York Handmade Brick welcomes Worshipful Company of Tylers

A LOCAL manufacturer has a visit from an historic London society.

York Handmade Brick Company, which is one of the leading independent brickmakers in the country, welcomed the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers, whose origins date back to the fifteenth century, on special visit to their facilities.

The City of London-based livery company brought 27 members and their partners to York Handmade’s factory in Forest Lane, Alne, near Easingwold.

Chris Causer, the company’s Master, said: “We have visited before, but more than ten years ago. So, this year I decided that our annual Master’s visit should be to York, with our trip to York Handmade as the centrepiece of day.

“We were very impressed. I knew York Handmade to be a leading company in its field, a specialist brick manufacturer as opposed to huge volume producer, and I had seen buildings they provided bricks for.  The workforce was well-motivated and cheerful and it is clearly a well-run outfit.

“I think the UK brickmakers some time ago opted for a Tesco-type high-volume/low-cost approach, in contrast to York Handmade, which is a leading specialist in the bespoke brick manufacturing sector.”

Guy Armitage, managing director of York Handmade Brick, addressing the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers (Image: Supplied)

York Handmade’s founder and chairman David Armitage is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers and a former Court Assistant. 

He said: “It was an absolute privilege to welcome Chris Causer and the livery company to York Handmade. We were very proud to show members around our factory and to demonstrate our new brand-new machinery, which has transformed how we manufacture our bricks, speeded up production, increased efficiency and opened a new chapter in our history.

“But it was also important to emphasise to this historic livery company the role that the craftsmen who work in our factory play in everything we do.  Without their unstinting efforts, we would not be able to make the progress that we have made in recent years. We believe this combination of the old and the new is one of the key secrets of our success.

“This visit was a tremendous success and it was a pleasure to talk to the livery company members about all the work we have been doing in London recently. As the company is based in the City of London, we hope its members will be able to see our brickwork at the Shard, by the Embankment, in Mayfair, Baker Street, King’s Cross, Marylebone, Highgate and Kensington at first hand.”

Guy Armitage at the factory (Image: Supplied)

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London. It has an active charitable, educational and social programme and maintains a close involvement with the tiling and bricklaying industries.

The Company received its first Royal Charter from Elizabeth I in 1568, although its roots go back to the fifteenth century. It is 37th in precedence among the City Livery Companies and its Livery currently stands at approximately one hundred and fifty.