https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/ Northcot Brick – Master Handmade Brick Makers RSS News Feed The Shoemakers Museum, in Somerset, was commissioned by the Alfred Gillett Trust to celebrate the area’s industrial heritage and its bicentenary as the home of Clarks shoes, establishing a new civic and cultural hub. Its four permanent galleries display a collection of 25,000 shoes from Roman times to the present day, along with hundreds of never-before-seen objects and rare fossils excavated from the site, and provide spaces for education, community activities, and cultural events. The Design – bridging the centuriesPurcell's design responds to the site's historic and geological legacy, uniting two distinct Grade II-listed buildings: a 16th-century barn and a Georgian manor house, The Grange, which had been disconnected from the town of Street for decades by factory and retail development.A new two-storey infill extension bridges without dominating the historic buildings, creating a composition that reads as three distinct structures in the primary elevation, flowing around a central lawn.Constructed with a Timber-Concrete Composite (TCC) system, the base primarily consists of salvaged Blue Lias limestone, featuring fossil traces that serve as a geological anchor. A Bath Stone colonnade supports a modern covered walkway made of glass and glulam, connecting the old and the new as a seamless, flowing experience.The building's most striking feature is its upper brick fac?ade, corbelled, perforated and projected, its detailing drawn directly from the design language of Clarks shoes, symbolising the craftsmanship of shoemaking and hinting at what lies inside.Brickwork – the language of shoemakingThe intricate folds of the brick fac?ade mirror the creases and texture of natural leather with detailed patterns derived from Clarks shoes. The corbelled eaves are layered in 13 steps, creating a ‘floating’ cantilevered effect that recalls the "pinked" or jagged edges of cut leather.  As the light changes throughout the day, the corbels cast deep shadows, revealing the projected headers, giving the appearance of visible stitching.The perforated bonds reference the decorative holes on brogues, whilst also allowing daylight into the galleries and giving the building a lantern-like glow at night.To stay within a tight budget and minimise the need for custom moulding, the intricate facade pattern is achieved through precise design and skilled bricklaying, using 13 standard specials sourced locally from Northcot Brick. The warm red-orange tones of the bespoke Grange Blend and Bourton Manor handmade specials, finished with a light tumble, soften the newness of the brickwork, lending it a texture and warmth that sits naturally alongside its centuries-old neighbours, whilst contrasting with the crisp precision of the cast stone colonnade.Iconic cultural landmarkThis exemplar of narrative architecture bridges the centuries, creating an iconic cultural landmark that is revitalising the town centre and strengthening its community identity. Achieving LETI A for whole-life carbon and an A-3 EPC, the building embodies the same principles that defined two centuries of Clarks craftsmanship - quality without pretension, honestly made, built to last.The building has been shortlisted for Permanent Exhibition of the Year in the globally recognised 2026 Museums + Heritage Awards. https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/The_Shoemakers_Museum_A_step_up_in_the_use_of_handmade_bricks--post--10.html 10 https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/userfiles/images/Case%20Studies/Shoemakers%20Museum/ShoemakersMuseum_Pic0.jpg 2026-07-03 16:19:45 Your Text Here https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/The_Shoemakers_Museum_A_step_up_in_the_use_of_handmade_bricks--post--9.html 9 2026-07-03 16:17:55 The Shoemakers Museum, in Somerset, was commissioned by the Alfred Gillett Trust to celebrate the area?s industrial heritage and its bicentenary as the home of Clarks shoes, establishing a new civic and cultural hub. Its four permanent galleries display a collection of 25,000 shoes from Roman times to the present day, along with hundreds of never-before-seen objects and rare fossils excavated from the site, and provide spaces for education, community activities, and cultural events. The Design ? bridging the centuriesPurcell's design responds to the site's historic and geological legacy, uniting two distinct Grade II-listed buildings: a 16th-century barn and a Georgian manor house, The Grange, which had been disconnected from the town of Street for decades by factory and retail development.A new two-storey infill extension bridges without dominating the historic buildings, creating a composition that reads as three distinct structures in the primary elevation, flowing around a central lawn.Constructed with a Timber-Concrete Composite (TCC) system, the base primarily consists of salvaged Blue Lias limestone, featuring fossil traces that serve as a geological anchor. A Bath Stone colonnade supports a modern covered walkway made of glass and glulam, connecting the old and the new as a seamless, flowing experience.The building's most striking feature is its upper brick fac?ade, corbelled, perforated and projected, its detailing drawn directly from the design language of Clarks shoes, symbolising the craftsmanship of shoemaking and hinting at what lies inside.Brickwork ? the language of shoemakingThe intricate folds of the brick fac?ade mirror the creases and texture of natural leather with detailed patterns derived from Clarks shoes. The corbelled eaves are layered in 13 steps, creating a ?floating? cantilevered effect that recalls the "pinked" or jagged edges of cut leather.  As the light changes throughout the day, the corbels cast deep shadows, revealing the projected headers, giving the appearance of visible stitching.The perforated bonds reference the decorative holes on brogues, whilst also allowing daylight into the galleries and giving the building a lantern-like glow at night. https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/The_Shoemakers_Museum_A_step_up_in_the_use_of_handmade_bricks--post--8.html 8 https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/userfiles/images/Case%20Studies/Shoemakers%20Museum/ShoemakersMuseum_Pic0.jpg 2026-07-03 16:16:47 The redevelopment at Great Charles Street, Birmingham, is a masterclass in contextual architecture, utilizing a sophisticated masonry palette to bridge the gap between the city’s industrial heritage and modern urban living. Central to this aesthetic are the Victorian Mellow and Cotswold Red handmade bricks from Northcot Brick.A Nod to Heritage with Handmade BricksThe choice of these specific handmade brick blends isn't accidental. Birmingham’s "Jewellery Quarter" and surrounding areas are defined by deep, earthy tones and varied textures.Victorian Mellow: This brick provides a weathered, historic feel. It mimics the appearance of aged masonry found in 19th-century warehouses, offering a soft, multi-tonal yellow and orange hue that prevents the large-scale facades from feeling monolithic.Cotswold Red: A bolder, more traditional choice, the Cotswold Red reinforces the classic "Brummie" red-brick character. Its lightly textured surface catches the light, providing depth and a sense of permanence.Architectural ImpactBy alternating these handmade brick tones, the project breaks down the massing of the buildings. The Victorian Mellow acts as a bridge between the bright, modern glass elements and the darker, traditional brickwork. This "hand-picked" quality ensures that even though the project is new, it feels deeply rooted in the Birmingham soil.The result is a tactile, high-quality finish that honors the craftsmanship of the past while meeting the performance standards of 21st-century construction. https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/Northcot_Victorian_Mellow_and_Cotswold_Red_handmade_bricks--post--7.html 7 https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/userfiles/images/2026%20Blogs/Handmade-Bricks-Great-Charles-Street.jpg 2026-01-23 14:38:01 The ambitious refurbishment of the Grade II listed West Bromwich Town Hall and Library serves as a definitive case study in the power of heritage masonry. Central to the project?s success was the collaboration with Northcot Brick, whose master brickmakers were tasked with replicating the intricate Victorian Gothic aesthetic originally established in 1875.Preserving the character of such a landmark required far more than standard replacements. Northcot manufactured a suite of bespoke special shaped handmade bricks, ranging from complex chamfered plinths to ornate cappings and radius bricks. These were essential for repairing the building's distinctive gables and window surrounds, which had suffered from decades of environmental wear.To ensure a seamless transition between the 19th-century fabric and the new restorations, Northcot utilized traditional coal-firing techniques in their kilns. This process achieved the subtle "weathered" orange and deep red tonal variations necessary to match the existing facade. By hand-matching the textures and dimensions of the original specials, the team ensured that the structural interventions remained invisible to the naked eye. This meticulous attention to detail with their handmade braicks not only satisfied strict conservation requirements but also fortified the structural longevity of these historic civic hubs for future generations https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/Special_shaped_handmade_bricks--post--6.html 6 https://www.northcotbrick.co.uk/userfiles/images/2026%20Blogs/Handmade%20Bricks%20West%20Bromwich%20Town%20Hall.jpg 2026-01-23 14:12:18