The award-winning York
Handmade Brick Company has played a significant role in a brand-new North
Yorkshire residential development.
The Easingwold-based
firm, one of the leading independent brick-makers in the country, has supplied
specially-manufactured bricks for a contemporary development in Northallerton’s
bustling High Street.
Altogether York Handmade provided more than 14,000 specially
blended matching bricks for the three terraced-house project, developed by
North Yorkshire builder John Swales.
Mr Swales, who is managing
director of J W Swales Building Contractors of Northallerton, demolished the
existing house, which was structurally unsound, at 275
High Street.
He explained: “The building belonged to my accountant A
C Savage & Co and, when he retired, an opportunity arose to buy it. My wife Sarah and I thought that we might be
able to work with the old structure, but once we had stripped the ceilings and
plasterwork, it became apparent that it had reached the end of its life and
certain aspects just weren’t safe.
“Our Northallerton-based
architect Andrew Bramley came up with the idea of building three, two-bedroom
terraced houses on the site and that is exactly what we have done. All three were
sold for £180,000 and are now occupied.
“It’s not
very often the opportunity to build three houses on Northallerton High Street
arises so with this in mind we decided that we wanted to use the best of all
products available locally, with the York Handmade bricks made in Alne, windows
in Stokesley and the handmade clay pan tiles made in Hull.”
He added:
“York Handmade bricks and their traditional appearance have helped the new
dwellings bed in to the surroundings so well that most people that aren’t
familiar with them don’t realise that they have just been built. I will
definitely use York Handmade again - they are second to none when a traditional
appearance is required. “
Alun Nixon of York
Handmade Brick commented: “It has been a privilege to play a part in creating
an attractive development, which provides much-needed local housing and enhances
the appearance of Northallerton’s historic High Street.
“While we have recently
completed some stunning commissions for residential and commercial developments
in London and other UK cities, it is vitally important that we continue to provide
our bricks to more local developers and for self-builders. It is a real
pleasure to see our work being represented locally.”
David Armitage, chairman
of York Handmade, added: “Our flourishing relationship with John Swales and
other Yorkshire-based residential developers is very important to us. It is
tremendously gratifying to see our bricks being used so close to home.”
Before it was the home of
A C Savage and Co, 275 High Street Northallerton served as the offices of the
Woolwich Equitable Building Society, the Provincial Building Society and
Willman (is it Willman or Millman, can’t
quite read it) and Douglas Chartered Surveyors.
See press release coverage in the York Press
For
further information, please contact Robert Beaumont of Robert Beaumont
Associates on 01423 323139 or 07710 127713 or robert@minskiplodge.co.uk