The Brick Directory

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US brick manufacturer, Boral, has released a white paper entitled "Building With Brick: Sustainable and Energy Efficient: A White Paper on Performance Benefits of One of Man's Oldest Building Materials." The paper cites a 4000-year old arch in the Middle East made of brick that still stands today. "All too often, newly invented materials are not only disproportionately expensive, but also lack a time-tested track record that can provide reassurance about their expected performance,” the paper read. Brick’s durability - it's not compromised by decay- contributes to its overall long life with little maintenance. “In fact, because of its durability, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology has rated brick masonry as having a 100-year lifespan,” the report read. By all environmental impact standards, brick is one of the best choices for sustainable eco-friendly construction. Why? 'The efficiency of the manufacturing process, use of alternative energy sources, recycled content, minimized waste and efficiency of transportation because clay and shale used to make brick can be found almost everywhere in the world and they are easily removed from the ground without the damaging effects that accompany the mining of more elusive resources,' the report stated.

One of the notable qualities of brick is that very little waste is produced in the manufacturing and building process because the materials are inherently recyclable “A kilo of clay material yields almost a kilo of brick," states the report. "Any materials that are left over after one run of bricks has been fired can simply be re-mixed into the next run.” Additionally, leftover brick material on the construction site can be recycled in a number of ways, be it crushed for landscaping, reused for other projects or added to concrete aggregate

Bangladeshi Brick man beheaded to redden bricks Fortune teller calls for human sacrifice

By Mary Papenfuss

Posted Mar 22, 2010 10 3:17 AM CDT

(Newser) – A Bangladeshi man was beheaded in a bizarre ritual to improve a local brick business. When owners became concerned that bricks in a northern village were losing their sought-after reddish hue, a fortune teller encouraged a human sacrifice. Four laborers, following owners' orders, killed a 26-year-old fellow worker and baked his head in a kiln in an effort to redden the bricks. The workers have been busted and police are searching for the owners and fortune teller, reports the Daily Telegraph.

New method to make Strong Straw bricks By Rob Quinn

Posted Mar 15, 2010 3:16 AM CDT

New method may make it possible to build bricks from straw(Newser) – Spider silk is yielding secrets that could pave the way for incredibly strong building materials, researchers say. MIT scientists found that the silk uses a unique crystal structure that makes it both strong and able to bend without breaking. They believe it is possible to copy that structure to turn ordinary materials like wood or straw into flexible and strong "super-materials," the Telegraph reports. Researchers found that nanocrystals 3 millionths of a millimeter across turned the inherently weak building blocks of spider silk into a material that is, pound for pound, stronger and less brittle than steel. They believe applying the same process to carbon-based building elements will create even stronger materials, potentially revolutionizing the whole field of synthetic materials.

Those black plastic bricks called VHS tapes The era of VHS is officially over

By Katherine Thompson

Posted Dec 22, 08 9:57 AM CST

(Newser) – Remember those black plastic bricks you used to pop into your entertainment system to watch movies? The nostalgic might want to snap a few digital photos, because tapes won't be with us for much longer now that the last VHS supplier has made his final shipment. The LA Times rewinds the history of a format film critic Leonard Maltin recalls as a "sea change." Videocassettes changed what Americans expected from entertainment, allowing people to choose what they wanted to see and then watch it at home, not to mention recording onto blank tapes. But thanks to DVDs and, increasingly, Blu-ray discs, the last VCRs are on shelves now. Says the last supplier standing: "I'm not sure a lot of people are going to miss VHS, but it's been good to us

June 9 2009 (Newser) – A Mexican surfer off a California beach was busted for trying to smuggle 24 pounds of pot on his board, reports the Los Angeles Times. When suspicious cops on the beach close to the Mexican border ordered the surfer to come ashore, he heaved a duffel bag into the water. It later washed up, packed with pot bricks worth $74,000, according to law enforcement authorities.

Brickfilms.com site is dedicated to brickfilming - making stop motion animation with LEGO or other brick like elements. Might try it with clay bricks.

New Technology for Brick Production in Vietnam using coal tailings

April 11th 2010 Vietnam Business News

In order to conserve resources, reduce environmental pollution, create jobs and contribute to the coal industry, producing bricks from coal tailings is being utilized in many coal factories.According to the statistics, every year millions of coal-tailings are thrown into landfills. Coal tailings contain approximately five to eight percent of usable coal, therefore, throwing away coal-tailings is wasteful and leads to illegal coal exploitation at landfill sites. This reality has forced the coal industry to find another way to deal with coal-tailings.

In addition, using clay to produce bricks has been known to destroy agricultural soil and harm the environment. Every year, there are 24 billion bricks needed in the construction industry. To lay these bricks, 36 million cu.m of soil is used, which is equal to 1,800 ha of cultivated land. Exhaust fumes from bricks contain numerous toxic substances, which are extremely harmful to the environment and to people’s health.

After discovering that coal-tailings’ chemical components were similar to that’s of the clay, scientists discovered the technology to make brick from coal-tailings. The technology has been used in many countries. In Vietnam, the project to use coal-tailings to produce bricks has been successfully implemented by the Institute of Mining Science and Technology (under Vietnam National Coal Mineral Industry Group).

Initial success has urged the scientists at the Institute of Mining Science and Technology to apply the technology to produce more than 23,000 bricks from coal-tailings at the Cua Ong and Hon Gai Coal Factories. Nguyen Quoc Thinh from the Institute of Mining Science and Technology said that coal-tailings can be adequately used to produce bricks, which can be used in the construction industry. Coal-tailing bricks are similar to clay bricks in terms of their physical qualities and design.

Bangladesh Adopts Green Brick Kiln Technology

Vamban News 5th April 2010 Dhaka,

– In an effort to reduce carbon emission, Bangladesh is looking at smokeless brick making technology to replace the over 150-year-old traditional method in the country. The new technology has been introduced by the UNDP as part of its project ‘Improving Kiln Efficiency in the ’Brick Making Industry.

The UNDP, which started its pilot project in 2006, will contribute $25 million in the next five years for 15 new projects in the country. ‘The innovative technology that is being used to replace the existing 150-year-old system will simply make the brick making industry so efficient that when this is replicated across Bangladesh we will have huge benefits for both the people and the global environment,’ Stefan Priesner, UNDP’s Country Director, said Sunday. UNDP said that the new system could reduce production costs, improve product quality, lower local pollution and, most importantly, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Xinhua reported. According to UNDP, brick making is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Bangladesh which produces around 6.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

High carbon emission level is caused by the outdated technology and substandard fuels such as high sulphur coal, tires and wood energy in kilns, it said, adding that in Bangladesh it takes about 23 tonnes of coal to produce 100,000 bricks whereas in other country it takes only 7.8 to 8 tonnes.

‘The traditional technologies of manufacturing bricks are heavily polluting the environment and in light of the economic growth in Bangladesh there is a huge pressure to manufacture more and more bricks,’ Priesner added.

“Chinese companies are making high quality and reasonably priced brick production equipment that are able to meet competition,” Eugeniy KOLESOV, the General Director of Optim Consult Company which joins 12 Chinese Trade Associations, believes. “Though most Chinese equipment is not of popular brand (as many German and Italian goods), the goods turnover with China is obviously growing,” he adds.

“The Chinese brickindustry is developing rapidly; and on the other hand there is a surge of interest in housing development in Russia, besides, lots of projects such as the World Student Games in Tatarstan in 2013 are being implemented. All this creates favorable conditions for the effective cooperation,” Yang ZHISING, the representative of the Chinese Machine Building Association says. “The brick production equipment is in great demand currently and the Chinese companies should get ready to penetrate the Russian market more actively,” the Chinese expert thinks.

“The customers will take more interest in the Chinese building goods and mostly the building equipment will be in demand but not the finished product,” Jung ZHINSHEN, the Deputy Secretary of the Chinese Building Materials Dealers Association, supposes. “In fact, it is much cheaper for our customers to purchase some equipment and make the building materials themselves then to buy the ready-made bricks in China,” he says.

How to match your bricks? First and foremost, bricks are made from clay, and the clay deposit that the brick came from can become depleted and / or the characteristics of the clay may change as the quarry is extended. Alternatively, the brick company the original bricks came from may have gone out of business, or the brick itself may have gone out of style. Brick styles change over time.

It is possible that you may get lucky and find perfectly matching bricks at your local brick merchant. The chances are the task will be a bit more difficult though. Unfortunately, there is no national database of brick colors and textures, although www.brickdirectory.co.uk goes some of the way, but that does not mean that you have to settle for mis-matched bricks.

The first thing that you should do is take some high resolution pictures of the original bricks, as matching from memory is impossible. You should E mail copies of these photos to brickmakers and specialist brick merchantin your area. Try to remember what year you bought the original bricks, and who you bought them from, as the more information you give the brick merchants, the better the chance of them being able to help you. A always let the brick people know the dimensions as Imperial size bricks typically 73mm depth may not be readily available but some handmade brick companies should be able to make them for you

If no-one can find you an exact match of your bricks, then find ones that at least match the color. Finding bricks that are a very close color match is definitely possible with a little looking around. Matching bricks by color is much preferable to matching bricks by texture. You can see texture differences when you stand close to a brick surface, but rarely can you see differences when you stand back 50 or 100 feet. Color mis-matches stand out from any distance.

Once you have found some potential matches, get some samples and take them back to your home for a proper evaluation. Then, be sure to stand back at least 10 feet when judging the quality of the match, as your eyes can sometimes play tricks on you when you look at the bricks up close. Ask a few other people for their opinions on which is the best match, and note down their answers.Remember its not just the bricks you’re hoping to match but also the mortar, texture colour and pointing

What is a Brick Workout? A brickworkout is when you do one workout immediately after another. For example, you could do a swim followed by a bike or a bike followed by a run. There is no special way you have to do a brick workout.

Brick wall collapse. See video by clicking on this link.TORONTO — Red bricks, black boards and strips of pink insulation blended in a massive pile of rubble near Yonge Street in Toronto on Friday after the facade of a building collapsed over the lunch hour

Read it on Global News: Brick wall topples on Toronto's Yonge Street
 

 Villagers steal Russian church — brick by brick

Dismantling, sale of building to local businessman a 'grave sin,' says priest

MOSCOW - Wanted: One missing Russian church. Last seen in July. Reward for its return. Orthodox officials in a central Russian region say an abandoned church building that was to be put back into use has been stolen by local villagers.

Orthodox priest Vitaly of the Ivanovo-Voskresenskaya diocese said officials last saw the two-story Church of Resurrection intact in late July. Sometime in early October, however, people from the nearby village of Komarovo, northeast of Moscow, dismantled the building, he said.

Villagers apparently sold it to a local businessman, one ruble (about 4 cents) per brick, Vitaly said. Orthodox priests use only one name.

"Of course, this is blasphemy," he said. "These people have to realize they committed a grave sin."

Vitaly said police were investigating the theft.

The 200-year-old building, which no longer had its icons and other religious valuables, was a school for disabled children during the Soviet era before it was closed down in 1998 and turned over to the church.

Vitaly said the diocese was thinking of reopening it for services.

The Orthodox church has experienced a major resurgence in Russia and has restored or built thousands of churches.

In poorer, rural regions, vandals or petty thieves regularly steal gilded icons or donations from churches and sell them for alcohol or drugs.

Robot Builds Brick Wall In New York City
ScienceDaily (2009-10-26) -- A robot is currently building a looping brick wall right in the middle of New York City. Over a period of three weeks, passers-by can watch the "Pike Loop" installation in the making on a traffic island. ... > read full article

 Brickwork: Historic Development, Decay, Conservation and Repairhttp://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/brick/brickwork.html

Gerard Lynch

Previously considered to be an inferior material to stone, brick construction was rarely used in Britain until the close of the Middle Ages. Gerard Lynch looks at its historical development over the last 600 years and its conservation and repair.

TUDOR BRICKWORK 1485-1603

The popularity of the material can be traced to the revival of brick-making in eastern England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This was a direct result of lack of local stone, an increasing shortage of good timber, and the influence of Europe where brickwork was used extensively.

By the Tudor period the brick-makers and bricklayers had emerged as separate craftsmen well able to rival the masons. From unsophisticated early work, brick building entered its heyday, rivalling stone in its popularity as a structural material.

Bricks were generally made on site in wood, heather or turf fired clamps by itinerant workers. Not only were standard bricks produced but also many in extravagant and elaborate shapes, epitomised by those that formed the spiral twisted chimney stacks for which the period is renown.

The Tudors further patterned their brickwork by inserting headers of over burnt or vitrified bricks into the walling. These dark surfaces ranging from deep purple to slate in colour, were laid carefully in quarter brick offsets in mainly English bond or English cross-bond, to form a diaper or chequered pattern within the predominantly red brickwork.

Tudor bricks were irregular in size and shape and therefore thick (15-25mm) mortar joints were necessary to even these out. The slow setting mortar was of matured non-hydraulic lime (often containing particles of the fuel used in its production), and coarse sand in a ratio varying from 1:2-1:5, the joints being finished flush from the laying trowel.

With the building of Hampton Court Palace, we have not only the seal of royal approval, but a monument to the achievement of brick in this period.

THE GEORGIAN PERIOD 1714-1830

The late 17th and early 18th centuries were a high point in the use of brick. Their manufacture was much improved, with blended clay, better moulding and more even firing which lead to greater consistency in shape and size. The colours of bricks changed in popularity from red, purple or grey bricks fashionable in the late 17th century until 1730, when brownish or pinkish grey stocks replaced the hot colours. These were followed in the mid 18th century by grey stocks, and, by 1800, the production of yellow marl or malm London stocks, which were closer to the stone colour desired for a classical facade.

Brickwork was generally of a very high standard, in mainly Flemish bond although header bond was also popular in the early 18th century.

Pointing was executed to a similar standard. As well as giving more protection to the weaker bedding mortar, fine detailing also helped to minimise the visual impact of the joints so that the classical details could be displayed more clearly. 'Tuck' pointing was the ultimate development in this quest.

A more expensive solution was to use 'gauged' brickwork popularised by Wren using a facade of fine, colour-matched bricks cut and rubbed to exact units, and laid in thin lime putty joints. However after 1730 this was considered too expensive and was reserved for window arches, aprons and other ornamentation only.

VICTORIAN BRICKWORK 1830-1914

This was a period of revivalism in domestic architecture and industrial building. The former seeking a return to 'medievalism' and other exotic building forms as a relief from the unspirituality of the Machine Age. The latter, for the infrastructure of factories, warehouses, railway bridges and so on, all largely met through the cheap use of bricks.

During this period, a greater number of bricks were made and laid than during all the previous periods. Brick manufacturing methods had improved in all respects including quality accuracy, regularity and in range of colours available. From the mid 18th century onwards the manufacturing process, like many others, was becoming mechanised. This enabled deeper clays to be used for pressing into dense bricks for use on civil engineering works.

With improvements in travel and communications, bricks could be transported over wide areas which removed the traditional local variations.

Improvements in the production of mortar also occurred during the late 18th century through the use of washed and graded aggregates, often with colouring. Also, the development of natural cements including Roman cement and other hydraulic limes, which set quicker and stronger, were vital to the speed of construction that the Industrial Age demanded. Portland Cement appeared in the mid 19th century.

Joints reduced to 0.3 inches (8mm) due to the accuracy of the machine pressed bricks and continued to be finished in various profiles. These were popular from the 17th century although the new 'weather-struck' and 'cut' style of joint became particularly popular.

A variety of face bonds were now used although, in the main, Flemish bond predominated domestically, whilst English bond was favoured industrially.

In all matters of brickwork, the Victorian desire for enrichment was readily achieved by the use of often garish polychromatic work, and the lavishing of ornamentation by detailing mass produced purpose moulded 'specials' or by gauged brickwork.

DECAY, CONSERVATION AND REPAIR

Before considering the most appropriate method of repairing brickwork, correct diagnosis of the cause of failure is vital.

Manufacturing defects in bricks can be the result of under firing or impurities in the clay used. These bricks decay more rapidly than better burnt bricks, especially with frost action. They can also act as a point of entry for moisture, which in turn will affect the whole wall, leaving it open to damage from frost and chemical action. Free standing walls, parapets and retaining walls are particularly vulnerable, and some judicious replacement may be necessary.

Poor Detailing can also contribute to failure through construction defects such as:

• Decayed bond timbers, joists, timber lintels, plates or bearers which have been embedded or built in to the masonry.
• The expansion of rust on corroding iron and steel structural members, wall ties or reinforcement embedded in the brickwork.
• Failure of arches and lintels from inadequate bearings, or abutments.
• Poor bonding and inadequate or even non-existent tying-in of brickwork. This can be due to a habit in the 18th and 19th centuries of 'snapping' headers leading to a wall of two skins, instead of one mass. Alternatively failure can occur at the junctions between walls, particularly where front and rear walls are insufficiently tied to the cross walls.
• 'Corbelling' (over projecting brickwork) and oversailing are especially prone to being insufficiently tailed-in to the main walling. They are also susceptible to water penetration due to inadequate, or non-existent protective weathering.
• Sulphate attack occurs when water is present with cement based mortars, producing slow steady expansion of sulphate crystals within the mortar or the bricks as the water evaporates. It can result in damage and even failure of the masonry. This is particularly common in unlined chimney stacks, where sulphates have been introduced by the burning of sulphur-rich fossil fuels. Where chimneys have been designed without bends, allowing rain straight down the flue, damp may appear on the chimney breast with a possible resultant salt problem. This can especially occur when the air is humid, or where the fireplace has been sealed without proper ventilation.
• Poorly designed parapet copings without damp proof courses, inadequate overhangs, and poor jointing techniques, which encourage damp penetration.

• Consolidants should only be applied to decaying brickwork as a last resort. Although predictably effective on soft porous bricks their use is still in its infancy, and the long term affects of new techniques is less certain. The consolidated brick face may behave in a different manner from the base through thermal movement, resulting in eventual separation.
• Sealants may induce similar problems. By sealing the surface they may inhibit or reduce surface evaporation leading to a build up of moisture. This can result in concentrating evaporation in other areas where crystallisation and frost damage may be exacerbated. Sealants should only be used in localised areas to prevent problems such as the staining which occurs from water run-off from limestone dressings, where it may be used after removal of the deposits.
• The introduction of hard mortars is one of the most common causes of failure in historic brickwork, leading to a failure of the mortar and of the brickwork itself.

Vegetation although often attractive, is generally harmful to older brick walls of traditional construction. Many types of ivy can cause serious damage to brickwork particularly if it is in poor repair, or constructed of soft, possibly spalling, bricks bedded in soft lime mortar where the pointing is defective.

If not carefully removed, ivy should at the least, be heavily controlled and never allowed to reach eaves level where it might block gutters and downpipes. In a strong wind, vegetation can also transfer additional wind-load, pulling out guttering, parapets, and even a chimney-stack.

Pigeons can also present problems, especially in city centres. Not only can they force up loose roof coverings, but they will block up gutters and downpipes with feathers, detritus and excrement, causing water penetration and consequent decay. The faeces rapidly deface the external (as well as internal) fabric, and may damage porous brickwork. Removal is difficult and expensive.

Control is therefore imperative, and can involve bird nets, repellent gels, poisons, traps and even shooting.

Recommended Reading

• · J Ashurst and N Ashurst, Practical Building Conservation, Volume 2: Brick, Terracotta and Earth, Gower Technical Press, Aldershot, 1988
• · TG Bidwell, The Conservation of Brick Buildings, Brick Development Association, Windsor, 1977
• · RW Brunskill, Brick Building In Britain, Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, 1990
• · N Lloyd, A History of English Brickwork, H Greville Montgomery, London, 1925
• · GCJ Lynch, Gauged Brickwork: A Technical Handbook, Gower Technical Press, Aldershot, 1990
• · J Woodforde, Bricks To Build a Brick House, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1976

Air/Water Abrasive Cleaning of Stone and Brickwork

Nicola Ashurst introduces one of the most widely used techniques for the cleaning of masonry http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/masonry/abrasive.html

The decision to clean an historic building is not one which should be made lightly, as cleaning can have significant physical and visual results. A period of detailed investigation must be undertaken to determine whether cleaning should be undertaken and, if so, the details of how this should be done. The nature and condition of all substrates must be understood, not forgetting pointing materials, as must the soiling to be removed. The latter may include atmospheric soiling, paint, limewash, metallic staining, anti-pigeon gel and graffiti. Each can require a different cleaning approach or at least modifications to the system selected for use elsewhere.

Every cleaning system can be used correctly or incorrectly. Poor cleaning should not be blamed on poor application alone as it is often the result of incorrect selection of a process. Glossy trade literature is no guarantee of correct selection. The design of a cleaning regime for an historic building is often deceptively complex, requiring specialist professional input.

The purpose of cleaning is to remove soiling, often a source of long-term deterioration to masonry, while causing little or no disruption of the masonry beneath. This can be difficult to achieve due to the intimate relationship between the stone and its soiling, as the soiling can be embedded deeply in between the surface particles.

Several published sources now exist which outline the basic constituents of various historic masonry materials and the susceptibilities of these to selective cleaning procedures. Previous experience must also come into play in assessing surface conditions and characteristics particular to the job at hand. The basic principles of any cleaning process must be determined if it is to be considered for use. Works should be undertaken by skilled supervisors and operatives from specialist masonry firms experienced in the cleaning of historic masonry.

Air abrasive cleaning systems are usually considered when soiling is not water-soluble and when, for reasons of site logistics or material incompatibility, chemical processes are inappropriate or less preferable.

A wide range of air abrasive techniques is currently available. These include a variety of machines, nozzles and abrasives from Hodge Clemco, Neokleen, Liquabrade, JOS and the suppliers of pencil abrasive techniques. Some larger scale equipment can be used in a very versatile and sensitive manner.

All air abrasive techniques operate by directing particles of abrasive onto the soiled masonry in a stream of compressed air. Cleaning is accomplished by impingement of the particles which dislodge or pulverise the surface layer of the masonry. This may be the layer of soiling or the stonework or brickwork to which it is attached. Most systems also involve the use of water, either additional to the air/abrasive stream or combined as a slurry with the abrasive. The main effect of the introduction of water is to reduce dust (both dry and wet abrasive systems clean in a similar manner), although the mist produced is still a health hazard.

Air abrasive cleaning techniques are most successful on surfaces of even profile and consistent surface texture and hardness. An air abrasive stream cannot on its own differentiate between the removal of soiling and the removal of masonry. Nor can it distinguish portions of masonry which are closer to the nozzle from those further away or areas of masonry which are softer. Damage to the masonry can only be avoided through the skill and ability of the operator to make the necessary adjustments in technique.

Air abrasive cleaning is usually most successful on plain stone surfaces of even hardness. Careful use can enable the technique to be employed on moulded and some carved stone surfaces. However it is difficult to successfully clean brickwork by abrasive means without any damage, due to the many variations in surface texture and hardness that are often present and due to the intolerance of many bricks to its impact. The removal of hard, traditional paints can rarely be achieved successfully from any masonry surface using air abrasives.

In the normal use of abrasive cleaning, two factors are of utmost importance; the velocity and the concentration of the particles which impact on the surfaces. These parameters are controlled by the pressure and volume of the air flow and the concentration of abrasive feed into the line. It is therefore not adequate to specify pressure alone. Important parameters will also include the size of the abrasive particle, its shape and its hardness. Commonly available abrasives for facade cleaning include aluminium silicate, calcium silicate, olivine and calcium carbonate. More specialist materials are also available, particularly for pencil abrasive equipment used by conservators.

Nozzle shape, nozzle size, rate of water flow and working distance must also be established.

It is usually best to determine the many parameters relating to abrasive cleaning on site when all soiling types, the degree of soiling and masonry conditions can be properly assessed. Specific advice such as recommended pressures and abrasive types cannot be given here as they are only a few of the many variables which must be determined, as already described. However, the following general principles can be applied:

• i) Smaller particles of the same abrasive type can be less damaging than larger ones, used in the same manner.
• ii) Harder abrasives can be more damaging than softer abrasives of the same size, used in the same manner.
• iii) A higher concentration of abrasive particles can be more damaging than a lower concentration, all other factors being equal.
• iv) Higher air pressure and volume can be more damaging than lower air pressure and volume, all other factors being equal.
• v) A closer working distance between the end of the nozzle and the masonry can be more damaging than a greater one, all other factors being equal.
• vi) Depending on how they are used, some small scale abrasive systems can be as or more damaging than larger scale systems.
• vii) Differences in technique will be required for plain and carved surfaces, sound and deteriorated conditions.

Recommended Reading

• · C Andrew et al, Stone Cleaning: A Guide for Practitioners, Historic Scotland, 1994
• · N Ashurst, Cleaning Historic Buildings, Volumes 1 and 2, Donhead, London, 1994
• · British Standards Institution BS 6270: Code of practice for cleaning and surface repair of buildings, Part 1, BSI, London, 1982
• · Technical Pamphlet 4: Cleaning Brick and Stone, SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), London, 1994
• · ME Weaver and FG Matero, Conserving Buildings: A Guide to Techniques and Materials, John Wiley, New York, 1993
• · RGM Webster, Stone Cleaning and the Nature, Soiling and Decay Mechanisms of Stone, Donhead, London, 1992

Front Garden Legislation Myth or Reality

Over the last 18 months, there has been much talk on the changes imposed by the Government to the ways we pave our front gardens.

This is the gist of it… As of 1st October 2008 planning permission is required to lay traditional impermeable driveways that allow uncontrolled runoff of rainwater from front gardens onto roads, because this can contribute to flooding and pollution of water courses. However, householders will not require planning permission if they use permeable paving, or have sufficient drainage or soak away to ensure runoff from non-permeable surfaces does not go onto roads.

Basically, this is a great move. In times of heavy or sustained rainfall our drainage systems comes under extreme pressure. Catastrophic flooding in parts of the UK in recent years has demonstrated the distressing consequences of overloading the system and the importance of water management in our urban areas.

Permeable paving is certainly the best option environmentally, and the easiest choice when it comes to the new legislation. However not everyone has the right soil conditions for permeable paving and for it to work well, it really does need to be installed by a professional.

Whatever your choice – permeable paving or planning permission – there are plenty of products on the market that will suit every project.

 

 News Release

Directory of Bricks - The Brick Directory - now on the web

13th May 2010

www.BrickDirectory.co.uk has been put together by Brick Man, Tim Bristow.

The Directory of Bricks is a comprehensive website of web links which helps Self Builders /builders/developers/renovators/architects get in contact with all brick manufacturers as well as brick merchants, importers and factors, brick services companies, builders merchants, roof tile and paver manufacturers. According to Tim Bristow ‘We are not selling anything just helping people choose the right red/buff/grey/orange/blue/black, handmade/pressed/wirecut/stock, reclaimed/rough/smooth textured, metric/imperial Brick from the 1,800 or so types available in the UK’. For inclusion in the web site send an E mail with logo and brief description to info@brickdirectory.co.uk

Ends

For further information, please contact

Tim Bristow, www.brickdirectory.co.uk Phone 07836 761541. E mail info@brickdirectory.co.uk or brickdirectory@aol.com

 News Release

Directory of Stone in The Brick Directory - now on the web

                                                                       18^th May 2010

www.DirectoryofStone.co.uk has been put together by Brick and Stone Man, Tim

Bristow. The Directory of Stone (part of the www.BrickDirectory.co.uk Database) is

a comprehensive website of web links which help self

builders/builders/developers/renovators/architects get in contact with stone quarries

as well as stone merchants, importers and factors. According to Tim

Bristow ‘We are not selling anything just helping people choose the right

Cast, Portland, Slate, Granite, Marble, Ashlar, Sandstone, Limestone, Dressed Stone

from the 2,000 or so types available in the UK’. For inclusion in the web site send an

E mail with logo and brief description to info@brickdirectory.co.uk

Ends

 For further information, please contact

Tim Bristow, www.DirectoryofStone.co.uk Phone 07836 761541. E mail info@brickdirectory.co.uk or brickdirectory@aol.com

Here are some basic tips for Bricklaying, and also for inspecting Brickwork and Bricklayers!!

As Written by REUSSIR LTD “The Premier Brickwork Contractor in South Wales" www.reussir.co.uk .

                              Laying

• Make sure the Mortar board is at least 600mm x 600mm in size, and does not have any nails in it. Ensure the labourer splashes it with water before putting any mortar on it. This will keep the mortar more workable for longer.
• Always cut your mortar down from the top of the pile with the blade of your trowel, and "ROLL IT", before lifting to place on the wall. There is nothing worse than watching a Bricklayer STICK his trowel into a pile of mortar, and lifting a huge lump up onto the wall, most of which falls off and smears the face of the brickwork, or if he is lucky enough to get it onto the wall, he will then have the problem of "overbedding", making more work for himself and putting more pressure on the wet course below, causing bricks below to tip or swim. I completely disagree with those that say it is "too slow" to cut & roll your mortar, It is far slower and more costly trying to correct roughly built brickwork.
• When you bed the brick, do so in a relaxed manner, without too much downward pressure on the brick, especially from the base of your hand, as this causes the brick to tip. You must also be aware of the brick laying correctly horizontally as well as vertically, this will prevent any "hatching & grinning". As the brick sinks into the bed caused by its own weight and a little pressure from you, any surplus mortar will spill out, as you run the sharp side of your trowel blade, along the face of the brickwork, keep the back of the trowel as close to the face as possible, before quickly turning it to catch the surplus mortar onto your trowel. If you`ve bedded correctly there will be only enough to use for the perp joint of the next brick you pick up.
• When jointing the perp of the next brick, make sure you do so in three quick movements. 1st is the centre of the brick end, then the two edges. Do Not "top & tail" the brick as this leaves a hollow joint, always make sure the joint is full.
• After you have finished the length of one course, always run the edge of your trowel along the back of the course collecting any mortar that has spilled out into the cavity face. This is very important, and make sure you catch as much of it as possible, and don't just cut it off, so it falls down the cavity, as this will dirty the ties and build up on any dpc trays etc.

Brickwork can look good, but may be hiding a full cavity, poorly bedded ties, ties covered in mortar, dpc`s not bedded or split, other obstructions in the cavity etc, or many other defects.

• When constructing a corner make sure that when you start on the first couple of courses, you extend your level down below the scaffold boards. This will ensure you carry on the same vertical line of the full lift below. It`s amazing how many times Bricklayers plumb off the top brick only, and when the complete lift is finished it is not on the same vertical line as the entire building. Always read your level correctly, making sure the bubble is not touching any of the lines in the glass vial of your level. Too many Bricklayers "see the bubble go past in the morning and come back in the evening". Take your time and get the bubble right.
• When "jointing" or "raking out" the facework timing is critical, keep testing the joints by feeling the moisture content with your fingers every hour or so, until it feels firm but not hard, and damp but not wet.
• After jointing, don`t "brush the wall off" immediately, it is best to wait about 30 minutes, then using a nice clean and dry broom head give it a light brush covering the entire face of the wall. Check the mortar joints for any brush marks or holes, then stand back and feel proud as you look at the work YOU have just produced, hopefully it may be there for the next 50-100 years.

• Does the lift of Brickwork "Look pleasing to the eye"?
• Has the wall been built correctly to the drawings, i.e correct bond, openings in the correct place, any features are correct?
• Is the brickwork not only to the correct gauge (4 courses to 300mm) but is it to the correct "engineers value" of the building i.e 54.025m for example? This can be easily checked if the Brickwork Sub-contractor, or the Foreman Bricklayer gave you a "Job specific Gauge Sheet" at the start of the project, this cross references the gauge of each course to the Engineer`s value or the site levels etc.
• Is the DPC positioned & bedded correctly? Check the "Spec" because many contracts vary, some like to see a few millimetres of dpc protruding from the brick face, others don`t want to see any at all.
• Have the bricks been mixed correctly, to avoid banding?
• Has the brickwork been covered correctly each night, down to below the scaffold boards, to avoid "Scaffold Rash"? If there is some rashing, it is wise to get a labourer to at least give it a soaking and light brush before the scaffold is raised, this makes it alot easier when you come to do final clean downs, before handover stage.
• Is the cavity clean, and ties free from mortar, make sure any cavity insulation is fixed tightly back to the inner leaf, with no spaces visible?
• Remember, when inspecting Brickwork you have to be practical and professional, not over critical, anyone can find faults, but it is a real skill to be able to get over Brickwork problems quickly, without causing too much disruption to the contract program and other following-on trades. If there is something concerning you, think about the threat to the lifespan of the building and whether that will be effected.

News Release

Paver Directory - now on the web

27^th May 2010

www.PaverDirectory.co.uk has been put together by Brick and Paver Man, Tim

Bristow. The Paver Directory (part of the www.BrickDirectory.co.uk Database) is

a comprehensive website of web links which help landscapers/garden designers/self

builders/builders/developers/renovators/architects get in contact with Paver

Manufacturers as well as Garden Centres, Landscape Designers and Architects,

Merchants and Importers. According to Tim Bristow ‘We are not selling anything just

helping people choose the right Clay, Concrete, Slate, Stone paver from the 1,800 or

so oblong, square, triangular, cobble, patterened and other types of paver available in

the UK’. For inclusion in the web site send an E mail with logo and brief description

to info@brickdirectory.co.uk

Ends

For further information, please contact

Tim Bristow, www.PaverDirectory.co.uk Phone 07836 761541. E mail info@brickdirectory.co.uk or brickdirectory@aol.com

Repointing:

Question : Some of the brickwork in my home needs re-pointing. I’m not sure of the exact age of my home, but I do know that the walls are solid with no cavity and that the bricks are fairly soft. A tradesman suggested a cement-based mortar, but with the addition of some lime, which apparently gives the mortar greater plasticity. And it will help it blend in with those areas that don’t need any pointing. Are they right? PJ, Glocs

Answer: Possibly the worst thing you could do would be to re-point using a cementatious mortar. Even one with lime added.

Older, softer bricks and stones were always laid with a lime mortar. This allowed any moisture within the wall to evaporate through the mortar rather than the walling medium. Inevitably, over time, the action of the weather would mean that the mortar would recede and therefore need re-pointing. But this was by design.

If you replace the lime mortar with a cement mortar, then it will be stronger than the bricks. It will also block the egress of any moisture and, instead of the mortar dying back it will be the bricks or stones that flake off and spall.

Traditional lime mortar is made by mixing one part lime putty, which is available in 55lb (25kg) tubs, with 3.5 parts well-graded sharp washed sand. Adding a pozzolan of burnt dry clay, one part to eight of mortar, can aid the setting in an exterior situation. The tubs will cost about £8.70, and a semi-skilled person could expect to re-point about two square metres a day.

David Snell Daily Telegraph 14^th October 2010

The ClayClay Shop opens in Bembridge, Isle of Wight

The Shop that displays and sells clay products such as York Handmade Bricks, Handmade Pavers, Terracotta Floor Tiles, Flower pots, Reclaimed Terracotta Finials, Wine stackers, Brick Toy Kits and Clay Cooking Utensils. In High St, Bembridge Isle of Wight.The York Handmade Brick Sales Southern Office, with full product displays, of
The York Handmade Brick Co Ltd -.
UK’s Largest privately owned Genuine Handmade Brick Co.
Established in 1987. The Company manufactures over 100,000 (8 houses worth)‘old looking’ handmade bricks per week from clay out of their own quarry just north of York. They make a full range of metric and imperial bricks with specials for new build and brick matching. The ‘oldest looking’ brick on the Market with York Handmade Brick houses and projects which you can see in Brading, St. Lawrence, Seaview, Newton, Ningwood, Springvale, Godshill, Roud, and Yarmouth.

Also on Display and Sale:

York Handmade Pavers,
Terracotta Floor Tiles in various sizes and textures
Hand thrown Flower Pots.
Toy brick kits including re-useable mortar. Construct different buildings from real bricks and cement with bowl and trowel, plastic doors /windows.
Chicken Bricks for the oven -Terracotta clay is a porous material which, when soaked in water and then heated in the oven, provides a slow evaporation of steam from the pores, creating a steamy enclosed environment - Perfect for achieving succulent, tender and full-flavoured roasts
Clay Garlic Graters, Pizza Bakers, Herb Markers, Egg racks, Salt pigs, Wine Coolers and Wine Stackers
Reclaimed Finials, Roof Tiles, Garden Edgings, Terracotta Balustrading from Acer Reclamation in West St, Ryde.
The ClayClay Shop 55 High St, Bembridge, Isle of Wight PO35 5SR
 

Ads by Brick Directory: It is free to have your logo on this site. If you want bigger logo, web site link and full description at the top of the main body of this page it costs £15 Per Month

Lime Blows in bricks. what are they? What to do about it

The presence of expansive particles such as Gypsum, Siderite and Lime containing compounds in clay deposits, is quite common in the brick industry.

Occurrence is usually controlled during factory processes as the particles are either ground too finely during clay preparation to cause problems,eliminated during firing, or are situated well beneath the surface of the brick where they are quite harmless.

Occasionally, due to a combination of factors, small particles can be deposited on or

near the surface of the brick face. After firing, when the brick absorbs moisture,

a chemical reaction takes place. The particles swell which may cause portions of the brick face to "pop" off. The results are small pits in the surface of the brick with a white (lime) or purple (siderite) spot in the centre. This is not uncommon. It is strictly an aesthetic issue and will not affect the structural integrity of the brick. It is only the loss of a small portion of the surface of the brick and the exposure of the differing body colour underneath which causes concern. ‘Surface blows’ usually occur during construction due to hydration, or in the first few months of the life of the brick once it has come into contact with moisture, whether in the form of rain or general atmospheric damp conditions. It is unlikely to continue to develop for much longer after the occurrence

has been noticed. The appearance of brickwork is not covered in BS EN 771-1 since it is not performance related. However, BSI have published PAS 70, A Publicly Available Specification which is intended to cover aspects of aesthetics.

The PAS includes the recommendations that all brickwork should be viewed from approximately 3 metres away, and deliveries of bricks should be compared to a reference panel agreed by all parties at the start of work, thought to be representative of current production and quality. Appearance of brickwork will vary significantly with the type of clay brick chosen. NHBC guidelines suggest 10m as a viewing distance and also suggest the size of expansive particles or chips is limited to 15mm in diameter.

To overcome the aesthetic issue, the following remedial treatment can be performed.

The expanded particle is drilled out to provide a more substantial key for a filling material.The depression is then filled with a suitable material, such as a compound of a cementitious/resin nature, which is coloured to closely match the original brick colour and additions of various sands etc are used to provide a similar texture. The filler is then cured and if any further work is required to more closely resemble the brick surface,(wire brushing, usually on rusticated bricks) this is then done. The whole surface of the brick including the filled area is then tinted and, in many cases even from a distance of a few inches, the repair is not noticeable.

For further help and advice contact the Ibstock Brick Design & Technical Helpline on 0844 800 4576.

Issue 4, Jan 2010

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SHEET 20

Expanded lime particles – noticeable on a colour

sprayed surface

.

Diversity of English Chimney pots

A new book marks the diversity of England's chimneypots. Gaze up at their beauty.
at Hampton Court Palace; Mary Poppins, Bert, the Sweep, and her charges admire London's rooftops - Celebrating England's chimneypots. Article in the Daily Telegraph 27th October 2011

Clive Aslet


If asked to name some of the things that are unique about this country, I would have said Gentleman’s Relish, red telephone boxes and the House of Lords. Expanding in a cultural direction, I might have added the change ringing of church bells, Prime Minister’s Question Time, ancient oak trees, fan-vaulting and potted shrimps. would not have featured on the list.

It has taken the genius of Dr John Goodall, writing his mammoth, The English Castle, a work whose scholarship will last as long as the castles themselves, to notice that we have a way with a chimney which is unlike that of other lands. To our forebears (the super-rich variety), these conduits for the discharge of domestic smoke became an opportunity to show off inventive fantasy and wealth. On the Continent, their counterparts showed off in lots of other ways, but not this one.

“Look,” says Dr Goodall excitedly, “at Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire.” I look and see works of infinite elaboration, which combine fleurs-de-lys, fancy bricklaying, extruding turrets and even little brick masks. “The tops seem to be modelled on the shape of the oriel windows below them. They are houses in miniature.”

Blow me down, he’s right. The rim of the stacks is even carved with arrow loops (this is a castle, after all). We know the date is 1514 because it is there on a little scroll.

It may have been the early 12th-century Bishop Roger who started the fashion at Old Sarum, outside Salisbury in Wiltshire. He was remembered as “a prelate of great mind,” who “erected extensive edifices at vast cost and with surpassing beauty.” His stone chimneys were carved with complex geometrical patterns. He may be forgiven, perhaps.

Chimneys were a new thing, a development of the wall fireplace that would have belonged only to the most princely of dwellings. Naturally, those who had them wanted to advertise the fact. Most people had to splutter on with an open hearth, the smoke from which found its way out through a louvre in the ceiling, kippering the inhabitants in the process, until the Elizabethan period.

“Full sooty was her bower and eke her hall,” says Chaucer of the poor widow in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale. Writing The Description of England, 1587, William Harrison, the rector of Radwinter in Essex, a prime example of the Folk-Don’t-Know-How-Lucky-They-Are school of history, noted, as an unwelcome innovation, that chimneys had become commonplace. To Harrison, they seemed morally degenerate and bad for health.

Harrison’s response, though, may not have been typical. In a climate famous for damp and mist, others suffered from chimney envy. Any bloodthirsty baron might have a castle, but only one whose outwardly macho power base was also a dwelling of luxury could boast chimneys.

Colour was one means of drawing attention to them. This must have been particularly evident at the now-demolished Richmond Palace, predominantly a grey edifice, built of stone, above which the chimneys shone like beacons. They were <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">red brick</a>.

Brick was the supreme Tudor building material. It ticked all the important boxes:

Novelty – there had been little of it around before Henry VI decided to use the material for Eton College.

Expense – only fat cats, such as Cardinal Wolsey at Hampton Court, could afford to employ the Flemish brickmakers, making brick the diamond-encrusted Chanel handbag of its day.

Fantasy – unlike stone, which was hard to work with the chisel, brick could be moulded or shaped as raw clay, or carved and rubbed when it was baked; it came in different colours, depending on the earth from which it was made, and the surface could even be glazed. Brick opened the way to ever more florid effects.

Counties such as Norfolk, not blessed with good building stone, rejoiced in them. At East Barsham Manor, Norfolk, Sir Henry Fermor not only had a <a href="http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk">brick</a> gatehouse, ribbed, turreted and emblazoned with his coat of arms, but a grand exuberance of chimneys, clustered together in double banks of five, each individual stack to a different design.

Chimneys of this kind were a medium for virtuoso display, a rival to the pinnacle, whose decorative value overwhelmed their function, causing some owners to erect chimneys that were manifestly false: sticking up over a window like a middle finger raised in the face of poorer neighbours.

Other nations had chimneys, too: look at Carpaccio’s views of Venice, in which they are shaped like inverted sink plungers. But the more fantastical of the French châteaux, like those on the Loire, made a greater play of the roof. English houses had lead flats, on which the family would walk, admire views and retire, at the end of meals, to eat sweetmeats in rooftop banqueting houses. They would have strolled amid the chimneystacks. The flat roof gave the English chimney a prominence foreign equivalents didn’t have.

The joy that the Tudors took in caprice and magnificence was not shared by the Georgians, who were more anxious to conceal chimneys, than have them soaring above façades chastely modelled on Greek temples.

But if I climb out on to the parapet of our own house, in a Victorian area of London, I am not sure that this peculiarly English obsession quite went away.

Mary Poppins, floating down beneath her umbrella, must have been struck by the extraordinary variety of the metropolis’s roofscape, with, as The Spectator put it in 1842, “red chimney-pots, tall and short, straight and crooked, iron pipes bent in every possible way, and cowls of all shapes and sizes, are stuck up on chimney-stacks as if some daemon of deformity had amused himself with making the habitations of men ludicrous with hideous and unmeaning devices”.

And doesn’t a memory of atavistic chimney love still lurk somewhere in our DNA? Modern houses don’t have open fires and so don’t, strictly speaking, need chimneys; and yet a chimneyless house simply looks wrong. Among savvy architects, the false chimney has made a reappearance. Our Elizabethan ancestors would have quite understood.

Dr John Goodall’s 'The English Castle’ is available from Telegraph Books for £35 plus £1.25p p&p, to order your copy please call 0844 871 1515 or go to books.telegraph.co.uk Clive Aslet is Editor at Large of 'Country Life’.
 

Another brick in the wall

Artists of former Soviet countries are having recent work, such as Alexei Rumyantsev's The Wall, sold by Sotheby's in London at its first exhibition focusing on the region. More bricks at www.clayclay.co.ukand www.brickdirectory.co.uk

Mini bricks mentioned on Radio 4 23rd March 2013

Mention of mini bricks as part of 3d printing at Islington Design Show. Broadcast 23rd March 2013 on radio 4 Hear at following link
http://youtu.be/SNT5XZSOUXQ
 

Reclaimed bricks and Handmade Bricks

Building with reclaimed bricks The appeal of reclaimed bricks is undoubtedly their charm and character. Fully matured and weathered, they have a certain cachet as they are less widely available than new bricks and have a distinct appearance. They can be more expensive than new bricks, which are manufactured to an established standard. One reason for this is considerable labour involved in demolition, cleaning off old mortar, selecting, stockpiling and handling. Reclaimed bricks may be selected for aesthetic reasons, but they must be technically appropriate for new work. Many dealers supply reclaimed bricks graded by quality of appearance, but cannot guarantee durability. Specifiers should therefore check that their indemnity insurance policies cover the specification of reclaimed brick, as these products are not in accordance with a British Standard. Frost resistance, soluble salts, strength, water absorption and size are all items that are covered by this standard. A further consideration might be that spores of dry rot fungus could be present within the pores of bricks reclaimed from some locations. The metric standard brick size was adopted in 1974 and is slightly smaller than the former imperial standard brick. Before 1904 there were no standards, only popularly used sizes. If imperial bricks are used with a standard metric concrete block inner skin, adjustable wall ties may be required to overcome the differences in alignment of the bed joints created between the two. Many specifiers choose reclaimed bricks in the belief that there is no alternative to the distressed state of re-used brick. Several companies continue to make handmade bricks, however using the same methods as brick-makershave done over the centuries, while other companies have developed simulated handmade bricks which are manufactured using modern machine methods. In recent years some manufacturers have developed brick products that look as though they have been reclaimed, with chipped arises, paint remnants and random dark stains. They have the great advantage of being made to conform to British Standards and are competitively priced because they are mass produced.

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Picasso Terracotta tile for £400

Owning a work by Pablo Picasso would seem beyond the dreams of all but the world’s wealthiest collectors.

But a forthcoming auction will allow fans of the artist to pick up a Picasso for as little as £400 – albeit for a terracotta tile measuring 5x5 inches.

The tile is among 170 lots in a sale of Picasso ceramics that also includes plates, vases, jugs and bowls designed by the great 20th century artist.

The sale will take place at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday, and offers an “exceptional” selection of the artist’s clay work.

Eighteen of the lots can be had for £800 or less if they achieve their low estimates, although chances are they will fetch rather more. The highest estimate of £60,000-£80,000 is attached to a vase decorated with bullfighting scenes. The prices are a far cry from the £70 million commanded by Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust in 2010, making it the most expensive painting ever sold at auction.

The works are made affordable by the fact they were produced in runs of up to 500; and while the artist painted the designs, he left the actual pottery-making to others.

All of the pieces were created during the last decades of the artist’s life, in collaboration with the Madoura pottery on the French Riviera.

Animals, birds, nymphs and mythological characters are featured in the designs, including the minotaur, a recurring motif in Picasso’s work.

The Spanish artist first visited the pottery in Vallauris in 1946, where he struck up a friendship with the owners, Georges and Suzanne Ramié.

The appeal of the artisan lifestyle and the opportunity to work in a new medium prompted Picasso to ask the couple if he could work with them, and in 1947 he began creating his own pieces there.

A corner of the workshop was duly set aside for him, and he was treated like any other employee – although his fellow workers did not have Brigitte Bardot, Gary Cooper or Richard Attenborough drop by for a chat.

Customers who approached the elderly employee looking for sales advice were astonished to find themselves face to face with the celebrity artist.

In all, Picasso spent 24 years at Madoura, producing 633 designs in limited editions ranging from 25 to 500. He died in 1973.

It was also the place where he met the final love of his life. Jacqueline Roque was a cousin of Suzanne Ramié and employed there as a sales assistant.

Despite the age difference – she was 27, he was 72 – they began a romance, and she became his muse and second wife.

Sotheby’s said: “Beginning with his first trip to Vallauris in the summer of 1946, Pablo Picasso remained enchanted by the freedom and expressive nature of the ceramic medium throughout the last 25 years of his life.

“Working with the Ramié family during these years, Picasso found great satisfaction working with clay – the alchemy of working with slips and glazes, the effects of texture and colour, and the daily life of the artisan attracted him greatly.

“In these works we truly see Picasso’s freedom of thought and creative powers, and the sense of playfulness for which he was so renowned.”

In 2012, the son of Georges and Suzanne Ramié sold 543 items which had remained at the Madoura pottery since the artist’s death, including pottery, prints and photography. It fetched £8 million, over four times its pre-sale estimate.

Daily Telegraph 5/5/2014
 

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