The Brick
Fletton bricks, of the type made at Stewartby, are the most widely available in the UK. Over the years the basic size and shape of the standard brick has varied very little. The current size is 225x100x70cm metric (9x4x2.75 inches imperial). The reason for this is probably to make the brick easy to lay. The size and weight of the brick in relation to the bricklayer's hand is an important consideration. Bricks that are too large or heavy only serve to make the art of bricklaying more difficult.

Fletton bricks are one of softer brick and porous to a certain extent. This means they are not frost resistant and cannot be used as a finishing brick. They can be easily cut with tools. A broken brick reveals the original grainy finish of the Lower Oxford clay.

To add character and variety to the bricks the surface is decorated in a variety of ways. This practice was first introduced by Forders in 1922 when the first facing brick, the Fletton Rustic, was introduced. These still have a distinctive wavy line pattern and reddish colour. The first 50 houses in what was then Wootton Pillinge were built from this type of brick in 1928. During the 1930's various other finishes were introduced at the Stewartby works to add variety to the bricks. The illustration around the page show some of the finishes available today.