building products & services 27
Bradstone celebrates 60 years of building success
A
s Bradstone celebrates its 60th anniversary, Jeremy Lee, sales director for Aggregate Industries’ Building
Products division, takes a walk down memory lane to look at how the brand, established by a regional, family-run business, became the global success it is today.
Building on a name
Edwin H. Bradley set up as a builder in 1902. His company – Bradleys – built over 250 houses between 1902 and 1914, which sold anywhere between £140 and £267 each. In 1905, the business moved into quarrying before setting up as a builders’ merchant in 1918, selling aggregates, stone and lime to local builders. By 1939, the business was rapidly expanding
and to support its growth, Edwin H. Bradley set up a factory in South Cerney in the Cotswolds to produce rock faced concrete blocks – the fore runner of modern day Bradstone. Despite the country being at war, the business developed, supplying the war effort with sand, gravel and barrack blocks, and building gun placements. By the time the 1950s arrived, the post-war
business was rapidly becoming a major regional building materials supplier. Demand was increasing for man-made stone to meet planning regulations and volume house building as quarrying of natural stone and labour costs were becoming too expensive. Following research into the walling market,
Bradleys realised they could improve upon local building product, Cotswold Dale, by replicating its natural stone credentials using reconstituted stone. The new product was created in 1956, using gang moulds, and the face structure was added manually, to create a tooled finish.
The birth of Bradstone
Reconstructed facing blocks for external walls, as a viable alternative to Cotswold Dale, went into production and the Bradstone brand was born. Marketing swiftly followed and the first Bradstone brochure was developed in 1958. The business went into a period of major
expansion, introducing Rough Hewn in 1960. This increased the company’s potential for regional use. The sales force increased rapidly in numbers
during the 1960s to meet increasing national demand. Soon the product range increased to widen the Bradstone package. Cast stone was introduced in the early 1960s to include cills, lintels, window and door surrounds, and copings. Bradstone roofing slate followed in 1968.
Going national
With the introduction of Bradstone into new areas, the range of stone walling products developed rapidly to meet the local stone modules, face textures and shades. By the end of the 1960s, Bradstone had become a
national product. With the company becoming a national player
at the beginning of the 1970s, greater emphasis was placed on development. Although during the 1960s Bradstone had become extremely success- ful, the range was still based on coursed work with the introduction of larger ‘jumpers’ to give the appearance of a random wall.
Breaking new ground
Following extensive internal development work, the masonry T-block was introduced in 1972. This quickly became the premier stone block on the market – and still holds its position today. This opened the door for Bradstone masonry blocks to be approved by planning for use in sensitive conservation areas, where other blocks would not have been allowed.
The jewel in the crown
By 1984, the family business had grown from a turnover of £2,000 in 1905 to £60m. And despite its many corporate changes over the years, including being bought by Aggregate Industries in 1997, Bradstone has remained the ‘jewel in the crown’ – and a brand that is known and loved worldwide.
01285 646900
www.aggregate.com
Enq. 117 respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
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