This is a handsome and well-illustrated volume with a very broad scope, and will appeal to those of us who find the humble brick an intriguing and under-appreciated class of object and its manufacture a topic of fascination. It is clear that the author has pursued his interest across the country, generating numerous site photographs and associated historical summaries. The book is structured into an introduction, a historical overview, geology, the brickmaking process, an account of the development of different types of kiln (including Hoffman, tunnel and shuttle kilns), a review of brickmaking sites preserved as heritage assets, and a list of sites. The author clearly delights in the nitty-gritty of processes and machinery, and he explains the kiln designs clearly, with photographs of surviving examples. He highlights several sites where these are or have been under threat of destruction.
Most of the case-studies are drawn from England, with some mention of Wales and Scotland, and are largely from 1870 onwards. Given the author’s emphasis on surviving structures, this is understandable, but it means that the earlier history and technology is dealt with only briefly, and the wealth of excavation evidence is not exploited; it is a pity that Historic Environment Records do not appear to have been used since they would have filled out the distribution maps and provided a convenient reference for the site list to supplement the OS National Grid References provided. The social organisation of the industry is mentioned in passing, as are the actual products, but these topics have been covered more fully by other authors. Although there is an extensive bibliography, the lack of in-text citations means that it is not often unclear where statements have been sourced.
A single-volume account of an industry will inevitably treat some topics in more detail than others; this book is recommended to those curious about kiln design, and contains numerous nuggets of historical interest.