BRICK PRESSED COOMBE

Machine pressed brick made at the Armadale Brickworks by Thomas Coombe using locally quarried shale. The site produced shale bricks from 1901 to 1929 and was one of the earliest brickworks in Western Australia to use shale. Output at the brickworks was greater than from any other WA brickworks in the early 20th century - a substantial amount of houses that were built in the western and southern suburbs during this period were built using bricks from the Armadale Brickworks. Additionally, the Armadale obelisk honouring WWI soldiers was built using bricks from the brickworks.Over 50,000 bricks were produced per day, and modern methods were employed: rather than hand moulding and drying in the sun, keeping the bricks together with straw, high speed single and double presses were used, and drying and baking was done in a kiln. There were also special bricks (of a particular shape) that were made by one man only ('Squire' Taylor), and he produced on average 500 bricks per day.These bricks were produced in a separate wood-burning kiln. The brick-making process involved two brick-making dry press machines, grinding pans and elevators, with motive power being supplied by an engine and 100 horsepower boiler. Raw material was brought in from the quarry and ground. It was then taken to the upper level of the shed by elevators, then to the hopper and charger, where it later fell into moulds, and with 30 ton pressure, the brick was made.
The site shut down in the late 1920s due to a mixture of complains about noise, dust and ash from the growing number of homes near by and the economic impact of the Great Depression.