From The Bricks Up

For Erica and Millie

Phorpres News Richard Cramp Published to accompany the exhibition - From the Bricks Up 2017



Preface This publication is in con- junction with the exhibi- tion ‘From The Bricks Up’. It brings together images from my time at the Kings Dyke brick works, and the brick works own archival images. I have also included two articles that give a wider view point of the works and its history. One is by Jen Barback the curator of Whittlesey museum, a town close to Kings Dyke. In her essay she has given an historical account of the old Kings Dyke High Street, social clubs and schools. Ken Wade is a local angling expert and son of the late Frank Wade who had big success in the old Phorpres angling cups. He recalls his childhood stories of when his Dad would take him fishing in the lakes formed by the old quarries and talks about how important angling was as a social event throughout the local industry.Chimney stack, Kings DykeR.Cramp 2016

IntroductionI first became aware of Kings Dyke brickworks in 2014 when researching fora previous project in the area. The visual impact of the place immediatelycaught my interest; it was hidden away like a secret lair, with only thechimney stacks and single access road giving away its location. Thecombination of the red clay floor, its tall phallic chimneys against the lowdeep, blue sky and the busy noises of the trucks, conveyor belts and themusical knocking of bricks meant that I was hooked and I knew that I hadto come up with a project that would give me license to spend time in thisunique place. So I hatched an idea and set to work on researching, takingphotos and videoing the works.The atmosphere surrounding the works was what first enticed me to theplace but as the project progressed the history behind the industry becameAnnotated ariel photograph showing Kings Dyke and surrounding brickworks 1976.London Brick Archive

the main focus. Alongside the farming industry the brickworks played anintegral role in the development and shaping of Peterborough. Kings Dykeused to be part of a vast empire of brickworks and chimney stacks were adominate sight on the horizon. These have now to some degree beenreplaced by wind turbines but Kings Dyke has remained and now itssmoking chimneys stand alone as symbol of a traditional way of life.The more I looked into the industry and the local history the more swampedI became in stories, trails and ideas. I think that structuring a coherentproject out of the many facets of the work was the hardest part. At everyturn I came up with new lines of enquiry and stories of interest.As I delved into these stories I became interested in the social side of theworks and its employees. I started to explore how the industry created itsown communities and what impact this had on the local area. I wasparticularly interested in how the area and its communities changed anddeveloped as the brickworks responded to changes in the industry mainlyseen in the increased automation and new regulations. Andrew Mortlock R.Cramp 2016One and possibly the most fruitful aspect of my research was the time Ispent in the archive with a very keen and knowledgeable brickwork liferAndrew Mortlock. We could spend hours talking about the history of theindustry and how it has changed. Through these interactions I found outabout the clubs and societies, the brick making process and its developmentover the years. More importantly Andrew gave me access into the psyche oflife in the works and I learnt of the employees’ pride for their work.In the past the brickworks have supported many community activitiesincluding: an in house fishing competition, a magazine and at one stage asilver and a brass band. Although these social past-times no longerexist, through my research I discovered that the community is still alivebut it has grown and expanded away from the nucleus of Kings Dyke; thesesocial aspects have now been absorbed into the wider community. There arenow fishing lakes and competitions that are open to the wider community.This expansion away from Kings Dyke is an inevitable consequence of otherindustries moving into an area filling the gap that the once vast empire ofbrickworks has left behind.

The modern world of Kings Dyke sees increased environmentalresponsibilities. I was pleased to see that the land that had been forquarrying is now being returned to the earth in the form of lakes, ponds anda nature reserve that provides integral homes for many of our nativeanimals. There has also been a change in the use of the bricks that aremade. Once transported by train to all parts of the country to create newbuildings they are now largely used to restore and renovate older buildings.In a constantly evolving world even the bricks themselves have had to finda new place in our 21st Century much like the communities they used tosupport.One thing that I don’t think has changed over this period of great socialchange is the pride that the people in this industry have for their work. Theemployee numbers have fluctuated partly due to the increasedmechanisation and changes in the market but it is good to see that some ofthis hands on manual industry lives on and the pride that comes with this isclear for everyone to see. Kings Dyke hold its integrity because the type ofbrick that is produced can only be made through a process that cannot befully mechanised and therefore this brickworks has resisted completemodernisation. Making of the bricks is a raw and elemental process throughour manipulation of earth and fire we create building blocks used to buildour environment. The physical and conceptual attributes of the brick make itthe perfect symbol for the way we build up our societies.Long live the brick, may it always contribute to building our communities.Richard CrampSignage in the Press roomR.Cramp 2016

View of Kings Dyke from the main roadR.Cramp 2016

Conveyor beltR.Cramp 2016



The Kings Dyke CommunityDuring the 1890s Whittlesey was much smaller than today, with just under6500 inhabitants who lived mostly in the area immediately around theButtercross. There was no settlement at Kings Dyke, which was some wayfrom the centre of the town. Gradually following the development of thenational railway network (which improved the mass transportation of heavybricks and coal for the furnaces) brickyards were opened at several pointsaround Whittlesey, Fletton and Peterborough. All of these yards weretapping into similar geology under the soil and each created hundreds ofnew jobs, both skilled and unskilled.It is estimated that by 1900 there must have been between 1000 and 1500men employed in the Fletton brick industry at Peterborough and Whittlesey.The effect that these men had on the local economy and housing marketwas quite significant. As early as 1892, with only 300-400 people employed,it was reported that “there is not a house to be had near the works” atWhittlesey and that workmen were hiring carts in groups to commute fromseveral miles away.Although several brickyard owners proposed the building of cottagesadjacent to their works, only J. C. Hill and A. W. Itter did anything ofsignificance at the time. Arthur Werner Itter owned brickworks at KingsDyke from 1895 until his death in 1910. Hill’s housing estates were builtaround the edge of existing villages, but Itter took the initiative to found anew hamlet with full facilities for his workers at Kings Dyke, where none hadexisted before.Kings Dyke sports ground 1938London Brick ArchiveBetween 1897 and 1900 Itter commissioned around 100 workman’scottages, built on each side of the Kings Dyke road. Most have now beendemolished.The brickyards of the time had heavy involvement in the lives of theiremployees, not only acting as a major employer in the Whittlesey area butalso taking on responsibility for their worker’s moral conduct and personaldevelopment. Like other Victorian “model villages” elsewhere in thecountry, Itter set up a school, chapel, shop and sports field with numeroussocial clubs for the benefit of the workers at Kings Dyke designed topromote community spirit and provide alternatives to drinking, fighting or

gambling – no pub was built! The worker’s physical health was alsoconsidered: in 1899 an “ambulance class” was started at Kings Dyke,probably one of the earliest voluntary expressions of concern about safety inthe brickyards. Sickness and benefit clubs were also popular in many of thebrickyards in the area.Kings DykeWhittlesey Museum Kings Dyke 1960-70 London Brick ArchiveThe Kings Dyke Brass Band was supported by “subscriptions” collected fromamongst the workers and played at local functions and in local and nationalband competitions – eventually changing its name to the Kings Dyke PrizeBand because of this. After the disruption of the First World War the bandreformed with silver instruments and became the Kings Dyke Silver Band.Maroon red band uniforms were introduced in 1928 to replace the earliernavy blue design.Each brickyard also provided an annual outing for workers and their familiesto visit the seaside by train during August and September. Until the 1930sthis trip was often the only agreed holiday and more than 1,000 familieswould take up the opportunity, making the outings truly festive occasions.At the centre of the new community, a small corrugated iron building whichincluded a small school room was opened at Kings Dyke in 1898, to functionas a United Methodist Chapel. This building was sold in 1910 and theproceeds used towards the building of the still-extant chapel, opened in1928. The chapel school was replaced by a new school commissioned byItter at a cost of £1000 to accommodate 300 pupils, both infants and juniors(although the average attendance at the start was closer to 60). It wasopened in 1904 to celebrate the jubilee of the brickworks, withpresentations and speeches given on the day of opening and a free meattea provided for 250 children and 472 adults, after which the workmenwere photographed and the Kings Dyke Prize Band played at a concert. Theschool was described as being a private school, not subject to governmentinspection and with an uncertified teacher.Mr Itter equipped the school and promised to maintain it at his ownexpense, asking “for the children to be sent regularly and clean, as it is not

sufficient to teach them the three r’s, they must also be taught at home thethree m’s: morality, method and manliness, and in addition they should bebrought up in the knowledge of God”.In 1930 the school was purchased by the County Council for £350 from MrItter’s Executors. It continued as a much-needed school for many years,although the building later became a social club before being demolished in2005. Two inscribed stones from the building have been incorporated into amemorial to the community.The commercial needs of the Kings Dyke brickyard workers were met bywhat was usually known as the “Ashman’s” shop. From the early 1920s tothe late 1930s the shop was kept by John Ashman and his wife, and thenlater by their descendants. The shop sold everything from groceries tovegetables and medicines. The business, later run by Keith and MargaretGoodwin, was closed on 26th June 1971.Although the Kings Dyke community was not unique it helped to shape thedevelopment of Whittlesey from the “wild and dirty“ town of the early 19thcentury to the less seasonal agriculture-and-brick-based economy of the20th Century, which has in turn been the foundation for the town as we seeit today.By Jennifer Barback, Curator of Whittlesey Museum Kings Dyke Prize Band 1905 Whittlesey Museum Kings Dyke school badge London Brick Archive

Kings Dyke crossing 2016R.Cramp 2016Kings Dyke crossing 1906Whittlesey Museum

Fishing at a Brickyard pit (date unknown)London Brick Archive

Phorpres ClubMy early days of fishing saw mesitting alongside my Dad, Frank Wadeat the Brickyard pits down HicksLane. In the good old days beforetechnology took over it was a rod andline approach, but to be honest withso many roach and tench to catch,there never seemed to be the needfor anything too fancy in the way ofequipment.Throughout the summer holidays I would venture over to the pits and evenswam in them; Not something I would ever recommend these days. I amsure anyone who has ever fished in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s willremember Dennis Kew, he was the resident bailiff with a wealth ofknowledge on fishing the brick pits and in particular LB1; it was his babyand woe betide anyone putting a foot out of place. So we were always onthe look out for him!! There were some cracking fish in the brick pits, somesay to a record breaking size, so looking back it should have been nosurprise he was so protective of what was after all, the best fishing in thearea.In the early 60’s and 70’s the Phorpres Angling Club was a big name on thelocal angling scene and held regular matches run on the brick pits in theFletton area, in fact just a stones throw from our house and shop in FlettonHigh Street. Collection of past Phorpres angling cups - London Brick Archive R.Cramp 2016

Phorpres Angling cup 1936London Brick ArchiveThe club often ventured onto other waters too, in particular the River Nene,but it was always a real treat for me to head back to the brick pits with Dadand his club members.With the likes of St Margaret’s Road, Wootton Avenue and the surroundingstreets full of brick yard workers it was no wonder Dad started sellingfishing tackle not only to his many friends and fishing pals from the PhorpresAngling Club but to anglers from around the city too. The sport was huge inthat era with what felt like millions of anglers fishing each weekend.I have been in the shop now for over 45 years and still see severalcustomers from all those years ago, including ex brickyard worker JackMoorcroft who is well into his 80’s now and still enjoys wetting a line withhis friends.Unfortunately the Phorpres Sports and Social club closed a long while agoand that seemed to be the demise of the angling section as the membershipgradually declined and members went to other clubs.Part of the London brick site was still open though and still is today underthe Forterra banner and of those employed many came from the foundryand garages on each side of London Road just over the bridge and amongtheir numbers were many anglers.There are still trophies around the city from the good old days, DaveSchwinger who worked for London Brick and now Forterra in fact showed mea couple a few months ago with my dad’s name on them.Ken Wade

Thank you to all that have helped me withthis project your insight, knowledge and gen- erocity made this happen. Special thanks to Metal - Mark, Ruth and Sarah Andrew Mortlock Steve Jeynes Paul Fitzjohn Jyll Bradley Jen Barback Ken Wade Dave Stock

Photographs copyright Richard Cramp London Brick Archive and Whittlesey Museum 2017 Text copyright Richard Cramp 2017 All rights reserved: no part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy, or anyother means, without written permission of Richard Cramp