Stoke-on-Trent - photo of the week


contents: 2008 photos


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Minkstone Works, Normacot Road, Longton
 

the History of Cement, in natural grey pewter concrete,
a mural designed by David Thomas and made for the Cement Marketing Company -
now mounted on the gable end wall of the old Minkstone works in Longton.

 


 


 

The History of Cement

 

 


Minkstone - a company who operated at an old pottery works in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent produced what they described as "Scandinavian-style" high relief concrete cladding blocks which could be arranged in a wide assortment of patterns.

They also produced murals, designed by their panel of artists and designers, their publicity leaflet outlining the range of different finishes - including glass and metallic - colours and styles available.

 

Minkstone tiles

"Linkmaster 200, a new addition to the Minkstone range of cladding systems, consists of seven patterned profile tiles made in lightweight concrete to a 200mm (8in) square module, each of which can be used separately or in combination with any other of the tiles, or with a number of other tiles made by Minkstone The patterned profiles include chevrons, rectangles, diamonds, circles, waves and bars, used either horizontally or vertically. The diamonds and rectangles in the range can also be varied in size to break the module.

All the designs were first moulded in high density polyurethane to give crisp, clean outlines to the profiles, and all internal angles have been radiused to prevent surface crazing. Plaster cast master moulds were then taken from the polyurethane moulds by the vacuum-latex process, and flexible moulds are made from the master moulds and are replaced as soon as shrinkage or any other distortion in the shape occurs.

The tiles are made in ivory white, pewter black, pink, Westmorland green and parchment, and have a surface that can be sponged clean or waxed. Alternatively, they can be glazed in other colours or sprayed with metallic colours like gold, silver, bronze and copper, and flock spraying avoids blurring the basic pattern by the addition of another texture. Different patterns can be isolated by using plain high or low relief tiles"

from a 1971 design journal

 

The bottle oven on corner of Warren Street and Normacot Road