Brick company takes the reins on racecourse revamp
A brick company based in Alne near Easingwold has played a major role in the transformation of the southern end of York racecourse.
York Handmade Brick supplied 70,000 bricks to the racecourse from its Ebor Range in a contract worth £80,000.
The racecourse’s chief executive William Derby praised York Handmade for the company’s contribution to the multimillion-pound project, which saw upgrades to the 1913 Bustardthorpe Stand and the brand-new Roberto Pavilion.
Derby said: “York Handmade Brick is our brick supplier of choice and has been for some time. The previous development of the Northern End of the racecourse and transformation of the parade ring, weighing room and saddling boxes also used York Handmade and resulted in award-winning, world-class facilities for horses, jockeys and racegoers in 2015/16.
“We wanted the Southern End development of our buildings at York to complement the quality and heritage of this development as part of our twenty year masterplan to transform the facility at York Racecourse as one of the best racecourses in the world. The transformation of the Southern End of the racecourse has now been completed and will be officially opened at the flagship Sky Bet Ebor Festival next month (21-24 August). We are thrilled with the finish, quality and architectural these high-quality bricks give to the area which will improve the facilities and race day experience for our racegoers.
“We are proud to have worked in partnership with York Handmade Brick to deliver this scheme. Their contribution has been magnificent and strengthens what is already a brilliant relationship between us. It is wonderful to have such an accomplished quality brick-manufacturing company on our doorstep.”
Guy Armitage, managing director of York Handmade, said: “This was a very significant project for us. Apart from enhancing our special relationship with York Racecourse and helping to create even more superb facilities at one of the greatest racecourses in the world, it is a showcase for our brand-new Ebor Range of bricks.
“This brick has a smoother finish than our standard texture bricks and is perfect for matching the style of the bricks on the historic outer wall of the racecourse designed by Walter Brierley, the Yorkshire Lutyens. The blend of colour is based on the Knavesmire Blend supplied for the earlier Northern End development in 2015-16.
“This project was also a massive endorsement of our recent £1.5m investment in brand-new machinery which has transformed how we make our bricks. Over the years, we have undertaken significant technological improvements, culminating in this overhaul and renewal of our manufacturing process, which has speeded up production, facilitated two brand-new products and increased efficiency.
“This has played a major part in the success of this contract with York Racecourse, a stunning example of what we are able to manufacture with our brand-new plant.”
