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York Handmade builds up to Brick Oscars

The York Handmade Brick Company, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the country, has been nominated in a number of categories in the prestigious 2015 Brick Awards.

York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, is up for the awards following the company’s acclaimed role in the restoration of the Belvedere at Dumfries House in Scotland and Carmelite House on London’s Victoria Embankment.

The Belvedere is nominated in the Craftsmanship, Best Outdoor Space and Best Refurbishment Project categories, while Carmelite House is on the short-list for the Craftsmanship and Innovative use of Brick and Clay Products awards.

In addition York Handmade provided the bricks for Boxmoor Construction’s Springfields development in Reading, which is up for the Specialist Brickwork Contractor of the Year prize.

These national awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane in London’s West End on Wednesday November 18. Run by the Brick Development Association in conjunction with Building magazine, they are the brick industry’s Oscars.

Chairman David Armitage said: “We are particularly proud to be involved in three fantastic projects this year, all of which have been shortlisted in the Brick 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 recognition possible,” commented Mr Armitage.

He added: “It is important to stress that our three short-listed entries are completely different jobs in design and execution, graphically illustrating our ability to work in a wide variety of colours and styles. We believe we can tackle any brickwork project successfully.”

York Handmade has a tremendous track record in the Brick Awards, winning a hat-trick of categories in 2012. The buildings which won the awards 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).

In 2009 the company was short-listed for the Best Educational Building award for its work on De Grey Court at York St John University.

In 2007 the company was shortlisted for Best Refurbishment Project award for its work on the Murrays’ Mills development in Manchester. In 2006 it won the Best Landscape Project award for its acclaimed work on the walled garden at Broughton Hall, near Skipton.

In 2005 York Handmade was shortlisted for the Best Refurbishment Project for work on Millington Hall, a 16th century heritage public house and restaurant in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire and in 2004 the company won the same award for the acclaimed walled garden and new restaurant at Scampston Hall, near Malton.

York Handmade was also shortlisted in the Best Refurbishment Project category of the Brick Awards for its work in restoring Myton Bridge, near Boroughbridge, to its former Victorian glory in 2003, and also won the Best Single House award for a private house at Chirk, near Wrexham, in 2003. York Handmade won the Supreme Brick Building award for St Brigid’s Church, Belfast, in 1995.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .