THE £440 million refurbishment of an Oxford shopping centre is being completed with more than 100,000 bricks from North Yorkshire.

The York Handmade Brick Company, based at Alne, near Easingwold, won the £150,000 contract to supply 115,000 bricks for the exterior of the flagship John Lewis store, one of the anchor tenants of the new-look Westgate Centre.

David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade, said: “It was a tremendous honour to be asked to provide so many bricks for such a prestigious project.

“The redevelopment of the Westgate Centre highlights the new fashion for replacing concrete with brick, which creates a softer appearance.

“In a historic city like Oxford, this is much more appropriate. In this way, the new Westgate Centre is a bold statement of intent, with our bricks playing an integral part.

“It is a privilege to work on such a crucial development in such an historic city.”