Tony Bulmer will talk about his specialist brick company, The Bulmer Brick and Tile Company near Sudbury.

As far back as the Middle 1600s roof tiles, floor tiles, and bricks were hand-made from a seam of Gault Clay which ran in a comparatively narrow line from Lincolnshire into Norfolk, through Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and onwards.

This Gault Clay carries little iron or organic material and building products made from this clay over hundreds of years, have fired to a characteristically light buff with pinkish tinges.  From the second quarter of the 18th Century, the tiles and bricks were acquired for their strength as well as their appearance.

It is now over a hundred years since this Gault Clay was hand-moulded into bricks and tiles which were so characteristic of the parts of England where this clay was dug. The current business was restarted 16 years ago to produce traditional Cambridge Gault tiles to restore the listed roofs of the Cambridge and Ely area. The business has since expanded into other handmade products, from copings to floor tiles and clay lump blocks.