Crafts / Heritage Brickwork

Heritage Brickwork

Brick has shaped the face of Britain for over six centuries - from Tudor chimneys to Georgian terraces to Victorian industrial warehouses.

About Heritage Brickwork

Brick has shaped the face of Britain for over six centuries - from Tudor chimneys to Georgian terraces to Victorian industrial warehouses. Heritage brickwork is a world apart from modern bricklaying: conservation work demands lime mortars, carefully matched handmade or reclaimed bricks, and an intimate understanding of how historic structures breathe and move. Gauged brickwork - cutting and rubbing individual bricks to create decorative arches, cornices and ornamental features - is classified as endangered, with only 21 to 50 full-time professionals working at a sufficiently advanced level.

Typical earnings

Entry level: £22,000–£28,000 | NVQ L3 Heritage Skills: £32,000–£45,000 | Gauged brickwork specialists: among the most sought-after and well-paid in the heritage sector

Practitioners in this craft

Practitioner interviews are in production. At least one practitioner featured in each craft will be a woman working in that trade. If you know someone still practising this craft, or would like to be featured, get in touch.

office@craftgate.org

Career pathway

Bricklaying Apprentice

Mixing mortars, laying courses, basic bonding patterns

Hand tools, mortar prep, bond patterns, CSCS card

Conservation Bricklayer

Repointing and repairing historic brickwork using lime mortars

Lime mortar knowledge, joint profile matching, working on listed buildings

Heritage Bricklayer

Specialist conservation repairs - selective replacement, structural repairs

NVQ L3 Heritage Skills Brick Worker, brick pathology, conservation ethics

Gauged Brickwork Specialist

Cutting, rubbing and laying fine-tolerance decorative brickwork - arches, cornices, pilasters

Brick cutting and rubbing, arch geometry, lime putty mortar, extraordinary precision

Tuck Pointing Specialist

Restoring fine decorative pointing on Georgian facades

Mortar colour matching, joint scribing, trompe l'oeil technique

Master Craftsperson / Consultant

Leading complex restoration projects, advising architects, training apprentices

Full craft mastery, specification writing, training delivery

Getting qualified

✓Level 2 Apprenticeship in Bricklaying or NVQ Level 2
✓Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Heritage Skills - Brick Worker (Gold CSCS card)
✓Specialist training at Georgian Brickwork (Historic Dockyard Chatham)
✓Heritage Brickwork Training Ltd
✓West Dean College courses in conservation and repair of brick and flint masonry

Find a placement

Ready to try Heritage Brickwork for yourself? Browse available placements with verified hosts.

View Heritage Brickwork placements ← All crafts

Ready to learn?

Start the Heritage Brickwork Foundation Pathway - 6 modules covering conservation philosophy to career qualifications.

Start Learning →