Brickworks in area from 1897 to Second World War. <1>

The West Mersea Brickworks were on east of Sea View, off sea View Road (now lower Kingsland Road).

Operators: Mersea Brick and Iron Co. Limited, 1907 to c1920.
Clifford Manning White, trading as Clifford White and Co., c1920 to Second
World War.

Products: Red bricks, tiles and agricultural drain pipes.

Use of products: Mersea Water Tower.

Brick marks: C.M.W. = Clifford Manning White.

Further Information:
There was a brickworks at West Mersea by 1897 but the name of the first operator is unknown. In 1907 the Mersea Brick and Iron Co. Limited was incorporated, with a capital of £2,000 in £1 shares, to acquire land on Mersea Island or elsewhere and to manufacture bricks, tiles, etc. The Company had an office at 2 High Street, Colchester and its registered office was at Sea View Road, West Mersea.
By the early 1920’s this brickworks was operated by Clifford Manning White trading as Clifford White and Co. He lived at The Croft, West Mersea and was already in business as a builders and timber merchant, land, house, estate and insurance agent, builder and contractor, sanitary engineer, decorator, plumber and yacht decorator. He was also a coal and coke merchant and agent for Thomas Moy Limited. He became proprietor of a steam joinery works and later had another brickworks at Weeley (see under Weeley page for further details). His office was at The Island Estate Office, west Mersea. The council houses in Barfield Road were built by Clifford White in 1922 and were demolished in 1974 to make way for the present houses and flats. The West Mersea Brickworks had one kiln holding 30,000 bricks.

Site Assesment:
The site is behind Underwoods Garage, Kingsland Road (near Co-op Corner). Largely developed with housing and archaeological remains expected to survive.

Refs: OS 25in. 2nd Edn. 1897 (sheet XLVII.9).
Essex Directories, 1908 and 1922 to 1937.
Directory of Quarries, Sand Pits and Brickworks, 1927.
Kelly’s Directory of the Building Trades, 1939.
The British Clayworker, August, 1907, p. 157.
‘Mersea Memories’, by Brian Jay, 1990 and ‘More Mersea Memories’ by Brian
Jay, 1991.