Telford company wins huge deal to provide bricks for Battersea Power Station renovation
One of Britain's best-known buildings is to be renovated using bricks made in Shropshire after a huge contract was won by a county company.
Telford brick works Blockleys is to produce 440,000 wire-cut bricks for the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London.
It comes after parent company Michelmersh Brick Holdings won a contract alongside its distribution partner EHSmith to supply the products from its Telford site at Trench Lock.
The value of the contract has not been revealed, but it is understood to be "significant". It has also seen Michelmersh invest in new equipment at the Telford site.
The Telford-made bricks will be used in the restoration of the power station itself, and comes as part of a major project which will also see the creation of a new park and high street nearby.
"It's a very specialist part of the development which requires matching some of the old brickwork with the new facade," said Michelmersh's joint chief executive Frank Hanna.
"It's fantastic for the workforce in Telford and showcases what they are capable of at that plant.
"There are very few people in the UK that would have been able to take a project of this type, matching colours and sizes so accurately. The Telford plant gives us the ability to do that."
The bricks have been designed to match the existing appearance of the historic building, a decommissioned coal power station which is being converted into homes and offices by Malaysian investors.
Mr Hanna added: "The elevations are going to look stunning, and it's going to be a tremendous showcase for out capabilities and products."
The deal will not create any additional jobs at Blockleys, and will instead by delivered by the current 60-strong Telford workforce. It has been led by plant manager Lee Taylor and sales director Martin Jump.
It is not the first significant contract to have been won by the Telford brick works in recent times, as the plant begins to forge a new reputation for high-end projects.
It also won a deal to provide bricks for ITV's new studios as part of Media City in Manchester, and Network Rail’s £22m Rugby Rail Operating Centre.
Michelmersh Brick Holdings has a group of six brands of bricks: Blockleys, Carlton, Charnwood, Freshfield Lane, Michelmersh and Hathern Terra Cotta.
The company's sales passed the £30 million mark last year, with pre-tax profits stable at £4.5 million.
