Dyke and Ridgeways Brick and Tile Manufacturers, Coolgardie

Later the “Coolgardie Pressed Brick Company” and later

The “Goldfields Brick and Tile Company.”

Dyke was Robert Dyke and Ridgeway was Thomas T Ridgeway.  They first appear in the Commercial Directory in 1898 and are yet another almost forgotten brick works yet they were responsible for almost all the bricks used to build both Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in the early days of the gold rush.  Originally, it appears that most of their early output was hand-made, given the number of hand-made bricks in some of the older buildings in the area.  Later they produced pressed bricks.  In the early days, at their peak, they were turning out 350,000 bricks per month and employed around 30 men using the traditional “Scotch Kilns.”  Their works were located south of the Battery in Coolgardie.  Nothing now remains, unlike many of the gold workings, their pit has been filled in. 

In 1900, they planned to double capacity by duplicating their works at Coolgardie, or more precisely East Montana, and they planned to turn out 250,000 pressed bricks a week.  Large drying sheds were built, although to call them shed is to do them a disservice.  They were double storey brick buildings with three pitched rooves.  It appears that they still used scotch kilns to fire the bricks.

 

From the First-World-War onwards, Coolgardie began a gradual and consistent decline.  To help the war effort, iron from many buildings was collected for war needs.  Many of the older brick buildings in Coolgardie were demolished and the bricks said to have been crushed to get the last scraps of gold from the material used to make them.  It was found that this material assayed at 15 gm’s per ton.  Demolishing old, empty buildings was easier than digging.  One of the pits for the brickworks was within the line of gold-bearing material on the goldfields, so off to the crusher went the bricks.

The Coolgardie School of Mines, 

(Just one of the many buildings consigned to the crusher.
The site is still a vacant block)

In 1948, the Goldfields Brick and Tile Co Ltd” whose output was said to have been controlled by the State Housing Commission, (although this was denied) upgraded the works.  Their old steam engine was replaced by a diesel engine.  Contracted were let and completed for new foundations for the engine, grinding pan and brick press.  The brick press was purchased from the Metroplolitan Brick Company in Perth.  Contracts were let and completed for the building of a clay loft and bins.  Concrete work on the elevator and conveyor pit as well as tank stands was completed.

A conveyor and belting was purchased from South Kalgurli Limited.  Repairs and renovations on the grinding pan were completed.  It appears that there were two kilns operating.  At this stage, they were likely to have been Hoffman kilns, given their output of up to a million bricks per week.  

Site of Brickworks and Battery, Coolgardie. note the pits now filled and topped with water.