facebook   twitter   mail  

The Nelson Photo News

 

32

Flower pots by the thousand

One of Nelson's oldest Industries is the Nelson Brick and Tile Company in Toi Toi Street. It is believed the business was first established about 100 years ago but we have been unable to verify this. Today, work is carried on very much the same as it was many years ago. Machinery has been added, but the principle of brick and tile-making remains the same. Probably the firm's biggest trade is derived from its, sale of pipes, but the manufacture of flower pots is by no means a secondary one. From this plant, the pots are sent to all parts of New Zealand.

×

The Toi Toi Street plant.

×

The staff: Paddy McHugh, Tony Clayton, Les Hutson, Charlie Stretch, manager Stan Hawthorn, Tony Greening.

×

Racks of pots drying in the shed before going to the kilns.

×

From this huge lump of raw clay the process begins.

33

×

The fine clay (a mixture of two types) after being crushed.

×

The huge, old crusher grinds the raw clay to powder consistency

×

Mixed with water the clay emerges from this machine ready for cutting into bricks.

×

Flower pots start as raw clay on this machine

×

Pushed into the mold they emerge as pliable pots.

×

Bricks are made by pushing the raw clay through a series of wires

×

A selection of pots