The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has played a crucial role in the construction of the flagship Saïd Business School in Oxford.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, manufactured and supplied 30,000 bespoke bricks for the second phase of new business school development. The contract was worth £50,000.
Saïd Business School is the business school of Oxford University, located just west of the city on the former site of Oxford Rewley Road railway station.
David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the north, commented: “We were delighted to be able to help in the construction of such an important Oxford building. The buff-coloured Byland Blend bricks were especially created to match the bricks of the first phase of the business school development.
“These bricks, which come from the clay of the famous, but now defunct, Williamson Cliff brickworks near Stamford, are also very similar to those of many historic Oxford and Cambridge colleges. We are proud to be contributing to such a rich tradition,” he added.
Michael Trigg, associate director of the London-based architects Dixon Jones, who designed the Saïd Business School, explained: “We needed bricks to blend in seamlessly with Phase One of the development and the wonderful bricks of the York Handmade Brick Company fitted the bill perfectly.
“York Handmade came to me highly recommended and they did not disappoint. Their superb bricks worked perfectly with those already in place and they are an excellent match. The company’s quality of work and attention to detail were exemplary and are an important part of the success one of the most exciting new buildings in Oxford,” he added.
This accolade comes hard on the heels of York Handmade’s success at the prestigious Brick Awards, the Oscars of the brick industry, where the company won three categories: the Best Single House, the Best Craftsmanship and Specialist Brickwork Contractor.
Chairman David Armitage said: “We are particularly proud to be involved in three fantastic projects this year, all of which have been honoured in the Brick Awards. This is our best result ever in these awards.
“Huge thanks are due to the management team and employees at York Handmade for their imagination, enterprise and hard work, which all combined to make this success possible,” added Mr Armitage.
The buildings which won the awards for York Handmade were: Four Oaks in Little Bedwyn, Wilts (Best Single House); Tupgill Cellar, near Middleham, North Yorkshire (Best Craftsmanship); and Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester (Specialist Brickwork Contractor).