The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers,
whose origins date back to the fifteenth century, has paid a special visit to
the award-winning York Handmade Brick Company.
The City of London-based livery company brought 27 members and their
partners to York Handmade’s factory in Forest Lane, Alne, near Easingwold.
Chris Causer, the company’s Master, explained: “We have visited before,
but over 10 years ago. So, this year I decided that our annual Master’s visit
should be to York, with our trip to York Handmade as the centrepiece of day.
“We were very impressed. I knew York Handmade to
be a leading company in its field, a specialist brick manufacturer as opposed
to huge volume producer, and I had seen buildings they provided bricks
for. The workforce was well-motivated and cheerful and it is clearly a
well-run outfit.
“I think the UK
brickmakers some time ago opted for a Tesco-type high-volume/low-cost approach,
in contrast to York Handmade, which is a leading specialist in the bespoke
brick manufacturing sector.”
York Handmade’s founder
and chairman David Armitage is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Tylers
and Bricklayers and a former Court Assistant.
He commented: “It was an
absolute privilege to welcome Chris Causer and the livery company to York
Handmade. We were very proud to show members around our factory and to
demonstrate our new brand-new machinery, which has transformed how we
manufacture our bricks, speeded up production, increased efficiency and opened
a new chapter in our history.
“But it was also
important to emphasise to this historic livery company the role that the
craftsmen who work in our factory play in everything we do. Without their unstinting efforts, we would
not be able to make the progress that we have made in recent years. We believe
this combination of the old and the new is one of the key secrets of our
success.
“This visit was a
tremendous success and it was a pleasure to talk to the livery company members
about all the work we have been doing in London recently. As the company is
based in the City of London, we hope its members will be able to see our
brickwork at the Shard, by the Embankment, in Mayfair, Baker Street, King’s
Cross, Marylebone, Highgate and Kensington at first hand.”
The
Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is one of the ancient Livery
Companies of the City of London. It has an active charitable, educational and
social programme and maintains a close involvement with the tiling and
bricklaying industries. The Company received its first Royal Charter in 1568,
although its roots go back to the fifteenth century. It is 37th in precedence
among the City Livery Companies and its Livery currently stands at
approximately one hundred and fifty.
The Tylers
and Bricklayers encourages excellence in the tiling and bricklaying industries
and has awards for outstanding brickwork and tiling, as well as for individuals
training for NVQs and higher qualifications in the craft.