ which enables one to reconstruct the process by which
newly mined clay and shale became the finished product,brick.
Plates 14-18 show the machinery of one phase~in order of manufacture
of bricks.
The earliest dateable machinery is found in the reconstructed
tile plant.When tile production ceased in 1935,its place was
taken by the manufacture of texture bricks.The company record of
the 10th August 1936 states that a new clay preparing and brick
and tile cutting plant had been purchased.The following year a
new pugmill had been purchased.These were installed in the new
tile building,henceforth called the texture brickworks.This machinery
is shown in plates:19-23.Plate 23 shows a brickpress located in
the building,though whether it belonged to this works or else it
had been stored here is not known. The pugnlill can be seen in
plate 20.
The last repository of machinery is the Benedict Stone build
ing where today 'rock-faced' bricks are produced. Two machines
chip two face edges off the bricks to produce a rock like finish.
(plates 24-26.The finished product can be seen on the conveyor
belt in plate 26.)This machinery dates to the last five or six
years,though this is without certainty.
Turning now to the machinery in present use, that is for
bricks other than 'rock face',in 1977 Goodlet and Smith's bought
a crusher from Ganberra Brickworks,the plans for which bear the
date 1954/55.This was installed at the site in a building built
especialy for its reception off the north wall of the machinery
building.(plates 27-29)
The brick presses consist of two types,an apparently older type
manufactured by Foster ans Sons,St Peters,and the second made by
Wallbank,Auburn.Of the former there are 5 machines, the latter 2.
(see plate 31,the seconds from the left and right are the Wallbanks)
From the machines the bricks are loaded onto forklift trucks and
stacked in the kilns.There are three down d~aft kilns, built between
1900 and 1944,and counting the conversion of the Hoff'man kiln,the
total is five.
As I have explained on page 4,the Hoffman kiln underwent some
changes before 1944 when it 'moved' to its present positiom.Having
the chimney at one end caused problems in the running of the kiln
as the fire moved more swiftly towards the ~~imney on the western
side than away from it on the eastern side.As the chambers on the
eastern side "became more and more unrepairab,le· this side was blocked
off from the otheJ? side which was converted to two down draft kilns
in 1980.
The bricks go into the kiln grey,and emerge in colours ranging
from buff to red.The bricks are stacked in the yard and sorted into
piles of similar colour and then await sale.
Some bricks are sent to the 'Benedict Stone' building to be made
into the 'rock face' product.
In regards to the history of brick production the first major
change to the Granville works came in 1915 when the closure of the
Surrey Rills brickworks left this works as the only brick making
concern of the company.The First World War however brought a slump
in the building industry and production dropped from 3,100,000 in
1914 to 750,000 in 1922.From 1922 the business improved,sky-rocketing
to 5,000,000 in 1925 after the destruction of the tile works,
p~umably the company decided to concentrate on bricks while the
new tile works was being built.The profit figures attest to this,the
figure for 1924 was 30,000 pounds,1925 10.000 pounds,and 1926 27,000
pounds.
1920 saw the erection of 'one kiln standard type,.17This may be
no.1 down draft kiln, though I have been told by an employee who
worked at the brickworks from the 1940's to 1960 that another D.D,K
existed once on the southern side of the machinery building, and so
it may have been this one.
The supply of bricks remained fairly constant until 1930 when
depression hit the building trade.This along with fierce competition
from the State brickworks warranted the closure of the works in
November 1930.
The works started up again almost two years later,having to sell
at very low priues since the St Peters yard was cutting prices to a large
degree.
At the end of 1932 Goodlet and Smith Ltd made an agreement with
technologist named A.J.Verness to experiment with coloured roof tiles and
bricks .Insufficient progress was made to .decide whether larg,e scale
production should proceed and Verness completed his agreement in
April 1933.
When production restarted in 1933 the company was lucky enough to
secure some large Government orders and a number of sundr~ orders such
as the Auburn. Picture Theatre.One order involved transporting 1000
tons of bricks to Camden.
1933 is also the first year that mention is made of moulded bricks
at the ~orks! 18~There'is a building at the works now used as a store
which had once been a carpenters shop where wooden moulds were made
from redwood for the manufacture of finials and other clay products which
were used along with roofing tiles.This building is located directly
opposite the western ends of the Down Draft Kilns,on the creek bank.
After tile production ceased moulded bricks were produced here, this
period of transition occurs at about the same time as the first mention
of moulded bricks occurs,1933.
Around 1940 the moulded brick works was engaged in a special order
to produce bricks for the circular columns of the Vauxhall Inn,located
nearby on the corner of Parramatta and Woodville Roads.Evidence of the
products produced at the works may be seen in plate 37.The brick shown
was found inside the moulded brick building,as was the casing of the
mould seen in plate 36.It is not known for how long the moulded brick
works opelE'ated.
From about 1934 Goodlet and Smith Ltd had been experimenting with
the production of texture bricks.That year the company enquired of the
Vressler Uorporation,who had patented the Dressler kiln,the possibilities
of burning t~xture bricks in that kiln.Arrangements were made for minor
adjustments and in August it was resolved to register the texture bricks
under the trade mark 'newtex'.
The texture brickworks consumed .excessive amounts of water, unlike the
drypress method of the common bricks,and arrangements were made to extract
water from the creek.In 1935 the works were producing sandstock bricks,
which they reported were being 'well received'. 19Later that year ext.en
sions were made to the office of the ~ompany,increasing the office space
14-16ft to the west.In the construction texture bricks were employed
creating a showpeice for the company.
1936 saw the acquisition by the company of new machinery for the
texture b,rickworks.In February 1937 it was reported,"it is proposed to
alDer the clay preparing system in the plastic(texture brick)works by
eliminating clay dryers and the dry pans,reduction being done by rollers.
Exhaustive trials as to the capacity and efficiency of the rollers had
been made •.• and the screening tower in the Benedict Stone building being
suitable to carry the rollers it was proposed to immediately commence
moving it down to the other works. tI 20The screening tower can be seen
in the top left hand corner of plate 19.In 1937 Goodlet and 0mith's
were selling texture bricks at ~6/10,having increased 10 shillings per
thousand.
By the end of the year problems had arisen in the running of the works
resulting in its tempqrary closure.The next two years were plagued with
problems for the texture'brickworks,the bricks emerging from the pugmill
slightly warped.World War 11 put an end to some planned alterations. for
The works was openedf\ seven fuon ths in 1940 and a short period in 1941/42,
closing for good in 1942.The works appear today as they did then,all the
machinery remaining in situ.(refer to plates 19-22 and 89-95.)
During the early years of the war building dropped to a minimum and
output went mainly towards GovernJIlental projects,production depending on
the orders of the Government.Late in 1943 production at the works ceased
not starting up again until mid 1944.
In the imn,ediate post war reconstruction period the company was pre
occupied filling orders from the Housing Gommision.During this period the
building industry boomed al),d with it the local Brick industries
around Goodlet and Smith Ltd.
In the past ten years there has been a slump in the brick industry.
In the period after World War 11 there were a number of brick and tile
works in the area, the Auburn Brickworks,Clyde Brickworks,Newman and
Underwood Ltd,Tucknott~,Walker Benson Ltd,Shannon's and Wunderlich's.
Of these only Tucknot~s,Shannon's andWunderlich's remain besides Goodlet
and Smith Ltd,Shannon's and Wunderlich's concentrating on roof tiles.
Goodlet and Smith's days in the area are nUJllbered too .Since 1979 the
brick pi,t has been taken over by the Holroyd Council for waste disposal
operations.Although mining has ceased Goodlet and Smith has buil~ walls
of shale stockpiled along the west bank of A'Beckefu~ Creek and added to
this the company holds deposits of shale from the Clyde brickworks.
The Buildings at Goodlet and Smifu Ltd,GEanville.
tThe letters of the buildings in the text correspond to the plan of
"the si te on page 5:3 .
~~!~~!~E_!~The Offices of Goodlet and Smith Ltd. (plC\.\-e.~ 40 -+2)
This building is not shown in any of the photographs of the works
before 1911,and indeed could not have been built before 1919 as it stands
on the site of the cement store seen in plate 7.The most likely date
for its construction would be 1930,the company havi~g moved their
registered office to the site on the 1st April 1936~The building may have
been built earlier,though in all probability not before 1927.The building
would appear to have been built after the Benedict stone building(see
Building D)as it occupies the available space between this building and
Building B.The southern extension (d) obscures the view from the railway
line of offices in the Benedict Stone building,hence my belief that
Building A was constructed in the available space.
The building consists of four phases, (a)which I have just dated to
circa 1930 forms the core.lt,as the rest of the building,is of brick
construction and has sandstone window sills.The roof of the entire building
is tiled,presumably with Goodlet and Smith roof tiles.(b)was extended in
1935(see p13),the interior of which was built of texture bricks.The interior
brick walls of this this section were designed as a showpiece of the
companies texture bricks,the bricks being "laid in geometric patterns,
this is probably one of the earliest examples of such artistic work emp
loying texture bricks in Australia,the centre peice being an intricately
designed fireplace.(c)is an extension of the last five years and is now
the present manager's,Mr R.Grifliths,office.Unlike the rest of the building
this section's roof is not tiled but made of iron,and can be seen in
plate 45.(d)was extended before (c) as its roof is tiled an its architecture
constant with that of the major part of the building.This section now
houses a kitchen and large strongroom.
~~!.!~!!!E_~~ The early manager I s residence.( "1~TeS '\-2.. - !Job)
This is perhaps the most difficult building,or rather complex,to date ,as
it consists of two adjoining buildings. (a)is with certainty the older,
being constructed in the form of the terrace style houses built in Sydney
from c1880-1895.The 1890 prospectus of the company makes no mention of it
being one of the buildings at the Granville works,therefore I would tend to
date it after 1890.The 1899 photograph (plate 6)ends short of the building
though the 1903 view shows the entire complex."
The building is two stories high,of cement rendered brick constrution.
The roof is tiled and if these tiles should turn out to have been made
by the company then this building may turn out to be the first,if not
one of the first,tiled rooved buildings in Australia,Goodlet and
Smi th having been the first company .to produce roofing tiles in
Australia in 1894,hence this building would have been a showpiece of the company.
The top flo'or of this building has now been sealed of and the
stair removed due to the dangerous condition of the top floor floorboards.
It is believed that the fittings in this building,i.e.the fire
places,skirting boards and mouldings,are products of the company's Pyrmont works.
(b)is a slightly later addition to (a),dating,like (a)to before
1903.That it is a later addition can be seen in plate 46 where tb)'s
western wall is seen to have been built onto the eastern verandah
wall of (a).This buildiag is also of brick construction with tiled
roof however unlike (a) it is single storied.A view of this building
in 1928/29 can be seen in plate 54 when it was used as the office
for Benedict Stone Ltd.In this plate can be seen a board of examples
of stone produced at the works as well as a lampost.Though both are
gone today,one may still see where the lampost stood and a path. of
stepping stones,made of Benedict stone,leading from the north verandah.
This building is of the same style as Building A,it also having
sandstone window sills.une would be tempted to date them to the
same period due to stylistic similarity were it not for the evidence
that separates the two buildings by 20-30years •. (compare the two
buildings in plates 40 and 42.)This building is now leased out to
l!'ield Furnace Hefractories and serves as their offices.
Building B ceased to be a residence in 1968 when the company's
sec~etary,who had previously lived there,moved to the new residence
located to its north,Building W.
~~~~~~~~_~~The ~athroom Block.(~late 47)
The bathroom block was constructed in 1941-2 following a strike
for better conditions in the industry.The building is brickbuilt with
a tiled roof,which most probably was not made by the company since
the last of their store of tiles was sold in 1936.The brand of these
tiles is not yet known.
The building consists of two rooms,a lunchroom and locker room/
bathroom.Inside the arched doorway that gives access to the building
(see plate 47)can be found the time-clock that records the hours'
of the workmen.Possibly the clock found in Building J(Plate 87) was once located here.
E~!l~!~~_~~T4e Benedict stone building.(Plates 48-52)
This building was erected in 1927 for the production of artificial
stone for the facing of buildings and monuments.The company of
Benedict Stone Ltd approached Goodlet and Slfdth with the proposal
of forming the works, the first of its kind in Australia.
There are two periods of building,(a)1927 and (b)after 1936.
(a) The building of this period consisted of the main shed complex
and manager's offices located in the northeast corner of the building.
Overall the building is built of iron sheets over a wooden frame.
The roof is tiled with Goodlet and Smith roof tiles and in the case
of (b)with Wunderlich tiles.Large three sashed windows of eight. panes
allow light into the works(see plate 49)and smaller skylights are
foung under the eaves of the southern side.Much"of the eastern side
of the building is made of asbestos cement sheets.
The inside of the building is dominated by a large overhead crane
said to have been originally located at the pyrmont works.
(b)as stated above was extended after 1936.Since there is no
record of this building being occupated between the closure of
Benedict Stone Ltd and the commision of the building by the armed
forces in 1942.It is therefore possible that this extension was
completed during the armed forces occupation,i.e.the Australian N&vy,
between 1942 and the end of the war(1946).The extension consists of
a bathroom(Plate 51) and another room,its floor somewhat lower than
that of the rest of the building,its function unknown.As I have
already mentioned,the roof of this extension is made of Wunderlich
roof tiles, thus dating the e~tension after 1936(see page 9).
As can be seen in plate 51 the bathroom is a brick construction
with shower and toilet recesses of brick.
Beside the building there is a brick retaining wall ,seen,in
plate 50.This is possibly the only above grounp. remnant of the
cement works that stood on the site.This wall corresponds roughly
wi th the course of the north wall of the celllent store seen in plate
7.The open area to the south of this building contains traces of
foundations,particularly near the creek. These foundations are of
brick and celIlent,thus it is plausible to associate the retaining wall
in some way with the cement works.Excavation of the heavily overgrown
area between the Benedict Stone building and the wall would possibly
clear up this point.
~~!!~~~~_~~Garage.(see Plate 50)
This garage was possibly built in the 1930's to house the manager's
car or possibly company cars.In 1933 the company is known to have
possessed a Thornyoroft lorry and in 1934 mention is made of a
Leyland truck and a new 1eyland Gub lorry.In 1937 the company sold
the Hillman car used be the texture bricks traveller and replaced it
wi th a Uhevrolet utili ty.Thi.s building is large enough to house
more than one vehicle therefore it was most probably used for
vehicles of the company.
The building is of asbestos cement panels over a wooden frame,
the roof being of corragated iron and the garage doors made of wood.
This building is possibly contemporary with Building ],' almost
certainly it can be dated to before 1936 due to the use of Goodlet
and Smith roof tiles on the roof.There are two cubicles in this
block.mich would suggest that they were not soley for the private
use of the restlent of Building B.
The building is of brick construction with,as I have mentioned,
a tiled roof.The floor has been cemented,possibly with the company's
oWlIlc product.
'I'he Hoffman kiln was erected in 1891/2.Uriginally the stack was
situated in the centre as seen in the early photographs(plates 6-8).
As the chambers of this kiln,on the southside,fell into disrepair
they were demolished and re-erected on the north side.This continued
until the kiln had moved half its length towards the north.Although
there is no record of this happening,it nevertheless remains that
the 1911 photo shows the kiln in a different position to that shown
in the 1944 areal photo. The account of the kilns IJlOVement I have heard
from three employees,one of whom was involved with the running of that
kiln in the early 1940'slMr J.Oughton).
Difficulties arising from the stack being relocated(or rather
~he kiln's being relocated)at the end of the kiln culminated in the
closure of the eastern side of the kiln and the conversion of the
western side into two down draft kilns.
~he kiln is naturally constructed of brick.It is a rectangular
~ather than a circular Hoffman kiln,Goodlet and Smith are credited
with having introduced the first rectangular Hoffman kiln into
Australia,though whether it is this kiln or whether there was
another earlier·kiln at the Surrey Hills works is not at present
known.
The roof over the kiln is iron,supported on a wooden frame(see
plate 57).
The western side of the kiln is of particular interest.In 1979/80
it underwent a transformation from a continuous kiln to two down
draft kilns .IJ.'his WbS done by removing a section of the kiln from
the centre,thus dividing it in two.Plates 58 and 60 show the large
steel doors used to seal the ends of the kiln,similar doors are
located at either end of the kiln.This method does away with the
laborious task still employed with the other down draft kilns of
bricking the entrances up once the kilns have been filled.Plate 59
shows one bf these doors opened,revealing the inside of the kiln in
plates 61 and 62. The eastern side of the kiln reveals much of the building periods
of the chambers.Different patterns are employed in setting the
bricks in the walls of different chambers.Buff coloured bricks provide
a decoratiwe feature on the walls of the cham.bers.Une such eXample of
this can be seen in plate 63 to the right of the first open arch.
On the other side of this arch can be seen another line of buff
bricks lower than the first. Various patterns of bricks are found along
the walls of the chambers,double rows,rows separated by a row of
darker bricks etc.By no means are the patterns different in each
chamber,in some cases the patterns range over two chambers.
Another indication of difl'e:rent building periods is the shape
of the dome of the chambers.This is clearly seen in the apexes of
the chambers in plate 62.
~~~!~~~~_~!The three Down Draft Kilns.(~lates 68-75)
The three D.D.Ks were constructed(1)before 1919(?),(2) 1933
and (3)before 194·1, (1)r have dated before 1911 sinGe the present 100ft chimney locatea
nearby(plate 114)is depicted in with certainty in the 1911 photo,
and may be that seen in the earlier views.This chimney most probably
served the same purpose then as it does now,hence the theory that
this kiln is contemporary with this chimney.This kiln has undergone
much reconditioning,the first recorded reconditioning occurred in
1933.In 1941 it was reported that the kiln wouldn't last another
year.Substantial buttressing,seen in plate 71 probably ser~ed to
prolong the life of this kiln.
The kilns are constructed of brick with a large arch on the
eastern side ana a s .1aller arch on the western side. The rooves are
of iron,supported by wooden and iron frames,the ironwork differing
on (1) from (2) and (3).(coIllpare the rooves of the kilns in plateS
72 and 75.)
The second Down Draft Kiln was erected in 1933.The cOllLpany's
record of 11th December 1933 states that the 'new down draft kiln
which had been erected has bean burnt three times,and proved to be a ~ery good kiln,and produces very good bricks.
In construction this kiln is very much the same as the previous,
plate 74 shows the north side of this ki1n,showing the now disused
wickets where coal was fed to fire the kiln.A1l three D.D.K.s have
these wickets.
(3) was constructed between 1933 and 1941.It is most likely
that it was erected in the early part of this period, firstly due
to its strong similarity to (2) and secondly sinue both this kiln
and (2) were in need of repairs in 1941 when the first mention of
its existence is made.That same year it was suggested that another
such kiln be erected.It would appear that this kiln never became a
rea1ity,probably due to the ban on civil bui~ding and overall slump
in. the building industry.
~~!!~~~E_!~Machinery Building. (Plates 76-81)
This bui1aing consists of a number of phases, (a),(b),and (c).
(a) itself can be divided into two phases.The first was built before
1899 as it can jus t be seen behind the HoffI/ran kiln in plate 6.
This section is more clearly seen in plate 7,directly in the centre
of the picture.P1ate 7 shows the building as having windows on
two 1evels.As can be seen in plates 78 and 79 these windows have
virtually all been bricked in, the ex'::eptions being the one on the
left in plate 77 and two in the eastern wall that form part of the
entrance to the second phase of this section.
Also shown in plate 7 are two chiTwrreys,there function is not
certain,which have since been dellLOlished, the western extensio~~~i ted
on this spot.
This section, that is both phases,are constructed of brick with
rooves of iron. Part of the eastern wall has been demolished and
two large iron doors substituted(see plate 81).
The western extension of (a) can be seen in platffi79 and 80.
Whereas the earlier construct~n has a pitched roof this section
has a scillioned roof.There is no record of this addition but its
style would possibly date it post 1940.The 1944 area1 photograph
does not show this area very well and thus is of little use.
(a) is divideQ into two rooms.That on the southern side of the
building is used as a maintainence store.The other,which has had
its lower eastern wall al,nost completely removed(see plate 78) is
used to house two of the brick presses.This room has two levels,the
top level being seen in plate 17,direct1y over the brick presses.
(b) is constructed totally of corrugated iron over a wooden
frame.The building has no windows other than those located in
the eastern wall of the top storey.The building consists of two
floors,the lower housing the brick making machinery(see pages 11
and 12),a dark massive room crowded with disused machinery supported ,
by strong wooded beams and accessible via narrow winding wooden
staircases.The top storey is equally dark despite the windows
(see plate 76)and also houses machinery(plates 14-15).
(c) w&s built in 1977 to house the grinding pan purchased
from Canberra Brickworks(Plate 28).
There is no mention of this building in the company records.
I have been told that it was converted into a store in the 1940s
after being used as a carpenters shop and the place where finials
and moulded clay products were made.The person who told me this
was employed cleaning the building before it was converted into
a store.He told me that the man who had worked as a carpenter here
had been employed by the company since early this century and
remembered this building being used to make moulded products at • •
that time.I suggest therefore that this building is one of those
buildings in plate 7 that is obstructed by the cement works
building running left to right.
The building is built of brick,set about three feet into the
ground so that ground level occurs at the same level approximately
as the window sills on the south wall(see plate 84~.The roof is
corrugated iron.
The inside of the building is divided into two levels,the higher
is level with the ground at the eastern entrance and the other
lower level about three feet lower.
In the original building there were large entrances'on
either side of the building(i.e.north and south sides.)which were
blocked up in the 1940s • .At this time the two doors and window
were knocked out of the eastern wall which had up till that
time':pxobcibly'three wj,ndows li~e -the ves,t~"'w.!}ll'\see plate 85)
judging by the different texture of the bricks in the east wall
seen in plate 82.
~~!~~!~~_~~Oil store and Toilet block.
This small complez consists of two cement silos,presume.dly
once used to store coal for use to fire the kilnsra double car
port and an oil store,and a brick toilet block.The dates of their
construction is unknown.
~~~~~~~E_~..:The Rebuilt Tile·i'lorks and Texture Brickworks. (Plates 88-95)
The tileworks was rebuilt between 1926 and 1927,by the
miss-matched look of the bricks it could be that they were
re-used from the destroyed tileworks.The walls of the tileworks
are,as I have said,brick and the roof;corrugated iron on a wooden
frame.:The north side of the building is open for the easy move
ment of tile racks out of the building along rails(see plate 90)
which line the floor.At either end of the room ,there is a larger
gauge track running perpendicular to the others used to transpo~t
the racks across the tracks to the kiln.
The Swindell-Dressler Tunnel kiln was installed in 1927 and
was in use up till 1942,having been converted to a br"ick kiln in
the early 1930's.It is a brick construction and has a roof of
cement,supported by iron girders.The kiln is open at both ends
with doors of steel to seal the kiln.Railway lines run the length
of the inside of the kiln(see plates 92-95)
Heally this is part of the previous building however I have
classed it as a different buildi.ng due to its different purpose
to that of Building L.lt too was built' in 1926/27.
Much of the western side is open,sugge::;ting that it was used
for storage purposes,a theory perhaps strengthened by division
of this building"into rooms,certainly the building is used as
a store now.~onstruction is as L,though it should be noted that
both buildings are not under the same roof but each has a separ
ate pitched roof(see plate 88).
~~:!:~~:!:~~_~.!The Old Tileworks(PlatesI 96-105)
Buil t bet".-veen 1899 and 1903 this small section of ruined
builaings is all that remains H" the vast tileworks that was
in existance before 1924.The plan below is a sketch of the
relationship of the remains to the entire pre 1924 tileworks
taken from the view of the works in 1903(plate 7)
The heavily Bhaded
area denotes walls
still in existance.
This building is constructed of brick and originally had a
tiled roof,much of which remains(see plate 101).Some parts of this
building have been re-rooved using corrugated iron(see the roof
below the left chimney in plate 96)
In plates 97-99 it can be seen that the walls do not stand
to their former height as seen in plates 6-7 having two floors
removed.The company's record for the 9th December 1924 says that
'it was decided to rebuild the northern portion of the machinery
building',i;e.Buildings L-& M,thus'making this the southern
portion of the machinery building,giving us the irllpression that
this section was involved in tile production which could account
for the survival of the tilepress found in this building(see
plate 10).The use of the chimney is unknown,the fact that it was
not demolished for saftey reasons following the 1924 fire attests
to its use in the rebuilt works.
The major architectural feature of the building is the use
of arches,as demonstrated in plate 7.These have,on the whole,been
bricked in as can be seen in plate l03.Arches form the division
of rooms as can be demonstrated by plates 103-104.Some of these
a.rches were removed,presumadly during the renovation of 1926-7,
to make roon, for clay preparetory plant seen in plate 32.
The floor of this building was,and still is in many places,
paved with brick,seen in plate 105.Plate 102 also shows this
feature,being a rerrmant of the building that once stood on the
site directly west of Building M.
As can be seen in plates 104 and 97 the windows consisted of
two types.The first(plate 104)shows rectanGular wooden louvred
windows,this type found solely in the south wall.The second type
(plate 97)are large and slightly arched,a feature not shown in
plate 7.The windows of this type have all been bricked in.
This building serves as a repository of old machinery today,
much of it scrap metal.Uther than this it has no use.
~~!!~!~~_2~Toilet.(see behind crusher in plate 106)
There io no mention of this building's construction though
I am told that it pre-dates the 1941 bathroom block(Builaing 0)
as there was unrest between workmen and the management,this
building being for the use of 'the management only,the dispute
leading to the erection of the bathroom block.
Like many of the older buildings it is constructed of brick
and has an iron roof,this could possibly date it after the cease
in production of roof tiles.
~he crusher appears to be fairly modern,no date of construction
is known .• This is a simple 'structure fmerely an iron shed built to
protect the shale duri~g rain.The crusher itself serves to reauce
the size of the shale and clay peices to a size that the grinding
pan can handle .One crusher is known to have been installed in 1943'.
One of the most impressive buildings on the site and also one
of the most historic, the electricity substation was built between
1903 and 1911,the first date is dubious since although it is not
shown in plate 7,this may be because at this time it was not
part of the Goodlet and Smith manufactories but was leased to
the Sydney County Council"a lease that finally expired in 1964.
In 1911 two new suction engines were installed,thus this building
had been in existance before 1911<the history and significance of
the substation is discussed on page 10).
There are two floors to this building,the upper dominated by
the multipaned arched window seen in plate 10B.The inside of this
'" building has no~ been investigated as it is now occupied by a
plastics factory leased from Goodlet and Smith.
The substation is constructed of brick, built on the side
of the creek,the east side supported by brick supports holding
the building abowe the creekbed.The roof the building is iron,
which is unusual considering that this is a substantial building
constructed during the period when Goodlet and ~mith were producing
roof tiles.
This building has much historical value,I might add,as from
here electricity before 1923 was distributed from Pyrmont to the
west as far as Penrith.
~~!~~!~~_~~store.(see right in plate 107)
This is probably the least known and documented building
on the site.It is costructed of weatherboard and in some places
asbestos uement sheets. The r00f is corrugated iron.It may be that
this building replaced another on this site as seen in plate 7,
or this building may even be that illustrated.ln any case it is
not known what purpose it served,but now it is 'used as a store
in connection with the plastics factory.
Building S.Shale Shed. -----------Erected in 1977 from aluminium to protect one of the shale
t consists of merely a flat roof supported by piles in wet weather.I aluminium pylons. ,
Absolutely nothing is known of the pumphouse other than its
lo~ation.lt could be found in the brick pit beneath approximately
70 feet of rubbish.I am told that building was covered over when
the pit becaJi.e used as a rubbish dump around 1979/80.
The aim of this building had been to keep the floor of the
pit dry.
~!::~~~~!:~_~.!~he 0il Store.(Plates 110-111)
I am told that this building once served as an oil store but
is now used to store more valuable peices of machinery jUdging
by the steel door and secure lock(see plate 110).The store was
built between 1903 and 1911,it being first shown in the 1911 photo.
The building is ~rick construction with a tiled roof,equipped
with finials,presumedly made on 'the' site.The south wall (not shown)
shows evidence of a low arched entrance which has been bricked
in.There is no evidence for this arch's existence in the 1911
view showing the southside,maybe due to, railway obstructing the
view or maybe the arch had been filled byfuis time.
The diflierence in texture of the bricks above the door in the
north wall may indicate the addition of this door after the
completion of the building(see plate 110).
This forms part of the rebuilt tileworks,standing on the site
of the earliest tile building seen in the 1899 photograph(plate 6).
This building very different instyle to the rest of the rebuilt
section so I would suggest a separate date for its construction,
either between 1924 and 1926 or between 1927 and 1944 as i~ is
shown in the 1944 areal photograph.
The early use of this building is uncertain.! have been told
by an ex-el,.ployee that there was a building around this area that
was used as a lunchroom by the employees before the present
1941 buildinb was built.This same building was also used to
keep the trucks belonging to the company.Although thjs building
would seem too large for such a use,the description 1 have been
given of this lunch room-come-garage matches this structure.
The lunchroom/garage was desvribed as a brick building with
its walls not standing to the height of the eaves,leaving a gap
between the top of the walls and the roof.This description is .
very si,ilar to this building, particularly as the walls are only
half brick,the upper course being iron sheets(see plate 112).
There are three large openings in the building,ona in the
west wall,situ-ated in a south east corner recess of the building,
(see map and plate 112)and two openings in the east wall.'l'he size
of these doorways would tend to suggest that large trucks had to
go into the building,assurnadly to load and unload.The building
is now leased as a store,fenced off from the rest of the works.
~~!~~!~~_!~The Present Manager's Residence.
Although this is the manager's residence it is not occupied
at present by the manager but by the secretary of the works
who has lived here since it was built in 1968 and before then
in the old manager's residence,Building R.
The house is constructed of buff coloured bricks and has a
tiled roof,not tiled ,dth Goodlet and Swith tiles.:B.eing a private
residence it has not been investigat~d.'rhe house is situated on th~
corner of Walpole and Cresent streets,advantage of its position
being taken to display the range of bricks made at the works
in thE form of a high brick fence around the building.
There are four stacks at the site at present.The two oldest
were built before 1899,the 150ft stack recorded as being built in
1892 along with the Hoffman kiln.These two stacks are seen in all
the early photograph;however it is dubious as to whether the 100ft
stack is the same as that in the 1899 photolseen between the
Hoffman kiln and cement building in plate 6)lvhich looks slightly
thinner.
The next earliest chimney is that located on Building N.
(see plates 100-101)This chimney was built between 1899 and 1903.
The final chimney is that of the rebuilt tileworks,contempory
with the SW'ndell-Dressler kiln of 1927.This chimney is enclosed
by Buildings L,N and V and can be seen on the left of plate 96.
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