Old brick yard in Wincobank

[blackhill 10]

I worked there 1962 to 64.  It was run like a labour camp. Machines were operated by coloured people. Who were too frightened to say anything to the bosses.

The machines were started bang on time every morning. Even if the lads who took the clay bricks off and loaded the barrows up was not at the machine. They just let the  bricks fall on the floor and pile up. Then when the lad got to the machine he had to clear away the mess and take the bricks off the machine at the same time.

It was the same at the break times and end of the day the machines stopped at the exact time you were supposed to clock out. So if the day started at 8.00am the machines started at 8.00 and if the shift finished at 5.00pm the machines were stopped at that time. There was no canteen. You had to eat your snack sitting anywhere you found to sit. Believe me  it was dirty. dusty and unhealthy. In the winter we used to gather in the kilns where it was warm.  Tramps used to go in the kilns at night time because it was warm. I finished up barrowing the coal from outside into the top of the kilns. Where the kiln fires were controlled. Had to make sure there was enough coal for each of the fired kilns until the next morning. The weekend was the worst time because you had to make sure there was enough coal delivered to cover until you started Monday morning.  Couple of lads I went to school with worked there the same time.  Alan Lee and Terence Fontana. 

 

 

[Jim Hardie 517]

4 hours ago, slotter47 said:

Any memories of the brick works on Rutland Road.

I remember going there with my dad in the 60s for a load of commons. They were £14 a thousand.

[Andy 5 0]

We're taking down the chimney of our house in Firth Park (built in the 1920's) and all the bricks are marked 'WINCO'. So I guess that they're not from the Sheffield Brick Co.'s brick yard, as they'd have something like 'SBC', presumably?
They're so much heavier, denser and stronger than modern bricks, but they clean up nice. No idea what we're going to build with them but it'll be strong!

[TedW 14]

On 17/04/2023 at 12:21, Andy 5 said:

We're taking down the chimney of our house in Firth Park (built in the 1920's) and all the bricks are marked 'WINCO'. So I guess that they're not from the Sheffield Brick Co.'s brick yard, as they'd have something like 'SBC', presumably?
They're so much heavier, denser and stronger than modern bricks, but they clean up nice. No idea what we're going to build with them but it'll be strong!

Sheffield Brick Company had a big advert in the Independent in 1937 on their opening of new plant at the Neepsend brickworks, to add to High Wincobank, Grimesthorpe and Wadsley Bridge, and their output of 6 million bricks per year.  The brand on their facing bricks was "WINCO".

When my dad left school in 1945, my grandad got him a job at Wincobank brickworks. It was filthy and cold and he was very unimpressed.  My grandma went crackers at grandad for getting him such a poor job.  Dad tried to resign (walked all the way to the Rutland Road HQ) but the law said during wartime if you had a job you had to stick with it.  So he went on "slow strike" and so they sacked him.

Edited April 19, 2023 by TedW

[Cody's Granddad 52]

I started Hinde House in 1970 and never saw the chimney mentioned so I presume it was demolished late 60s as mentioned.

I did hear there was a brickyard but never saw any trace of it