Northcote Brickworks

The Northcote Patent Brick works was on Separation Street Northcote, where Northcote Plaza Square Shopping Centre is now located Commencing 1873 it was established in Separation St behind Carters Arms hotel by 1882 At its peak around 1.5 million bricks were produced every ten days from the huge pit located where the car park is now. It employed steam engines for mechanised dry press production,  copying the techniques introduced by the Hoffman Brickworks in Brunswick. Markings are regular with the word 'NORTHCOTE' in the frog twice. Reds are most common, but creams can also be found. Letter sizes change slightly. These two are from the same 1930s house in Brunswick. And a later brick with the N. B. C. version of the frog. Northcote Brickworks ceased operation in 1977 and in 1979 the chimneys and kilns were leveled and the Council took over the pit and filled it as a rubbish tip. Northcote Bricks occur occasionally in site in Auckland New Zealand, suggesting they may have been transported as ballast. Some interesting history from the postal perspective and Darebin Encyclopedia and the U3A