York Handmade Brick, Easingwold, Chester housing contract

The Easingwold-based York Handmade Brick Company, one of the leading independent brick-makers in the country, has supplied specially manufactured bricks for the Knoll, a new-build house in Mouldsworth, eight miles north of Chester.

Altogether York Handmade provided 15,000 bricks, in a contract worth £22,500, for the development of the Knoll.

Mark Laksevics of York Handmade said: “This was a very exciting commission for us and we are absolutely delighted with the result. Although we are based in Yorkshire, we have a strong track record in the North West and the Knoll is an important addition to our work in the region, which includes all the bricks for Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and Renshaw Hall, a superb new student accommodation building in Liverpool.

“The key was to create bricks which complemented the Cheshire red brickwork on the houses of the Knoll’s neighbours. We are proud that our long, thin Hambleton Maxima bricks have matched the architectural environment of rural north Cheshire perfectly.”

Mark Laksevics (Image: York Handmade)

The result is that the Knoll has been entered for the prestigious Brick Awards, the Oscars of the brick industry, which take place in the West End of London this autumn.

Michael Young, of Liverpool-based architects Smith Young who designed the Knoll, explained that this was the second time Smith Young had used York Handmade’s bricks.

“The superior quality and the variety of York Handmade’s bricks are unrivalled in our opinion. Combined with the fact they are a UK manufacturing and sustainable company makes them the clear choice for us.

“York Handmade were extremely accommodating and easy to work with throughout the project. They allowed ourselves and the client to visit their factory near Easingwold and see first-hand the production method. They also provided the client with a detailed understanding of the process and the quality that comes with a premium manufacture.

“We are exceptionally pleased with the result. The bricks for this project are the show piece of the architecture. Using a lower quality brick wasn’t an option for us or the client and the choice of format type and surface finish subtly elevates the development beyond the everyday brick housing.

“We would have no hesitation recommending York Handmade to colleagues in the industry”.

The building contractor for the Knoll was Caldway Homes of Allerton, Liverpool.