The Surprising Fact About Many London Buildings
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London Yellow Stock Bricks: A Cornerstone of British Architecture
London Yellow Stock bricks are an iconic element of British architecture, particularly in the capital.
Their distinctive yellowish hue has contributed to the city's architectural identity, shaping the appearance of many historical and contemporary buildings.
London Yellow Stock bricks originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and were predominantly used to construct residential and commercial buildings.
The production of these bricks was closely tied to the clay and chalk-rich subsoils found in the Thames Basin.
The raw materials' specific geological composition and the unique firing process resulted in bricks with a characteristic yellow colour and varied tones, ranging from pale cream to a deeper buff.
One of the key factors behind the widespread use of London Yellow Stock bricks was their durability.
These bricks were fired in traditional clamp kilns, which allowed for a range of temperatures and created a dense and hard-wearing structure.
This robustness suited them to London's weather conditions, offering excellent resistance to the damp and frost typical of the British climate.
The aesthetic appeal of London Yellow Stock bricks is another reason for their enduring popularity.
Their mellow, variegated tones lend a distinctive warmth and texture to buildings, creating a visually appealing contrast with other materials such as red bricks or stone.
This aesthetic quality has made them a favourite among architects and builders, contributing to their use in numerous notable structures, including Georgian terraces, Victorian townhouses, and various public buildings.
In addition to their aesthetic and practical qualities, London Yellow Stock bricks have historical significance.
They are closely associated with the period of rapid urban expansion and industrialisation in London during the 19th century.
Many buildings from this era, including working-class housing, factories, and warehouses, were constructed using these bricks.
As such, they are an integral part of the city's architectural heritage, reflecting its industrial past and the evolution of its urban landscape.
Today, the demand for London Yellow Stock bricks continues, driven by their historic value and unique appearance.
They are often used in restoration projects to maintain the authenticity of period properties.
Modern manufacturing techniques have also produced new bricks that replicate the traditional look and feel, ensuring their continued relevance in contemporary architecture.
The enduring appeal of London Yellow Stock bricks lies in their practicality, aesthetic charm, and historical significance.
They are more than just a building material; they symbolise London's architectural heritage, embodying the city's history and contributing to its unique urban character.
Whether in old Victorian houses or modern restorations, these bricks are a testament to traditional craftsmanship's timeless quality.
A for the scrap being dumped that is a myth. This from Hansard
The point is that what the noble Lord has said will, I hope, enable many that I have spoken to on this subject, to tell people that the scrap which has been taken is all being made use of and that there is at any rate no appreciable quantity of it which is being resold as useless for the purposes for which it was taken.
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#londonwalk #londonarchitecture #building
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It's probably the most interesting video ever made about London stock bricks, told by an experienced builder with fantastic storytelling skills. Thank you!
Wow, thanks! I am never sure about these type of videos. I record them and then I am full of self doubt as I watch them back. I am glad that some people like them.
@@SkillBuilder Superb Roger---really interesting and an important record of history and development in our capital city. Thank you so much.
Completely agree
You brought back fond memories for me of playing on bomb sites in London. I can still smell the cement dust and see the holes in the ground that were once basements. We would throw masonry at each other, recreating WWII battles. Lol. No one thought to tell us off or tell us not to go on the bomb sites. Or maybe they did and we didn't listen. On a side note, my gran would describe any untidy room as looking like a bomb site or as if a bomb had hit it. Thanks for this gem of a video
The roaming videos are my favourite
Never would have thought I would watch a 20min video about bricks but that was bloody interesting mate actually
yeah me too, after five minutes i was hooked lolol
A brilliant vid, cant whack a yellow stock brick.
... Indubitably So Old Bean 🏴✌️ 7:53
Yes same here😂
spanish was a key ingredient for London Stock bricks
A few years ago this would have been a BBC Documentary with a big budget. Nowadays all it needs is a phone, a selfie stick and a talented narrator.. with a bit of post production on a home computer.
Great video.
Who need the expensive BBC these days with their overpriced presenters, narrow focus and political biases
Yeah! If your song is good enough, you can record it with one microphone in an empty barn, and it will still be a hit.
@@sollevi9846 Unfortunately the BBC can't afford to make programmes like this anymore due to many government cuts (by not increasing the licence fee, inflation reduces its value). If a programme doesn't cater to the masses , like mindless game shows etc., it won't be made.
As for removing railings in London that was a travesty. You could not make Spitfires or tanks from 200 year old wrought iron. The railings were dumped in the Thames estuary off Shoeberyness.
Now only an Indian woman getting chosen to talk about British history. Scrap that, if I want to hear Brit history it better be from a Brit and if I want to hear Indian history it's best to hear it from an Indian from India.
This is the sort of thing that should be on the tele instead of all that celebrity stuff. Really interesting, thanks Roger :)
A gentleman and a scholar. Thanks for the education!
I second that, @sharonclaridge
Those programmes are a whole load of rubbish while this is true history and very informative!!
Agreed!
Couldn't agree more
That's why I only watch TH-cam
This is absolutely GOLD, the presenter is a brilliant natural, he makes a vid about bricks 10 x more interesting than a vid about some undeserving celebrity caught with their pants down 😂
That was surprisingly engaging. There was no waffle. The man obviously knows his subject, and he was straight in there!
The BBC or someone needs to put people like you on TV. I might even go back and pay a TV Licence as a consequence. Absolutely brilliant video. Fascinating, informative, humorous (“poor builder, if there’s such a thing”!), articulate, and most of all, genuine. Thank you.
Agree with everything except paying for a licence fee, the BBC is too far gone
Haven’t watched any broadcast TV nor needed a TV license in 17 years. It’s obsolete.
Agree but Roger would be wasted on a poor broadcaster like the bbc
Just shows how much better individuals are at creating entertainment than the BBC rubbish we get.
Unlikely. They’re too preoccupied with rainbow and alphabet people and issues. Fantastic video
I never thought I'd be enjoying a program about bricks. But here I'm am, fascinated!
We need historical documentaries presented by this man
I am an arable farmer in Hertfordshire. One of our farms was RAF Sawbridgeworth in WW2. When a few years back we went to install new land drains across one field that had the main runway in it made from grass with wire mesh support as the airfield only operated single engine aircraft, at the 2 sides of where the runway used to be, we cut through concrete drains to keep the runway dry and usable. As stone and aggregate was in high demand to make concrete for the heavy bomber runways and perimeter tracks, the engineer installers in the war got creative and sourced the permeable backfill over the pipes from used yellow stock bricks. We came to conclude that these came from bombed out houses in the east end of London. They turned a waste product into something useful. What was fascinating was that on many bricks there were still lumps of horse hair plaster indicating it came from an internal wall, and many also still had several layers of wallpaper stuck to the plaster! Some with paint over the paper holding it all together. There was often a black smutty layer covering the wallpaper showing that the buildings were likely set on fire by incendiaries as opposed to just high explosive bomb blast damage. The conditions under ground in the fields lacked oxygen to decay the wallpaper as one might have expected. I do wonder too if the arsenic used in the mainly green wall paper also prevented bacteria eating the wallpaper. It felt like a privileged view into recent history and brought to life the very real and difficult decisions of the times.
London rubble was also used as ship ballast which was then used as landfill in NYC.
The man is a very good commentator the Way he sets it all out makes it so easy to understand and appreciate the inheritance that we have in buildings
Indeed !
*EXCEPT I'm now puzzling* how all the bits - The ash, the chalk, dead squirrels and coal got into the clay
It hadn't crossed my mind a good brick was placed in a stock like a cake tin
I expected it to be cut neatly out of solid clay like a crinkle cut chip (without the crinkles)
Immagine the force needed to stir a clay slurry !
Oh I just recalled a Cornishman warned us 'Be VERY wary buying houses in Cornwall because they had a lot of mine slag to get rid of and a passion for making it into really 💩 bricks & blocks that are horrensously weak & given to shearing.
No ....... *Not this*🐏🐑sort of sheering
Just got home from the pub, watched a 20 minute video about bricks in another city and was fascinated the whole time. Awesome stuff.
Ha ha same!!
Me too ❤
I am sitting in the waiting room at my doctors. This came off my feed. Very interesting. Watching it across the pond in the East Coast.
I’m having a break sitting in my fright train waiting to leave watching video about bricks… while looking out the window at some of those very bricks 😂
Video molto interessante. E quante belle storie! Complimenti
I am an architect in Greece and I absolutely loved your video.
We don't have many bare brick buildings in my country and I'm always fascinated by the beautiful buildings I see when I visit London
I'm from Alamance County, North Carolina, where the ground is hard, red clay good for two things -- growing tobacco, and making bricks. Lots of bricks. There are whole subdivisions where all the houses are local red brick, which makes nifty Colonial-style buildings. When my family began to move around the US, I was absolutely floored by the myriad colors of brick. Name a color of clay, and we've got it in the US, so we'll put it to use in structures.
What fascinated me when I was in England was the little thatched cottages in small villages with satellite dishes on their roofs. It's a bit like seeing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I with Air Pods and an iPhone, and it's a shock to the system of a person who has never lived, worked, or shopped in a building less than 200 years old.
I love this combination of first-hand trade experience, historical knowledge, and a genuine appreciation for craftsmanship. From one Londoner to another, keep up the great work!! 🙌
I'm a londoner born and bred in 1950 and i always thought the black on the bricks were from fire. Interesting vid. Thanks.
Been a Builder,( started as a Bricklayer,) for nearly 45 years, coming from the midlands nearly all our bricks are red.
Always loved those yellow stocks when visiting London, something less harsh and in your face about them.
Great video roger.
Thanks Jess.
I agree, I've always liked that yellow hue. Sadly, in some trendier areas of London there was a time when it was the thing to paint them twee colours. Once that is done, its not easy to get the natural brick colour back.
in retrospect, I see how the loess makes them yellow
as a kid I assumed yellow bricks must be the posh ones because they were relatively rare here in western Pennsylvania & the Ohio valley.
When I was learning my trade as a bricklayer (back in the 60s) I recall hearing that, during the blitz, most houses in London would have lime mortar. This was a blessing because it would allow walls to bounce back after being hit by the shock wave from a nearby bomb. Some walls, they reconed had moved by upto a foot and simply bounced back like the skin of a drum. Whereas anything constructed from sand and cement, in the same circumstaces would simply shatter and bring the whole building down.
The red rubbers you mention were part of that Dutch influence you mentioned. These were generally used for "guaged" brickwork. Where very fine and ornate brickwork would be included in the facade. Artificial columns could be moulded into the reveals around windows etc. This moulding would be performed by, literally, rubbing them down to the shapes required for the job at hand. It's for this reason that they were intentionally made much softer than your average brick.
This made red rubbers a natural choice for flat arches where the taper of each brick could be carefully controlled. In fact, it was quite common to have flat arches supplied as "kits" where all the bricks were rubbed to shape off site, then delivered, with all the bricks neatly numbered, ready for a bricklayer to simply put them in place.
I worked with a man who was in a house near where a V1 landed...he said the whole house jumped a foot in the air and landed back again.
The plaster all came down but the house still stood.
A lot of old houses are still a bit wonky because of this.
Nice to hear a bricklayer who actually has some knowledge of the trade.
@@nickbarber2080 Called the Luftwaffe shuffle i believe.
Wow! Thank you all for the WW2 bits. This stuff really needs recording before it gets forgotten and lost.
So good to learn.
I know a good few years ago, I was sat in my computer in the early hrs of the morning and for some reason looked towards the window and saw it err, jump up and back down again. Get some sleep I thought!
Later that day I learned that we in the UK had had a small earthquake. Very rare I know, but others had had similar experiences. So the buildings literally moving makes so much sense!
They lived through stuff we can't really begin to imagine in the UK now
@@nickbarber2080 My old fella lived in Spencer Street Southall in WW2 and unknown to him and his family they moved an anti aircraft gun on a railway carriage onto the siding at the back of his house to protect the gas works, The first time they let rip the muzzle blast brought the lath and plaster ceiling down on him and his brother laying in bed.
Also the back windows of my mums house in Ealing were blown in by a VI detonating in 1944 then the front windows by a V2 about a year later and quite a few houses still have a slight curve in the bay window brickwork from that second one
My Great grandfather was a brick maker in Gillingham Kent. I have his note book dated 1896 recording his daily make. The typical gang was 1 maker, 1 labourer and a boy/young person (age11 to 18). My great grandfathers note book sets out the regulation for employing the boy/young person. It also records that from March to September his gang produced
937,766. The days output depended on the weather, their daily output was typically 30,000 to 50,000. For this they were paid 4 shillings per thousand. They would draw 3 shillings and 8 pence per thousand and hold back the remainder for the winter months when the brick fields were likely frozen and the weather extremely bad.
937,766 / 30,000=31 days.
March to September is 7 months, a lot more than 30 days.
Did you mean to say they made 937,766 a month? If not the math doesn’t work.
you need to check your maths
The maths might be wrong but you also have to remember they wouldn’t have worked on Sundays and there were holidays like Good Friday and Easter Monday they also wouldn’t have worked. Potentially Saturdays were half days meaning they finished early.
@@tonythehun1 Just checked the note book the quantity of 30,000 to 50,000 is for between 5 and 7 days not daily, sorry my misreading of the notebook. Please remember that holidays were rare for working people and the weather was not always clement.
@@mesonichue6198 Oops misreading of note book. From March 27 to July 24 every 5 -7 days production was 30,000 to 50,000. From July 31 to Sept 4 a total of 937,766. All output would be subject to weather. Still hard work.
“another 100 years no one will notice”. 😊
I never knew a tutorial on bricks could be so fascinating. Thank you.
🇺🇸💙🇬🇧
That line got me also!
I just happened onto this site and became intrigued with the content and curator. Who knew this subject could be so enjoyable and informative.
I look forward to more.
I have a suspicion the curator is the reason for such pleasurable commentary.
It's not a 'tutorial' by definition though.
@@jerrysacctThis is a 'channel' on a site called TH-cam, and he is the 'creator'. There is no 'curator' involved.
Brilliant. I grew up in a brick hose in a brick neighbourhood and this man is a living national treasure.
I found that absolutely fascinating Roger. Thanks for all that historic information 👍👍👍
The vast majority of the London stocks were actually produced in the vast brickfields in the Medway towns region in Kent . The yellow stocks from the upper Gault clays were first produced by George Smead ( Smead and Dean ) of Sittingbourne. The coal dust and clinker ( burnt clay found naturally in coal ) would be collected from industrial and domestic fires and travel by barge along the Thames to the brickfields , combined with the local clays and calcareous deposits , stocked and clamp fired loaded onto barges and shipped back up river to London. At times of war, these barge loads of yellow stocks would find themselves being beached and off loaded around our coasts to build the fortifications that fended off Napoleon as in our famous Martello Towers , each one taking around 1 million bricks to build. The autoclave technique of brick firing caused a chemical reaction within the brick that not only made the brick lighter but also harder making it highly suitable to resistant impact from cannon fire. The calcareous material combined with fine wind blown glaciel clay deposits ( Loess ) from the upper Gualts gave the bricks that creamy yellow colour. The London bricks would later be named after the old brick works of Rainham, Sittingbourne, Funton , Otterham etc , of the North Kent coast .
Thank you George, that was wonderful information.
I spent three years in Felixstowe as a child and remember a Martello Tower in the middle of the golf course there.
I met an old brickie in the early 80s who told me that before the war he would go with his father to Kent for the winter to make stocks by hand
@@peterthebricky I can remember going for a job down near Dorking to make hand made stocks.
An archaeologist friend told me they would also mix "night soil" as a binder and also as part of the combustion process....he showed us the spherical bubbles and blow-outs formed in the brick where this gasified and vented out of the clay.
@@harveysmith100 The one near the little ferry that takes you across to Bawdsey Manor , Tower Q I think . I used to take my son there when he was small .Still has the golf course, the beach and ferry and Ferry Boat pub just a short walk away and still popular with families.
This is the most informative programme on London's buildings I've ever seen.
Fascinating 🎉
Bought my end of terrace 2 up 2 down back in 1989 - actually derelict, by which I mean it was starting to subside, every service removed, daylight, cellar to sky !! Near the town of Brentwood, looking over East London…….
Every feature we added or renovated, inside or outside we used reclaimed London yellow stocks…..
I always knew them, but never the why and how. At one time, with a large extension, chimney breast and fireplace……. I bought a huge load from a reclamation guy I know, and he had me collect direct from source……. A huge mental hospital West of the M25, on a hill overlooking the A2 East…….. the bricks were glorious, some having cream, green, blue or pink pastel paint from the various wards……. Worn with pride around our house…… 🙂🇬🇧
That would have been Dareth Park Hospital, I grew up not far away, my Aunt was commited there for a while in the 60s...
@@KallistiUK hard to add a like to your comment without referencing your Aunt……. sure you understand 🙂
@@iancharlton678 Sure, thankfully she was able to go home after a while as her sitution improved and never recurred.
The late Bob Hoskins did a great rundown of changes happening to his London in the early 1980s. But I always wanted to hear what other real Londoners like Bob but without a public face had to say about changes to the city over the decades. Not so much about immigrant topics, but about infrastructure, business, estates, cost of living etc... This bloke is exactly that person and more, with his rich historical perspective it makes me learn and appreciate how London came to be. He got as much historical insight as a distinguished academic historian and The Knowledge of a London Taxi driver. Really impressive work, how are major TV networks missing this blokes talent? He runs rings around many of the established TV professionals.
As an Australian born of English parents, I'm always fascinated by stories around historical places in England. My parents came to OZ as children in the 1920's.
From my English in laws, I learned a lot about London during the war as they had lived through it in their 20's. So much history is embedded in those bricks.
1920s* plural, no apostrophe saying 1920 is, or implying something belonging to the decade. Twenties has no apostrophe. Same with the age of your parents you mentioned.
That was your best video on brickwork Roger. As an old trowel I don't always agree with you when it comes to brickwork but you have done the bricklayers proud with that video.
We get a lot of stick as a trade but everyone who complains about us goes home to a house built by a bricklayer.
Even the highest office in the land, 10 Downing St was built by a few humble bricklayers. (Flemish bond.)
I used to go into London on the train as a young man. I would look out of the window and all you could see was brickwork. Billions of bricks, mostly London Stocks. I would think of all the bricklayer that built all this work.
Then the train would be near the end of it's journey and Battersea Power Station would come into view. As a young bricklayer this building was as impressive as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Looking forward to Hampton Court Palace. I was lucky to do a proper apprenticeship at NESCOT, they took us on a day trip to to Hampton Court to inspire us. It worked. I have returned there many times to marvel at the brickwork.
I went to Nesctot, brilliant place.
@@gee3883 What years were you there? You are correct, it was a brilliant place to learn, I was an Epsom lad so it was the natural place for me but I didn't know how lucky I was to go there. Great training.
And have you seen Cambridge University Library? First time I saw it I immediately thought of Battersea Power Station and guess what? Same architect. Similarly hugely impressive.
@@rich8037 Good shout, just had a look online. I will have to visit that.
Art Deco which you would expect for the period and architect but they have a few renaissance features which is a nod to the surrounding buildings.
It saddens me to see the "It will do" approach dominating the construction industry today. So few now see the skill of the best in trade. The image I picture of brickwork are the industrial Victorian chimneys. Whilst it was sad to see them being taken down it was a pleasure to watch Fred Dibnah at work and hear both his passion and knowledge of how these brick built skyscrapers of the day were built.
I always thought those London brick buildings were so dirty and off-putting. Who knew that just a 20 minute video could turn that all around. Excellent video!
His explanation of the bricks being made with _really_ local materials explains why most of London isn't a city of red bricks.
This is an excellent showing of London in a way that I’ve at times wondered, but never seen explained. Thanks for making this and keep them coming!
Loved the walk around, you should certainly do more of these. Many people do walk arounds but none go into the architectural details.
Joolz Guides does a bit
I once dug up over 1000 of those bricks whilst digging out foundations I sold them for good money!
Never thought a presentation on bricks would hold my interest. I love your passion for your subject.
My son from Australia was wslking around Richmond 3 days ago showing me on his phone the beautiful yellow brick housrs and wandeted why most of London's bricks are yellow. I've sent him the link to this very informative video.
Did he show you the view from Richmond Hill just outside Mick Jagger's house?
Yes he did, started right opposite and took me on a very pleasant tour. Such a gorgeous part of GB.
Didn’t know I could get enthusiastic about bricks but now I am! Fascinating video. Feel like going to see those beautiful places. Thanks!
Please make more about historical building methods and materials! It's really a gem episode! You are in your elements. You can really explain in a clear and pleasant way. Also the mixture of recent and historical facts makes these episodes very exciting!
Hi Roger, I too was a child of the 50s and your recollection of playing in bombed out buildings was part of my memory as well. Your explanation of the patina of bricks is masterful. I had never realised the origins of these wonderful icons of Victorian/Edwardian building.. Great video and great history lesson. Thanks.
Like you Roger, I'm London born and bred. I noticed the London bricks were distinctive from the rest of the country and they give the city it's unique character. After 50 odd years, after watching your superb video, I've finally learnt the history of London bricks. Thank you.
Its* unique character, no apostrophe saying it is unique character. Ours. Theirs. Its. No apostrophe for belonging to and it's/it is already exists!
@@thekeysman6760 OK so you're right. Might I suggest when you decide to point out someone's minor grammatical error, you adopt a slightly less sneering tone.
An example of using what is at hand. I was brought up in Cherry Hinton in a small village to the East of Cambridge, England. We lived in converted farm buildings. The walls were made from chalk, the blocks were 1 foot by 1 foot by 2 feet. These were faced with yellow Cambridge bricks and on the inside had a layer of wattle and daub. The walls were more than 5 feet thick. The six cottages were owned by my grandfather and were sold by a compulsory purchase order and demolished, to afford access for a new housing complex. The only remaining building using the technique is the Red Lion pub, which was built in 1648.
So many things I knew nothing about. Im a '50's baby from Australia, and was in London in the early '70's. You have filled in so much knowledge of these buildings. Thank you!
That was a really interesting video! Thanks for that. You kept a dull man entertained. Back in the 90's I used to have wild nights out on the lash on Friday. Now I watch video's about bricks!
😂
90s*, no apostrophe saying 90 is. Nineties has no apostrophe. Videos* plural, no apostrophe saying video is.
@@thekeysman6760 is this the most useful thing you have to do? I was complementing someone about their work. And as I may of covered in that comment, I might of had a beer.
@@cropstar I helped you be universally understood, instead of misunderstood and not translatable with the TH-cam translate function. You're welcome. And it's "may have* covered" and "may have* had a beer", not may of. Makes no sense. That's you mishearing may've/may have as may of. Life changing, eh? And you don't need to blame beer for all these mistakes. It's obviously not the reason. Be well.
@@cropstar No, you didn't "cover" the fact you had a beer now, you said you did in the 90s though.
The Richard Attenborough of bricks and buildings !
Definitely 😃
You mean that anti industrialist David. I'd prefer a comparison with Fred Dibnah who was more about the Industrial Revolution, climbing brick structures, chimney stacks, cooling towers and alike. He didn't mind dabbling with the odd traction engine too; you know.
Richard....or David ?
Fascinating video! I worked for many years as a TV news broadcast engineer & would often be assigned to Downing Street. I was always puzzled by the black bricks on #10 & 11, thinking the builders had actually used black bricks to build the houses. Even up close it’s not at all obvious the bricks are painted, so thanks for solving that particular mystery for me!
What a fabulously knowledgeable, articulate, but straight forward man. I didn't know I found the history of bricks so fascinating until he totally hooked me on them!
Genuinely interesting and informative video. The kind of thing the BBC used to do before it gave up on being good.
Thank you for these walkarounds! Really nice opportunity to see a different part of London
Even if you've lived in London all your life,and think you know the place....there's always something new to learn.
Thank you,sir!
Roger channelling his inner Fred Dibnah. Come on Channel 5, give this man a history of building series! Great stuff.
What a discovery your vlogs are. Born in Forest Gate with parents from Leyton and Leytonstone the family moved to Somerset where my father was evacuated during WW2 but a couple of times a year we returned to visit relatives and what an adventure that was as a small boy in the 1950s & '60s.
Fast forward 3 decades and as a multi-drop truck driver I probably spent more time in London than home and loved discovering the hidden places like those shown in your vlogs on numerous walks there.
Later on I took my own kids to do just what you're doing now, teaching them the history of the places we visited though not so expertly as your good self.
Brilliant vlogs, better and more educational than any TV documentaries.
multi-drops in London, that is earning your money.
I found this very interesting. I grew up in Murston, Kent , where there were several brickfields and many bricks used in the construction of London were made. Thames barges were used to transport rubbish out of London and return with loads of bricks or other goods. My mother's family were Londoners and were bombed in WW1 and WW2. My playground was the disused brickfields until I moved to Northampton in the seventies.
I am also London born and bred. I remember the bombed out houses. I love the dirty old London stocks. They last forever, unlike modern clay bricks that flake.
Superb, thank you. I remember when the buildings in central London were being cleaned of years of dmog and grime.. visitors now would not believe how filthy those imposing buildings were before cleaning.
I live in London and often forget to look up above the crap shopfronts and detritus and find interesting stuff. In London we have everything from Roman bricks from the city walls to Yellow Stock which I call "Yellow Mellows" and Red standards. It's the bomb damage that make it more interesting as you can see where the bomb dropped, what damage it did by the size of the bomb and what was replaced. More often than not you can see both sides of road and work out total destruction to modest repairs. You can walk around anywhere residential in London and say "Nice house, nice house, bomb, nice house"!
Incidentally I worked in Whitehall and No10 as a buildings manager and that row of houses were built on the cheap. The house at the front nearly fell down through rot. London is unique as you can almost work out the expansion of small areas of London by what the bricks are. It does help having a builder explain stuff as well like frogs, stretchers and headers etc...
I love this guy and his voice..a real Londoner with a good sense of humour
This Bloke should be on TV. A really great Narrator.
*looks at field "this was all houses when I was a lad"
😆
@Robwakefieldcreative normally you hear the exact opposite! Certainly a lot of houses I see now are on fields I used to play on as a kid.
@@WhatTheHellMangExactly. It's usually the other way around!
Man finds beauty in anything he gives his attention to. I love to observe and appreciate the ingenuity of the built environment. Your tour of the brick industry of the past, informing our present and future was fascinating Roger. It is interesting to see how an environment can contribute to the development of an adult almost as much as the family and community in which that development occurs. Thanks for sharing your personal history.
To a layperson, this was very interesting. The BBC should have you doing an architectural walking tour of London, taking in all the different regions of the city. That was really fantastic Roger. I think many more people than you realise are very interested in this sort of thing. Here in Prague, the "Club of Old Prague" organises architectural walking tours, and they sell out very quickly. And there is a fantastic public accessible urban planning institute right in the centre of the city that has fantastic multimedia events all with the aim of geting the public engaged with how the city develops. It would make a very interesting visit to come to Prague. Reach out !
'Club of Old Prague' in inverted commas implying so-called or supposedly, not quotation marks incorrectly quoting someone. Plus, just write it without any inverted commas! Unneeded.
@@thekeysman6760, the commenter above has quoted the name in the correct way - or they could have Italicised the title too. Both are the traditionally accepted ways of quoting or referencing a name/title.
@@geemo4284 No. Only in 'American English' styles manuals. Not actual English.
@@thekeysman6760 , no, until 20 years ago it was more common than not for references to titles to be in quotation marks, rather than Italics in most British academic journals and articles. The custom is disappearing now but is, technically, correct and also traditional.
I love Roger's videos - he could make watching paint dry seem interesting and he has a real love for his trade which is infectious. I watch these videos to relax after a tough day. Informative and entertaining. Thanks Roger!
Thank you Matt, that is good to know. I enjoy doing them
@10:53 “there’s a rich bloke. If you’re rich, get a statue” 😂
This sort of historical information video is what makes me thankful for the Internet.
Long before I was born, my grandad worked in brick works in Bedfordshire somewhere.
Thank you.
Great video! The architecture in London is 2nd to none. I lived there for 8 years and would get off at random tube stops and walk around admiring the workmanship and detail that went into the buildings. As Roger said tourists are oblivious to most of it outside the usual known tourist spots.
So true, people go to the main attractions, take a selfie and move on.
@@SkillBuilder
Time restraints, ignorance, lack of knowledgeable guides, ect.
Plus, the UK is expensive, it's a trip of a lifetime for many and some (a lot) of the reward is going back home and showing where you have been. I don't think the relatives looking at photos back home would be that impressed if instead of snaps of "Buck House" they brought home pictures of bricks, lol.
(My husband's a coach driver, never underestimate the tourists' desire to tick off a list of "been there, done that" and pictures to prove it)
@@SkillBuilder I recently visited London for the first time (from Sydney). I roamed the streets on a Brompton (lost some of the time) just stunned by the sight of all the old architectural details and the nooks and crannies that the locals seem to blithely pass by every day. And then I saw St Pancras....... it took my breath away. Overload!! :)
Don’t underestimate tourists! People love taking pictures at the brick row houses in England, they are very iconic.
I used to run guided walking tours of London back in my student days in the 80s and one thing I would always tell the tourists was to always look up above the street level, especially in places like Oxford Street, Charring Cross Road, Regent Street etc, but also on local streets, because you then get to see the fascinating architecture above the garish shopfronts .
depth of your knowledge is phenomenal . I am " Polish builder" and I am in awe of English or maybe British (Irish) bricklayers skill and perfection . see Ashley Gardens in Victoria London
if you want to get better at bricklaying buy the Nash books on brickwork 1,2,3. good luck.
Polish builder, or 'Polish builder' in inverted commas implying so-called or supposedly, not quotation marks incorrectly quoting someone. Be well.
Fascinating video about London brickwork. I will never look at walls in London the same way again. I have learnt a lot from this, thank you.
You are absolutely right about tourists. I skipped a National Museum for walking all day,exploring gardens , courtyards, lovely corners of Fulham , Chelsea , Kensington, St James’s. It was huge area to cover but this gave me a beautiful picture of London.
I am glad you did that. I get a kind of dead feeling in museums. The worst are the interactive ones where they try to get you pressing buttons.
What an absolutely fascinating video. Thank you Roger. I’m 67 years old and never knew that the name dustmen derived from that.
'Never paint yer bricks' the only decent thing to ever come out of a politician's mouth. Love that area around Clerkenwell, lots of hidden gems around there. Class video mate.
"Never paint yer bricks" in quotation marks, not single inverted commas implying so-called or supposedly.
@@thekeysman6760 But if I use double quotation marks to quote a comment on TH-cam that itself contains a quotation, I then have to use single quotation marks to show the quote inside the quote. Alternatively, I can use single quotation marks to show the main quote and double quotation marks to show the quote inside the quote.
I don't think it really matters if we start with doubles or singles when we alternate quotation marks (Fowler advocates starting with singles, but I don't remember a compelling objective reason for his preference). Perhaps we need to use a different symbol altogether for scare-quotes and so-called quotations?
Any idea of the source of the original quote, by the way? I don't get the reference: wasn't it a joke?
@@johnbull5394 Your first example in your most recent comment was correct, the second one not. At all. Back to the drawing board.
@@johnbull5394 'Scare quotes' (in single inverted commas implying so-called or supposedly) don't exist in the English styles manuals, only 'American English'. And 'air quotes' were originally done with one hand and two fingers in the 70s in England, again implying two single inverted commas implying 'so-called', not quoting anyone. Russell Harty, a camp chat show presenter, seemed to pioneer it.
And here's something ridiculous for you to ponder over. The word Britain encompasses four countries each with their own languages, who also all speak English but with their own accent and sometimes even dialect. And in England our language and accent is 'English', the original. There is no such thing as 'British English' as Americans and Google seem to have invented! It would have to be a mix of the four countries and how they use English differently! So Americans negate the four countries, cultures, and languages of the United Kingdom of Great Britain when they say 'British English'! We understand though why you choose to call your version 'American English'. Because it isn't English anymore. Our rules have stayed the same. Yours (I'm assuming!) are made up as you go along and it creates problems.
@@thekeysman6760 Sorry to add to the confusion, but not sure what you are referring to. And rather confused as I am not American. The Fowler I am referring to is HW Fowler, of "Modern English Usage" fame, if that clarifies anything at all. Did you mean to reply to someone else and the TH-cam comment system is messing us all up?
If you are just referring to my comment on how useful it would be to have a standard stop to indicate a scare-quote, I fail to see why Brits cannot have that just because style-guides do not formally recognise them. I think it would be useful for less formal written occasions such as on here.
Perhaps, one day, such a piece of punctuation will exist, and a few years later, style guides and dictionaries may start to recognise it. Generally, dictionaries reflect what is already standard practice (in fact, the "OED"'s original title included the words 'On Historical Principles'), rather than attempt to influence the behaviour of writers, although some dictionaries have tried to do this.
Languages change. Or they die out as they become increasingly dependent on the national language for innovation, or, I suppose, people just stop using them altogether. Originally, languages were probably more localised (there are still regions in Italy where language changes from one village to the next, but these languages or dialects were seldom written down) and eventually nations have tended to homogenise their languages as communication gets easier over longer distances.
'British English', as I understand the term, tends to mean the written parallel of BBC English, if we are going to talk about what is 'right'; even in less formal circles (such as TH-cam comments) there are obviously written trends that are more common in the UK and could well be argued to be British in that they are common over here (i.e. in the British Isles). English dictionaries will often include some terms that are colloquial or dialectical and accept them as British (could do with scare-quotes around 'British' here) even though they may not be common all over the UK, and tend to accept American terms that become adopted by British speakers.
To give an example of change, and dictionary acceptance, it took some time for dictionaries to reflect the tendency for writers from the UK to use -'ise' endings instead of the more traditional -'ize', but I think most English people, and most Engish (not American English) dictionaries, will now accept that -'ise' is more usual. In fact, some people regard -'ize' endings as an American variant, which is ironic considering that the -'ise' ending has become more, not less, common in the UK over the last century, thus British English has actually drifted away from American in this, possibly more than American rejection of -'ise' has drifted away from British usage.
Thanks Roger, fantastic. i live in Australia and always are fascinated by your productions. You can do as many of these building history topics as you like. Cheers Tim.
Glad you like them!
I used to work in that modernist block on Russell Square. Apparently the architect was a pioneer of computer design and also worked on the design and effects in the first Alien film. His widow lived in the penthouse on the top floor
Wow! Cool. What was his name? So he was part of Giger's team that won an Academy Award for the visual design of the film. My father was part of the industry and I knew the Soho cutting rooms like the back of my hand!
I never thought I would be so interested by a video about bricks! Fascinating history and well told.
Greetings from my yellow brick flat from 1923 in Amsterdam!
The timing of this video is uncanny. Just got into a hotel near crystal palace after going for a walk with my girlfriend noticing the colours of the bricks
Precognition
I really enjoyed watching this video Roger about some of London’s beautiful historic architecture. I never realised the humble brick, the staple of the Industrial Revolution has so much history involving different manufacturing processes to make them suitable for historic buildings. As for todays housing, I hate new builds with a passion because so many buildings get planning permission that blight our landscape, especially in parts of London. I just hope builders, architects in the future will construct new housing that have more character and style in keeping with Britains heritage that sets us apart and makes London feel like London again. At least, in places like Poundbury and Nansledan in Cornwall new towns are being built that look like quality builds instead of Lego houses constructed from an flat pack in a short space of time.
I am an American that spent most of their childhood in England. Your close up shots of those blackened, yellow, bricks trigged a memory strong enough I briefly could feel the texture of them again. I used to love dragging my hands across those walls as I walked past, when I was little.
Interesting video.
Brings back my days of working at Turkey Road, Bexhill-on-Sea making Pevensey (reddish) and Crowborough (very dark brown to black) bricks. It was amazing to see the clear geological fault line where the two types of clay met down in the quarry.
Nice one Roger. I really enjoyed this video!
What a brilliant video on Londons history. What make it more interesting is a builders point of view. You and robin are knocking balls out of the park with these quality contents.
Really enjoyed that, Roger. Our house was built in 1902 using bricks made at a brickworks less than a quarter of a mile away.
There were two pairs of semis built as estate workers' houses.
There's some lovely dragon's teeth courses, which were totally unnecessary, but they did it to show off their skills.
Hi John
That is what I really love. If you look at an old Victorian pumping station there was no need whatsoever to put in all that architectural detail but they understood how buildings shape our lives.
@@SkillBuilderThere's a lot of houses in Kenilworth built using the same bricks. Tradesmen hate having to core drill them as the bits get burnt out as they're so hard. 😂
Love videos like this, I'm simultaneously being educated about architecture, infrastructure and history without feeling lectured. Would love to see more of videos on the history of other buildings in London!
No idea how a video about bricks appeared in my feed, but I have never hit subscribe with quite so much enthusiasm. What a talent for storytelling you have.
You've got me really interested in brick bonds recently. I saw one here in Bournemouth today which is like "double flemish bond" header stretcher stretcher, header stretcher, stretcher. offset on the next row. "Beales" department store which was rebuilt after WW2 bomb raid.
Interesting that. I was in Bournemouth about a month ago, waiting for my wife and looked up to one of the buildings above the shops. It was like looking into different era. The architecture and condition of the building was amazing. Its Richmond gardens, the building is called Dalkeith buildings.
That's 'Monk bond'
@@mrBmi222 I've seen some walls with a bond similar to monk bond except the offset between the layers is completely random so rather than have the headers lined up vertically, they are all over the place with no noticeable pattern. Is there a name for that bond?
'double Flemish bond' and 'Beales' in inverted commas implying so-called or supposedly, not quotation marks incorrectly quoting someone.
@@thekeysman6760 policing the grammar again I see. How sad .
Enjoyed this more than I expected. Some of those London squares look fantastic.
Used to work on building sites decades ago, I still can't help looking at brickwork & stonework 3 decades on. Boring to most but still holds a deep fascination for me. Grand video, thanks.
That yellowy colour gives much of London a special, pleasant feeling.
Remarkable video presentation, extremely interesting and informative. Never knew that those numerous little London gardens were originally locations where clay was mined to make the yellow stock bricks.
Brilliant!
Footnote: my great, great grandfather was a brick maker in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, in the 19th century. His sons followed in his footsteps, the family eventually moving to Birmingham, the pulsating hub of the Industrial Revolution. In Brum, my folks' skills evolved to become paviours - many of the cobbled streets they made still exist here today. Wonderful legacy from a bygone age, so proud of their hard work. Cheers!
Excellent. London is a fascinating city. My first days when I visited in 1989 were spent wandering for hours looking mainly at the architechture. Many thanks.
Roger I love this content! As a builder I love working on old builds. It's as close to time travelling I'll ever get. I've learnt alot from this thanks
A lot*, two words. Alot isn't a word.
Speaking of bomb damage. Just down Russel Square Street from the Fitzroy 11:25 is the street corner where Leo Szilard waiting to cross the street had one of the key ideas that led to the atomic bomb. 12 September 1933 A neutron smashing into the nuclei of another atom would release two or more neutrons, which would hit more atoms... runaway chain reaction...
Bricks are an amazing topic. Every brick has history in it. I remember going around Detroit with my dad, a contractor, trying to find bricks that matched the bricks on a house he was adding on to. Learned a lot of history about brick making just in Detroit. Clippard Commons. We visited that yard just as operations ceased, and it was about to be cleared away. I later saw these bricks all over Detroit.
I never ever thought I’d be interested in a story about bricks, but I find this vlog fascinating. Thank you❗️🏢
Thank you for giving me a much better appreciation for London brickwork
Love these old London houses best wishes from Dublin great video
I will be in Dublin soon
Good stuff Roger, I owe you dinner and a drink for all the fantastic videos you have made, you've also replaced my telly too, watch em all the time! I really enjoy them. Thank you
The same again across various UK towns and cities of architectural/historical merit would be good!
I know the yellow bricks well and I always did wonder why they are so irregular looking...now I know!
Also the yellow brick makes for a more restful facade.
You should be a tour guide showing people this kind of history. Wonderful video.
Very professionally made vid. This man could talk about ANYTHING and make it interesting
Incredibly interesting, please do more of these videos!
Roger, great tour/history. More of these please. It's the off-the-beaten-path tours that are always the most interesting.
Forward slash usage implies both words either side are interchangeable. The words tour and history aren't.
This video randomly popped up in my feed and it is so fascinating. Definitely subscribing to this channel. I'm an American living in Warsaw, Poland which has many brick buildings and I have always been curious about their construction. You have answered so many questions. I've only been to London once and it was a short stay and didn't get to see a lot of the city. Hope to go back and see more.
If you live in Warsaw, you might want to have a look at how much of Warsaw was rebuilt after WW2 using "volutarily" reclaimed brick from so called Recovered Territories. Warsaw called it a "national voluntary effort to rebuild the capital" but in truth there was nothing voluntary about it, places like my home town which was about 80% destroyed were set huge brick quotas that had to be sent to Warsaw instead of rebuilding locally.
@@YaaLFH That's interesting and I will have to do some research about the materials appropriated for the capital. The propaganda I have seen and read made it seem like it was a massive patriotic movement with people voluntarily giving their time and materials.
However, it makes sense that the PRL regime would do something so cruel and senseless. After all, they tore down much needed tenement housing and wasted untold materials to build the Palace of Culture.
Btw, do you live in Wroclaw?
Very interesting indeed, thank you. I’m about 650 miles north of London, where brick was very rare as a building material. The most northerly brickworks, at Brora, was the only available source, but that is 50 miles north of here. Not a subject I know anything much about.
I don't know why I started watching this. But once I started, I couldn't stop. What an interesting and engaging video!
Natural storyteller. Great voice. Knows his stuff.