Armadale State Brickworks Dust Room & Machinery Shed (fmr)

Statement of Significance

the brick presses manufactured by Thos. C. Fawcett in the 1920s have historic significance as the only known extant examples of their type in Australia; the place clearly demonstrates the brickmaking process from the delivery of the primary material through the crushing process to the pressing and drying of the bricks; the place has very high social and historical significance as demonstrated by the work reunion held in 2002 attended by approximately 400 people, and by its identification by the Armadale & Districts Brickworks Preservation Group and the Institution of Engineers (WA Branch) as a site containing equipment worthy of preservation; the place was established as a result of building material shortages in the Post World War Two period and also employed a large number of European migrants subsequent to their arrival in Australia as part of the post war immigration program;2 Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr) the place has associations with the development of the brickmaking industry in the Armadale district dating from 1897 through to the present day; the place represents an example of an industry established as a result of the Scaddan Labour Government’s Government Trading Concerns Act of 1912; and, the place is a utilitarian example of a mid twentieth century factory designed around the brick making process and housing a significant and visually impressive collection of machines.

Physical Description

Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr) is a steel framed and clad building, which
incorporates a double volume space designated for the ‘dustroom’ (in which the primary material went through
the crushing process); and, the single-storey machinery shed (in which the brick kilns and presses operated).
Located within this structure are five pan mills, elevators and conveyors, spinners, and eight Thos. C. Fawcett
brickmaking and pressing machines.
(For a more detailed physical description, including the industrial process, refer to Bizzaca, K. & Rosario, R., ‘Armadale State Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr)’, assessment documentation, August 2004 with subsequent additions and amendments by HCWA staff & Register Committee.

History

Assessment 2008
Work began on the No. 2 State Brickworks at Armadale; of which Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr) formed part, in 1949/1950. Its establishment was due to two main factors: the first being a result of the Government Trading Concerns Act of 1912 implemented by John Scaddan’s Labour Government to supplement Western Australia’s relatively underdeveloped economy; and, the second as a means of dealing with the critical shortage of building materials that occurred subsequent to the massive building boom in housing and public works in the Post World War Two period. Construction of Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr) itself occurred in the early 1950s. The plans were drawn by the Public Works Department in association with equipment suppliers. The plant supplied by the Thos. C. Fawcett engineering company of Leeds included second-hand patented brickmaking and pressing machines dating from the 1920s (located in the machine shed). The pan mills dating from the 1920s/1930s (located in the dustroom) were produced by English engineering company Bradley & Craven Ltd, Wakefield. The State Building Supplies, formed by the amalgamation of the State Brickworks and State Saw Mills in 1957, was purchased by Hawker Siddeley Group Ltd of London in 1961 and the Armadale site continued to produce bricks. In 1972, the Monier company became the owners of the factory, followed by Bristile Ltd in 1983. Bristile was taken over by Austral Bricks in 2003. The kilns in the machinery shed were demolished in the mid 1980s. By the 1990s brickmaking ceased entirely at the former State Brickworks coinciding with the decision for the 1970s Monier-built factory to produce the bulk of the bricks. The former State Brickworks site, with the exception of Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr), was approved for demolition in November 2005. In 2008, Armadale Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr) is no longer in use. (For a more detail history refer to Bizzaca, K. & Rosario, R., ‘Armadale State Brickworks Dustroom & Machinery Shed (fmr)’, assessment documentation, August 2004 with subsequent additions and amendments by HCWA staff & Register Committee.)

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Historic Themes

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Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.