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01993 608 824 - Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm
Free Delivery Available WhatsApp Paving Direct Save up to 50% - clearance stock 01993 608 824 - Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm
Paving bricks offer timeless charm and versatility in garden landscaping. Rooted in tradition, clay bricks evoke refined elegance, lending a classic touch to any outdoor space. From traditional early clay brick pavers of the Tudor era through to more commonly seen orange and red brick pavers of the Georgian, Regency and Victorian periods, with the addition of European and Dutch-style pavers, we offer a range of garden paving bricks to help your landscaping projects.
These paving bricks are not just for pathways; they excel as garden edging, defining borders with clean lines and durability. Whether used to create winding paths that invite exploration or to delineate flower beds and borders, paving bricks add structure and visual interest to landscapes. Their versatility extends to patios, courtyards, and outdoor living areas, where they offer a durable surface for entertaining and relaxation. With paving bricks, garden landscaping becomes a canvas for creativity, blending tradition and innovation seamlessly.
Fired bricks have existed for approximately 6,500 years, with the earliest examples being from northern Mesopotamia (Iraq/Syria) and Chengtoushan (China) both originating from approximately 4,500 BCE. So, humans have been constructing and landscaping with bricks since the dawn of history, and the design of those bricks has not altered much over that period! Looking through the lens of the Lindy Effect, we can see that fired bricks have endured millennia because they possess some inherent qualities that have not changed:
All of these qualities make them excellent pavers and ideal for a range of landscaping projects from edging, to retaining walls, wells, plinths and pillars etc.
During the late Medieval and Renaissance periods, Romanesque and Brick Gothic architecture became commonplace and consequently brick making and building flourished across Europe. In Tudor England, this period saw the adoption of clay pavers for the properties of the upper echelons of society (the nobility and Church). That trend mirrored the prevalence of the use of brick in large constructions projects, where the use of brick signified prestige and wealth. Although initially an exotic and expensive material, as time went on, clay bricks became more commonplace, with even modest paving and building projects adopting them. By the late 17th century, fired brick clay pavers were an establish construction and landscaping material (although still produced very much an artisanal manufacturing process, often drawing in itinerate workers for larger projects), and were used for a range of landscaping functions (pathways, patios, edging, steps, retaining walls and coping).
Therefore, we have selected a number of traditionally made Tudor style clay pavers as part of our brick paver offering. We hope you enjoy and like the colour variations and styles available that are appropriate for a range of traditional properties (especially for the Tudor, Jacobean, Caroline, Interregnum and Restoration period homes).
The during the early (First) Industrial Revolution there was an explosion in demand for fired bricks to build canals, bridges, textile mills, factories, ironworks, urban and rural workers' housing, and innumerable other structures and engineering projects. These bricks were hand moulded (hand-thrown) using local clays, sands and minerals. Depending on their firing temperature, clay and material composition, different colours and tones of bricks were produced. This resulting in specific regional styles developing, especially in urban areas where mass production was the norm, but less so with rural settings. In the "Shires" the landed gentry, upper classes and wealthy farmers would have bricks imported from further afield and brought to site for building construction (local smaller market towns, villages and hamlets having few, if any brickworks, from which to source bricks). Consequently, one tends to see less distinction and regional variation in rural Georgian and Regency brickwork and more uniform colouring across the English "Shires" with classic Georgian and Regency orange and red bricks being ubiquitous. This is because they were widely distributed via the new canal networks across the country from regional manufacturing hubs (especially from Birmingham and the Midlands), which accounts for the conformity.
We offer a range of handmade bricks, manufactured using traditional hand-moulding techniques that possess the look and feel of period Georgian and Regency orange and red bricks, with creases (aka smiles), soot marks & coal spotting, and sand-struck residue one would expect to see. These bricks are available in metric and imperial sizes and offer a cost-efficient alternative to reclamation bricks, but with compromising on aesthetics and an authentic look and feel.
We have a range of 4:1 ratio pavers (Slimsett Block Paving) that are designed to emulate Dutch Clay Pavers, without breaking the bank. They are a concrete reproduction with ColourFast technology to ensure they do not fade (one of the primary benefits one associates with the inherent properties of clay pavers).
