Forterra, the makers of the world famous ‘Nori’ brick, stepped in to save the day when Blackburn based restoration business Darwen Terracotta and Faience found themselves in urgent need of some unfired bricks to test fire their new kiln. This ensured it was in full working order ready to fulfil the needs of high profile restoration projects.
Darwen Terracotta director Jon Wilson explained, “We are incredibly grateful to Forterra for their help and generosity with supplying the bricks. It allowed us to test fire the kiln to ensure it was correctly calibrated so that we can go on to fulfil several large orders. The business has grown so rapidly over the past six months that we are already planning to invest in another kiln to meet demand.”
Kiln firing is an important stage of the terracotta and faience manufacturing process. Once the clay has been modelled and allowed to dry for three weeks it is placed in the kiln to harden, reaching temperatures of around 1180 degrees Celsius. Due to the extreme kiln temperature a durable brick is required to withstand such heat. The famous ‘Nori’ brick is renowned for its strength and durability making them the perfect brick for kiln set-up and testing.
Since it was founded in November 2015, Darwen Terracotta has quickly grown, employing around 25 local skilled and experienced craftspeople. The company works mainly within the restoration market providing special ceramics to restore heritage buildings around the world. Significantly, their specialist skills in design, modelling and bespoke creative glazed ceramics has also attracted the attention of architects and interior designers for new build projects.
The specialist team at Darwen Terracotta and Faience have worked on many high profile projects during their careers including the Grayson Perry’s creation, A House for Essex, the Holborn Museum for Eric Parry, Eagle Place and New Bond Street with Quadrant 3 for the Crown Estate and Dixon Jones Architects, the latter being the largest UK project for hand-made faience for many years.
More Information
Jon Wilson, Director Tel. +44 (0)1254 460 500
E-mail: jonwilson@darwenterracotta.com Web: www.darwenterracotta.com
Darwen Terracotta Ltd, Building O, Ribble House, Ribble Business Park, Challenge Way, Blackburn, Lancashire. BB1 5RB, UK
Press release issued: May 23, 2016
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