The Brickmakers of St Albans
A Talk given to the St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society at St Albans on 7th January 2003Frederick Barford
Townsend Farm Brick Field
Frederick Barford was a straw plait dealer who brought Townsend Farm in September 1866 and initiated several apparently unsuccessful enterprises, one of which was a short-lived brickworks.
- January 1869: He was attempting to let a Capital Brick Yard, plenty of very good clay (a quantity already dug).
- May 1870: George Bourne (contract brickmaker) sues about substandard bricks. Details of case suggest inadequate investment in plant. (No Pug Mill.)
- June 1870: Auctions off 120,000 bricks.
- August 1870: Puts farm up for sale, including brick field.
- September 1871: Theft from working brick field.
- By 1875 Sampson John Rumball had taken over the farm
- No further evidence of brick making.
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TOWNSEND FARM BRICKFIELD (opposite the Rifle Range) BERNARD’S HEATH, ST ALBAN’S. About 120,000 capital bricks, in convenient lots of 5,000 and 10,000 To be sold by Auction, by Mr. Fredk. Gough Without reserve, on the premises as above, on Friday, June 17th, 1870, at Two for Three o’clock in the afternoon. May be viewed the day of sale, and catalogues had at the usual Inns, and of Mr. Fredk. Gough, auctioneer and appraiser, St Alban’s. |
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Supplementary Information
Biographical Information: see Frederick Barford
Sale of Townsend farm - mentioning brick earth and the racecourse
The Field. 30 July 1870
If you can add to the information given above tell me.