Scottish Brick Collectors Seek Museum Home for 6,000-Piece Collection

Two Scottish individuals, Mark Cranston and Ian Suddaby, who are thought to possess the United Kingdom’s largest brick collection, are seeking a museum to accommodate their 6,000 items. For the past 15 years, Mr. Cranston and Mr. Suddaby have amassed thousands of bricks manufactured in Scotland, sourced globally. A portion of this collection resides in two sizable stables within Mr. Cranston’s garden in the Scottish Borders, while the remainder is piled outside Mr. Suddaby’s residence in East Lothian. The two collectors have an arrangement ensuring that should either of them be incapacitated, the other will safeguard their invaluable collection. Nevertheless, they have now concluded that a more secure and lasting location for the bricks is necessary. Mr. Suddaby, an archaeologist residing in New Winton, informed BBC Scotland News that these bricks constitute a significant record of Scotland’s industrial heritage. He stated, “Brick-making is a very important part of Scotland’s history because we do have some of the best quality fireclay in the world for making industrial bricks.” He further added, “And this ties in with the industrial revolution and I think it should be promoted to a wider audience and that should be in some sort of a museum.” Mr. Suddaby also noted, “My collection has completely outgrown my garden and the area around my house.” The 61-year-old began his brick collection after observing other archaeologists discard them at excavation sites. He commented, “Bricks are under appreciated by archaeologists.” He elaborated, “Bricks hold historical value. Mark and I both have lots of bricks that are the only known product of sometimes quite major brickworks that employed a lot of people over many years.” He also observed, “A lot of people regard bricks as thoroughly mundane and not very interesting and yet the people that start collecting them soon realise it’s an extremely interesting hobby.” Their collection includes a distinctive fire brick recovered from the SS Politician, which ran aground in the Outer Hebrides in 1941 with a cargo of 264,000 bottles of malt whisky, an event that inspired the novel and film *Whisky Galore!* Additionally, a brick retrieved from the execution block at Barlinnie prison in Glasgow before its demolition in the late 1990s is part of their holdings. The collectors also possess a Scottish-made brick found in an old gold mine in Washington state, USA. Their most ancient brick is a drainage tile dating back to 1833. The duo’s collection surpasses that of The Brickworks Museum in Swanwick, Hampshire, which is the UK’s sole brick museum and holds approximately 3,500 bricks. Mr. Cranston stated that he has catalogued every Scottish brick they have discovered or received. He asserted, “As far as Scottish industrial history goes this collection is unique.” He further explained, “We were at the forefront of the industrial revolution. It was all about industrial processes of heat and steam.” He added, “Wherever there was heat you had to protect whatever was being heated by the direct heat source so you would have fire bricks in between.” The retired police sergeant indicated that thousands more examples of Scottish bricks remain to be located. He remarked, “We are adding bricks every week that we haven’t recorded before.” The 62-year-old recounted that upon commencing his collection in 2010, he inquired with the National Museum of Scotland about the number of distinct stamped Scottish bricks, receiving a figure of 350. He commented, “Obviously we have now proven that’s way out.” He also expressed considerable pride in their collection. Mr. Cranston stated, “It’s a unique way of collecting industrial history, which interests both of us.” He continued, “I can’t even begin to think how many hours have gone into the website to record the bricks let alone searching for them and the travelling we’ve done.” He noted, “Ian is very lucky because he’s able to go on the archaeological sites so he’s able to save them.” He concluded, “They have a story to tell, they are worth delving into and researching,” and described their pursuit as, “It was a hobby and now it’s a passion addiction.” While he is reluctant to part with the bricks, he acknowledges the necessity and anticipates that the search for a suitable museum could be protracted. He affirmed, “We want to make sure they are saved for Scottish people and that the collection is there for all time.” He emphasized, “There was no point searching for them all for them to disappear when we’re gone.”