Henry George Matthews

What Henry George Matthews does

H.G. Matthews is a family-run British brickmaker founded in 1923 and headquartered at the Bellingdon brickworks in Chesham, Buckinghamshire. The company operates as the last remaining brickworks in Buckinghamshire, producing handmade bricks (~1,000/day/handmaker), machine-made bricks on a 1920s Berry machine (up to 12,000/day), and woodfired bricks — a category in which it is the sole UK manufacturer. Its product set spans Light Multi, Chesham Multi, Dark Multi, Grey Brown, and bespoke blended ranges, plus STROCKS unfired earth building blocks for low-carbon construction. Customers are architects, specifiers, conservation specialists, and prestige builders across England, sourced through direct engagement, portfolio showcasing, trade association membership, and Environmental Product Declarations published on the 2050 Materials platform.

The underlying production technology blends heritage craft with selective modernisation. Bricks are made from Chiltern Hills clay and fired in traditional updraft Scotch kilns (handmade) or oil-fired kilns (machine-made) at temperatures up to ~1,200°C. Since 2009, ten biomass boilers have replaced fossil-fuel drying, and approximately one million litres of rainwater are harvested annually. The woodfiring technique, revived in 2012 through a Colonial Williamsburg knowledge transfer, produces natural glazes impossible to replicate with conventional fuels. In parallel, the company has launched STROCKS (clay-rich earth and chopped straw blocks) and a separate fireplaces consumer brand (hgmatthewsfireplaces.com).

H.G. Matthews generates revenue through direct hardware sales of bricks and earth blocks via phone, email, and on-site brickyard consultations under a bespoke quote-based pricing model with no public list. Distribution is domestic UK only, concentrated in the Chilterns and surrounding counties. The business is a privately held partnership with no disclosed external investors, subsidiaries, or M&A activity, and no public revenue figures are reported. Its competitive position rests on proprietary technique, unique clay, traditional craft skills, documented environmental credentials, and a 100+ year brand operating in a structurally consolidated UK brick market.

Name

Henry George Matthews

Legal name

H.G. Matthews

Website

https://hgmatthews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

H.G. Matthews is a family-run British brickmaker, founded 1923 and based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, producing handmade, machine-made, and woodfired bricks plus STROCKS earth blocks for heritage, prestige, and sustainable construction projects across England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Brick Manufacturing

NAICS

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (327)

SIC

Structural Clay Products (3250)

akta.pro primary industry

Clay Bricks (Facing & Common) (IMADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brick & Block Repair / Replacement (HSAGALAI)

Keywords

• Traditional brickmaking
• Handmade bricks
• Woodfired bricks
• Earth building blocks
• Heritage building materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Handmade Bricks: Sale of handmade bricks crafted using traditional techniques and fired in Scotch kilns. Available in various colour ranges (Light Multi, Chesham Multi, Dark Multi, Grey Brown) and sizes including Imperial and metric formats.
2. Machine Made Bricks: Sale of machine-made bricks produced on the 1920s Berry machine, offering smooth texture and rich Chilterns colours. Production capacity of up to 12,000 bricks per day.
3. Woodfired Bricks: Sale of handmade woodfired bricks, the only UK manufacturer producing this type. These bricks feature natural glazing from wood firing and are ideal for conservation and heritage restoration work.
4. STROCKS Earth Blocks: Sale of unfired earth building blocks (STROCKS and Strockettes) made from clay-rich earth and chopped straw. Used for sustainable, low-carbon construction including load-bearing walls up to three storeys.
5. Custom/Bespoke Blending: Bespoke brick colour matching and custom blends to match existing brickwork for conservation projects. Bricks are hand blended to specification after firing.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

H.G. Matthews is a traditional British brickmaker producing handmade bricks, machine-made bricks, woodfired bricks, and STROCKS unfired earth building blocks from Chiltern Hills clay at its brickworks in Chesham, Buckinghamshire. The company also offers bespoke brick colour matching and cutting/bonding services for heritage conservation and prestige construction projects across England.

Product overview

H.G. Matthews is a traditional British brickmaker offering three core product lines: Handmade Bricks crafted using traditional techniques and Scotch kilns with approximately 1,000 bricks per day per handmaker; Machine Made Bricks produced on a 1920s Berry machine capable of up to 12,000 bricks per day with hand demoulding for character; and Woodfired Bricks, making them the only UK manufacturer of woodfired bricks since reviving the technique in 2012. Additionally, they produce STROCKS™, unfired earth blocks made from clay-rich earth and chopped straw for sustainable construction. Their brick products are available in standard ranges (Light Multi, Chesham Multi, Dark Multi, Grey Brown) across handmade and machine made categories, with bespoke blends and handmade specials for heritage conservation and prestigious new builds. All products use clay from the Chiltern Hills and incorporate renewable energy practices including biomass drying.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Handmade Bricks

Quantifiable outcome

• Frost resistance rating F2 across all brick types
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Colonial WilliamsburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012H.G. Matthews collaborated with Colonial Williamsburg in the U.S.A. to learn the art of woodfiring bricks. Two brick experts from Colonial Williamsburg came over in 2012 to teach H.G. Matthews this lost art, which the company has since revived and now practices as the only woodfired brick manufacturer in the UK.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ibstock Brick: The UK's largest brick manufacturer with national distribution across volume, premium, and heritage ranges. Comparable at the industry level (clay brick manufacturing) but operates at much greater scale with broad product portfolio rather than the niche handmade/woodfired specialism of H.G. Matthews.
• Wienerberger UK: UK arm of European brick giant Wienerberger, producing clay bricks and pavers at industrial scale. Comparable as a clay brick manufacturer but with mass-market focus; Wienerberger's heritage/bespoke offerings compete with H.G. Matthews for premium specification work.
• Michelmersh Brick Holdings: UK-listed parent of several brick brands (Michelmersh, Blockleys, Carlton, Ibstock-annexe heritage brands) producing a broad range of clay bricks. Comparable as a UK clay brick manufacturer, but operates at far larger scale with mass-market products alongside premium lines.

Direct peers

• Northcot Brick: UK handmade brick manufacturer producing traditional and bespoke blends for heritage and prestige projects. Highly comparable in product type (handmade clay bricks), customer segment (architects, conservation specifiers), and bespoke colour-matching service.
• Coleford Brick & Tile: Gloucestershire brickworks producing handmade and machine-made clay bricks. Comparable in traditional clay brick manufacturing methods and heritage/restoration customer use cases, with similar regional scale.
• Ketley Brick: UK brickmaker producing handmade and machine-made clay bricks from West Midlands clay. Comparable to H.G. Matthews as a heritage-focused clay-brick specialist targeting conservation, premium residential, and architectural specification markets.
• Imperial Bricks: UK specialist in handmade and traditional reclaimed-look bricks serving heritage and premium residential new-build markets. Closely comparable to H.G. Matthews in product positioning (handmade aesthetics, heritage focus) and customer base (architects and self-builders), though Imperial's range is broader and more nationally distributed.
• Bulmer Brick & Tile: Essex-based traditional handmade brick and tile maker. Comparable to H.G. Matthews in small-scale handmade clay brick production for conservation and bespoke architectural projects, including heritage roofing and tile products.
• York Handmade Brick Company: Yorkshire-based handmade brick specialist serving heritage and premium new-build projects across the UK. Comparable in handmade production methods, bespoke blends, and architectural specification focus, though geographically more northern.

Others

• Brick Development Association: UK trade association for the clay brick industry, of which H.G. Matthews is a member. Relevant as an industry ecosystem participant rather than a competitor; it influences standards, advocacy, and specifier education that shape H.G. Matthews' addressable market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HGMbricks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Henry George Matthews