Brick production and house building in the UK has gone through many peaks and troughs. From the Great Depression of the late 1920s through to the boom of the 2000s, the UK brick making industry has weathered the storm and provided the building blocks that have literally shaped the landscape of Britain as we know it today.
Many social, political and economic factors have had an influence on this roller coaster ride of course, not least the legacy of World War Two. And when looking at our towns, cities and homes it is clear that no greater contribution to the vernacular of every day life has been made than that of the pre-war common brick.
So what effect did WW2 have on the UK brick industry and what exactly is a pre-war common brick?
Pre-war common brick
Put simply a pre-war common brick is a type of brick that was historically made with greater emphasis on function over form. Produced in imperial sizing, it was a building block that served a purpose. Common bricks used common clay with less consideration given to controlling uniformity of colour and texture.
By contrast face bricks were more accurately finished and smoothed, and intended for more decorative work. The colours were more uniform, both within individual bricks and within batches of bricks in a shipment.
Today we prize the character and history of the pre-war common brick and go to great lengths to accurately replicate their charm and visual appeal. In the early 20th century, however, they were nothing more than the basic building blocks required for much needed UK housing stock.
Homes fit for heroes
At the end of the first world war concern about living conditions for returning troops led the prime minister David Lloyd George to promise “homes fit for heroes”. The 1919 Housing Act provided subsidies for local authorities to build new houses and incentives were given to private builders resulting in the construction of thousands of new homes across the UK.
The UK brick industry was riding on a high and the pre-war common brick was at the heart of this rapid expansion.
The 1930s
Despite a general economic downturn, house building continued to flourish in the 1930s. This was the era of the three-bed semi and with land plentiful and money cheap to borrow the 30s saw the expansion of cities out into the suburbs with a private sector building boom.
WW2
The second world war brought everything crashing down. House building all but ceased and German bombing inflicted widespread damage on urban areas. Brick production continued but on a vastly reduced scale and by the end of the war the UK was in the midst of a major housing crisis. An estimated ¾ of a million new houses were needed and material and labour were in short supply.
The government initially prioritised the construction of new “prefab” housing in order to alleviate the acute housing shortage while in the meantime UK brick production steadily resumed, buoyed by demand for pre-war common brick to rebuild the thousands of damaged homes across the country. New demand also came from local councils which were implementing ambitious new house building policies that would see over a million new homes built before the end of the decade.
Inevitably demand for new and more modern brick styles took over in the 1960s and 1970s, and this coupled with more efficient manufacturing techniques and the eventual adoption of the metric system brought the heyday of the pre-war common brick to an end.
Today
Brick remains the cladding material of choice in the UK today and it is an exciting time to be part of the industry. Changes in attitudes to house design are driving constant innovation and contemporary brick is now being used in some very interesting ways.
However, there will always be a place for the time-honoured manufacturing methods and traditional materials that a sympathetic restoration or renovation project requires. At Heritage Bricks we look to the future with enthusiasm but we value tradition and in that respect we are proud to have one foot firmly in the past.
Take a look at our products and see what we can do for your next project.
