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The Foxton and Making your mark!
Whether you are an architect, developer or undertaking a self-build, finding the right aesthetics to fit your project can be integral. At Brick and Stone, we aim to help you find the product you are looking for; However, in order to do this, sometimes we need to think outside the box.
This is the story of a visionary developer Glenoak Ltd, and its two co-directors, David Stewart and Allen Robinson, and their search for an aesthetic that would become synonymous with them and them only. Their vision was to find a brick unique to them that would work across multiple sites with the versatility to complement a range of developments, from starter homes to holiday homes and high-end housing.
To create this unique identity was quite the journey and required a significant amount of effort and thought from ourselves and, indeed, our long-term partner, Brick and Stone. We were keen to find a brick or brick blend akin to that of the burnt red Belfast brick and rich clay, for which the Belfast market enjoys high demand. It's part of the construction culture in Northern Ireland, but we wanted to tweak that aesthetic and create something that was our own.
Allen Robinson, Glenoak Ltd.
After many months of sampling a vast array of products from across Europe, they couldn't find what they were looking for. Then they discovered the key, a hidden gem, which was a small row of terraced houses in Belfast using an old Belfast reclaimed brick, and the lock was opened. Brick and Stone surveyed the site and made sense of the look and identity they wanted to create.
We began working alongside Dale Moss of Northcot Brick to bring together a blend bespoke to Glenoak Ltd that celebrated the existing Belfast brick culture. The process of fine-tuning the blend was exhaustive, but eventually, the aesthetic that matched the Glenoak vision was realised.
The base colour of orange-red with intermittent black and white dusting provided a unique look representing inner-city Belfast of the early 1900s. We knew we had our brick!
Next up was the name. A little help came in the form of an unlikely friend;
"Given the presence of a fox on the land we intended to develop, the rest is history. Indeed an incredible story of commitment from dedicated individuals within the brick industry to find the unique aesthetic we desired." Allen Robinson, Glenoak Ltd.
The Foxton is a timeless blend that has become synonymous with Glenoak Ltd and has been used on multiple sites, in multiple disciplines across Northern Ireland.
To find out more or speak to a member of our specialist sales team, email us at contact@brickandstone.eu or call us at 028 9083 0038.
