Sediments: Provenance of the Brick

2025

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Pallets of fired red bricks stacked on a concrete yard, with green trees and a blue sky behind
Close-up of rough red bricks with frog indentations, stacked in sunlightCorner of a pallet of red bricks in sharp sunlight, texture and edges prominentSide view of smooth red coping bricks stacked on a pallet, with vegetation behindLoose red bricks scattered in sunlight, one upright in the foreground showing surface marksA single large chamfered red brick on top of a stack, casting a strong shadowStack of perforated red bricks showing rows of circular holes along their facesClose-up of a red brick with a grid of square perforations across its top faceA split or broken red brick resting among other bricks, revealing a rough dark interiorA fire-blackened red brick resting on a pile of worn bricks in sunlightA shaped corbel brick with a curved undercut profile, resting on a stack of weathered bricksA rounded bullnose brick at the corner of a pallet, other bricks with perforations visible behindGrey bricks with a rebated profile scattered in sunlight, casting strong shadows
Two workers in hi-vis vests handling bricks inside a kiln building, stacks of red bricks around them
A worker in a hi-vis vest operating a red forklift carrying a stack of bricks outside a kiln archA worker in a hi-vis vest driving a red forklift with a load of bricks beside a brick kiln arch
Front view of a kiln arch partially bricked up, with raw bricks stacked inside and rubble at the base
A kiln arch numbered 17, its opening nearly sealed with a rough brick wall, rubble on the groundA kiln arch sealed with a smooth grey clay render, small vents at the base, bricks stacked to one sideA kiln arch in darkness, its interior filled with black brick setters on palletsAn open kiln arch in full darkness, tools leaning against the wall, a single bulb glowing inside
A dusty industrial light fitting hanging from old wooden roof timbers, names written on the wood behind
Three workers in hi-vis vests handling bricks on the floor of a large brick shedTwo workers in hi-vis vests stacking bricks on pallets inside an industrial shed
Two workers in overalls servicing heavy machinery beside a conveyor belt, wheelbarrows belowWorkers in hi-vis vests moving bricks beside industrial equipment inside the works
A tattooed hand pointing at a kiln temperature controller displaying readings between 539 and 1027 degrees
A glowing orange peephole in a dark kiln crown, surrounded by the tops of dark brick setters
A worker in a hi-vis vest standing amid steam or smoke in a coal store, holding a shovel
Old bricks laid face-down in a wall, stamped Furness Brick Co Ltd Barrow, some inverted
A large mound of coal inside a dark industrial shed, light filtering through the roof
A yellow bollard in front of a large coal stockpile against corrugated buildings and a brick chimney
The brickworks chimney rising above a hedgerow, a traffic cone in the foreground on an overcast dayA wet lane flanked by overgrown hedges, the brickworks chimney visible above the treesA rural track lined with telegraph poles and scrub, the brickworks chimney rising in the middle distanceA man in wellington boots talking on a mobile phone in a muddy quarry, trees behind him
Aerial-view close-up of crushed dark shale fragments covering the ground
An excavator perched on a mound of dark shale spoil in an open quarry, trees on the ridge behindA shale quarry with dark spoil heaps, a turquoise pool of standing water at its floor, overcast skyA Belted Galloway cow standing on a dark shale slope beside a quarry pool, trees behind
Wide view of the Furness Brick and Tile works: the tall brick chimney dominates, pallets of bricks in the yard, green fields beyond

Statement

Sediments: Provenance of the Brick traces the production of bricks, a durable and recyclable building material that meets a clear economic need. It highlights the arduous labour and the rich industrial heritage of a 150-year-old Cumbrian brickworks, using an observational approach that foregrounds human presence and place.

The series also reveals the environmental cost of brickmaking, including carbon emissions from coal combustion used to fire the kiln and the physical alteration of the local landscape caused by quarrying shale, the sedimentary rock from which bricks are made. The work reflects on the benefits and drawbacks of industrial production, highlighting the tension between economic necessity and environmental responsibility, which remains one of the defining challenges of our time.

The environmental crisis has its roots in the industrialisation of the economy. During Britain’s Industrial Revolution, bricks became the preferred building material because they were quicker and cheaper to produce than quarried stone. In this historical sense, brick production offers a tangible link between the legacy of industrialisation and contemporary environmental concerns.

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Acknowledgements

These photographs were made at Furness Brick and Tile Company Limited, a fourth-generation family business in Askam-in-Furness, Cumbria. I sincerely thank the management for their willingness to engage with an urgent topic and the workers for their generous contributions. I am also grateful to Signal Film and Media, who commissioned this project, for their sustained and enthusiastic support of my work.