Randlay, Salop

A brick works that was started at Stirchley in 1838 by the Botfield family which became the Randlay Brickworks in 1856. In 1893 the works was leased to George Wilkinson. He went into partnership with Adam Boulton to form 'Randlay Brick & Tile Co', which later became Adam Boulton & Co. In 1898, the partners bought the works and surrounding land. It was estimated that in the 1960s the brickworks could produce over 300,000 fiery red bricks in a week; sufficient to build 43 semi-detached houses. The business survived into the 20th century but closed by the end of the 1960s with the loss of around 90 jobs.