In the early 1920s a Derbyshire bricklayer, Joseph Sharp, came to work on the Joseph Rowntree Estate in New Earswick. He eventually established his own business and moved to Haxby, where he became a very influential figure and earned a reputation for building first class houses; his own amongst them.
Ken Johnson worked for Joe Sharp and gave us the following information:
Ken started as an apprentice labourer in late 1931. The apprenticeship in those days was 7 years. Les and Peter Bell were also apprentices at that time. They were taught their trade by Freddy Blows. To start with they were paid 10/- (50p) a week. Ken then
went to work for Sorrell's and was then in the Army for 3 or 4 years but he returned to Joe Sharp's after the war.
Bill Shaw and Ted Stones were new apprentices then. Other men who worked there were Ken Tutill, Jack Wrigglesworth, Herbert Freer, Harold Holmes, Harry Turner and Jack Winterburn.
Ken Johnson's first job was on a house for Alf Bellerby on York Road. Later the house named 'Tolgarth' (now on the corner of Holly Tree Lane and York Road), was built for the Whittaker family; a well known bakers in York.
Later Kenneth Ward, the owner of Haxby Hall, moved there and he had an extension built to house the maids from the hall.
In the 1930s, Joe Sharp built several large detached and semi-detached houses on York Road between what is now Holly Tree Lane
and Eastfield Avenue.
During the war Joe Sharp made gas decontamination buildings for the ARP. The ARP siren was situated in a building they built down
a lane off York Road. This lane is now Farmstead Rise and the building is now a bungalow. Before the war Mrs Hughes had a house built with 'rustic' bricks. Jim Suttill's house was already built. The 10 Crompton Terrace houses and the Kilvington family bungalow were also built. 'Plowman Brothers' delivered the bricks from Green's brickworks by the railway in Strensall.
Ken Johnson worked for Joe Sharp and gave us the following information:
Ken started as an apprentice labourer in late 1931. The apprenticeship in those days was 7 years. Les and Peter Bell were also apprentices at that time. They were taught their trade by Freddy Blows. To start with they were paid 10/- (50p) a week. Ken then
went to work for Sorrell's and was then in the Army for 3 or 4 years but he returned to Joe Sharp's after the war.
Bill Shaw and Ted Stones were new apprentices then. Other men who worked there were Ken Tutill, Jack Wrigglesworth, Herbert Freer, Harold Holmes, Harry Turner and Jack Winterburn.
Ken Johnson's first job was on a house for Alf Bellerby on York Road. Later the house named 'Tolgarth' (now on the corner of Holly Tree Lane and York Road), was built for the Whittaker family; a well known bakers in York.
Later Kenneth Ward, the owner of Haxby Hall, moved there and he had an extension built to house the maids from the hall.
In the 1930s, Joe Sharp built several large detached and semi-detached houses on York Road between what is now Holly Tree Lane
and Eastfield Avenue.
During the war Joe Sharp made gas decontamination buildings for the ARP. The ARP siren was situated in a building they built down
a lane off York Road. This lane is now Farmstead Rise and the building is now a bungalow. Before the war Mrs Hughes had a house built with 'rustic' bricks. Jim Suttill's house was already built. The 10 Crompton Terrace houses and the Kilvington family bungalow were also built. 'Plowman Brothers' delivered the bricks from Green's brickworks by the railway in Strensall.
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The bungalows in the images above were built by Joe Sharp. Sorrell's built several of the Council bungalows on Calf Close but those at the corner of York Road were built by Joe Sharp. They are distinctive in having darker diamond patterns in the brickwork at the front. Several of the semi-detached houses on York Road also have these distinctive patterns. These particular houses were built with a new brick for that time from the Askern Brick Company. The houses in the pictures below were built by Joe Sharp in the 1930s using Askern Brick.
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More houses built by Joe Sharp are in Eastfield Avenue and Hilbra Avenue. Joe Sharp died in 1969 aged 81. The firm was then taken
over by his relatives and the same firm built three bungalows on The Village. Another well known builder starting work here in the
1930s was Gordon Sanderson. He built houses in Hilbra Avenue and Eastfield Avenue from 1934 onwards. The houses in Hilbra
Avenue were built in 1935. Each semi-detached house cost £450 and a detached one cost £600.
Tom Pulleyn built all the houses on the left side of Usher Lane from beyond the shops to Oaken Grove. This row of houses was
formerly called 'Wold View'.
Mr Meek was a builder here in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He built a large bungalow on the corner of York Road and Eastfield
Avenue and other houses further down Eastfield Avenue.
The very large housing estates that surround Haxby today began being built in the 1960s. They were built by large firms with, as
far as we know, no local connections. At first building took place to the south of The Village and then by the 1970s, 80s and early 90s the houses to the north were built.
In spite of the tremendous leap in population and Haxby now being a town it is gratifying that the centre of Haxby still retains its village appearance. There are sufficient older properties in the Conservation area along The Village and around the green to still
give a feeling of a rural community. The brick makers of long ago would be interested to see the cottages built with local bricks still
standing in pride of place in the centre of our attractive town.
We still have more to learn about the brick making industry that was on our doorstep. Haxby & Wigginton Local History Group would
welcome any further formation :
i. Were there any more brick fields close by?
ii. Was there a brickworks on Towthorpe Road?
iii. Where did the yellow marl used to face some buildings Haxby originate?
iv. Has anyone any photographs of the local brickworks?
vi. Is there anyone living here now who has memories the local brickworks?
Local History research is never at an end. If you know more than we do about the bricks and brick making in Haxby please tell us about it.
over by his relatives and the same firm built three bungalows on The Village. Another well known builder starting work here in the
1930s was Gordon Sanderson. He built houses in Hilbra Avenue and Eastfield Avenue from 1934 onwards. The houses in Hilbra
Avenue were built in 1935. Each semi-detached house cost £450 and a detached one cost £600.
Tom Pulleyn built all the houses on the left side of Usher Lane from beyond the shops to Oaken Grove. This row of houses was
formerly called 'Wold View'.
Mr Meek was a builder here in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He built a large bungalow on the corner of York Road and Eastfield
Avenue and other houses further down Eastfield Avenue.
The very large housing estates that surround Haxby today began being built in the 1960s. They were built by large firms with, as
far as we know, no local connections. At first building took place to the south of The Village and then by the 1970s, 80s and early 90s the houses to the north were built.
In spite of the tremendous leap in population and Haxby now being a town it is gratifying that the centre of Haxby still retains its village appearance. There are sufficient older properties in the Conservation area along The Village and around the green to still
give a feeling of a rural community. The brick makers of long ago would be interested to see the cottages built with local bricks still
standing in pride of place in the centre of our attractive town.
We still have more to learn about the brick making industry that was on our doorstep. Haxby & Wigginton Local History Group would
welcome any further formation :
i. Were there any more brick fields close by?
ii. Was there a brickworks on Towthorpe Road?
iii. Where did the yellow marl used to face some buildings Haxby originate?
iv. Has anyone any photographs of the local brickworks?
vi. Is there anyone living here now who has memories the local brickworks?
Local History research is never at an end. If you know more than we do about the bricks and brick making in Haxby please tell us about it.
