Project of the week

Firebricks are one of the hidden heroes of the industrial revolution – necessary to build furnaces that could withstand extreme temperatures. In the West Midlands, industrialists Peter Harris and George Pearson perfected the technique to produce these firebricks out of the unique local clay.

In 1888, the company constructed a new office and weigh house on the site of their mine with a remarkable front elevation showcasing their wares – firebricks, yellow and blue bricks, and terracotta detailing all made from Harris and Pearson’s clay. The building served through generations of family leadership until 1968 when the company was purchased by a Sheffield-based group. They and their subsidiaries continued to use the offices until 1990, when the building closed and was boarded up. 

In 2003, the West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust – a Building Preservation Trust operating throughout the region to save key heritage sites – started work to conserve this elegant vestige of Victorian industry, taking the time as well to share the history of firebricks and their importance for wider industrial history with local residents.

Since 2006, the Grade II-listed Harris & Pearson building has been back in use as an office building, including serving recently as offices for a local mineral engineering firm – a fitting link between 21st-century innovation and the region’s leading role in industrial history.