John Braisted Wilsmore was born on the 1st
of June 1831 at West Mersea in Essex and migrated to Victoria in 1858. He began working as a cartage contractor, a
business he continued until 1872. In
1872 he purchased about 30 acres of land in Albert Street west Brunswick, next
to Cornwell’s Pottery. He built a brick
works and employed six men who made around 25,000 bricks a week. The land was described as “A rectangular
piece of land, part of Crown portion 104 Parish of Jika Jika 86 feet to the north
side of Victoria Street, a road leading from the Sydney Road to Moonee Ponds by
150 feet and commencing 210 feet from a point 297 feet south from the
north-east corner of the said portion.”
He was later joined by younger brother Robert Henry Wilsmore. Robert had been a farmer at Tylden, but John
“accidentally” shot his brother in the leg in 1887.
When he sold the brick works to the Wilsmore
Brick Company in 1888, there were about thirty people working there, turning
out 100,000 bricks a week. The prospectus
for the company aimed to raise 150,000 and appointed John as the Manager of the
works for an initial period of six months so that “the Directors will therefore
have the benefit of his valuable advice and assistance in erecting the
necessary additional kilns and machinery”.
The actual works covered about 4 acres and had good rail access by way
of a siding. They made a variety of
products and sold a lot of their output to country Victoria.
“SERIOUS ACCIDENT. A painful accident happened
at the Wilsmore Brick Works early Friday morning to an engine-driver named
William Addis, who is a married man residing in Glenlyon-road. Addis was on the night shift, whilst engaged
in oiling the machinery, some of his clothes became entangled in the driving belt. With tremendous force he was carried up to
the shaft and hurled against the pulley.
He fortunately fell clear of the machinery, but when picked up and was
found to be suffering intensely. With
all promptitude Addis was conveyed to the surgery of Dr. Hamilton, who
discovered that the man was suffering from injuries to the spine, and had also
one of his wrists broken. The doctor
paid every attention to him, and the sufferer was then conveyed to his home.” Coburg Leader 28th January 1891.
Sadly, fhe Wilsmore Brick Company was another casualty of the crash in the 1890s. Orders dried up and creditors were
calling. The company was placed into
the hands of liquidators in 1893 and sold off.
John died in Prahran, Victoria in 1907 at the age of 76. At least, he appears to have made his money before the crash.
John Braisted Wilsmore was born on the 1st
of June 1831 at West Mersea in Essex and migrated to Victoria in 1858. He began working as a cartage contractor, a
business he continued until 1872. In
1872 he purchased about 30 acres of land in Albert Street west Brunswick, next
to Cornwell’s Pottery. He built a brick
works and employed six men who made around 25,000 bricks a week. The land was described as “A rectangular
piece of land, part of Crown portion 104 Parish of Jika Jika 86 feet to the north
side of Victoria Street, a road leading from the Sydney Road to Moonee Ponds by
150 feet and commencing 210 feet from a point 297 feet south from the
north-east corner of the said portion.”
He was later joined by younger brother Robert Henry Wilsmore. Robert had been a farmer at Tylden, but John
“accidentally” shot his brother in the leg in 1887.
When he sold the brick works to the Wilsmore
Brick Company in 1888, there were about thirty people working there, turning
out 100,000 bricks a week. The prospectus
for the company aimed to raise 150,000 and appointed John as the Manager of the
works for an initial period of six months so that “the Directors will therefore
have the benefit of his valuable advice and assistance in erecting the
necessary additional kilns and machinery”.
The actual works covered about 4 acres and had good rail access by way
of a siding. They made a variety of
products and sold a lot of their output to country Victoria.
“SERIOUS ACCIDENT. A painful accident happened
at the Wilsmore Brick Works early Friday morning to an engine-driver named
William Addis, who is a married man residing in Glenlyon-road. Addis was on the night shift, whilst engaged
in oiling the machinery, some of his clothes became entangled in the driving belt. With tremendous force he was carried up to
the shaft and hurled against the pulley.
He fortunately fell clear of the machinery, but when picked up and was
found to be suffering intensely. With
all promptitude Addis was conveyed to the surgery of Dr. Hamilton, who
discovered that the man was suffering from injuries to the spine, and had also
one of his wrists broken. The doctor
paid every attention to him, and the sufferer was then conveyed to his home.” Coburg Leader 28th January 1891.
Sadly, fhe Wilsmore Brick Company was another casualty of the crash in the 1890s. Orders dried up and creditors were
calling. The company was placed into
the hands of liquidators in 1893 and sold off.
John died in Prahran, Victoria in 1907 at the age of 76. At least, he appears to have made his money before the crash.
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