A PROJECT set up to help preserve part of Scotland's industrial heritage is looking for Clacks residents to scour their gardens for links to the Wee County's past.

Mark Cranston, who resides in the Scottish Borders, is compiling a national database of all the bricks ever manufactured in Scotland.

Companies from all over the country, including several in Clacks, were said to have been at the forefront of the industry for decades.

Scottish bricks were transported all over the world and many dated and stamped from the likes of Clackmannan have been recovered as far afield as Russia and Australia.

However, for Mr Cranston, too much of local manufacturing history has already been lost, with very little being done to maintain strong links to the past.

He personally established a project devoted to searching for and cataloguing Scottish bricks, in the hopes of highlighting industrial feats accomplished by towns such as Alloa 150 years ago.

His collection now includes 2000 Scottish brickmarks, including dozens from Clackmannanshire, many of which will have their own unique historical tale to tell, after being uncovered thousands of miles away.

Mr Cranston said: "The brick manufacturing industry was instrumental in developing Scotland's industrial history. The agricultural revolution brought about the need for better drainage and a surge in the number of clay field drains was immense.

"The central belt of Scotland from Edinburgh to Glasgow, down into Ayrshire and up into Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire were prolific brick manufacturing areas. This was due to the clay deposits discovered there.

"Sadly this, and many other heavy industries, are a dim and distant memory with regards our industrial heritage. Brickmaking is a much forgotten about part of Scotland's industrial and social history and all efforts should be made to preserve what we can of what is left."

He added: "I travel all over Scotland to look for old bricks which can be identified as Scottish by their brickmarks. I will search old brickworks, derelict industrial sites, river banks, but many as yet unrecorded or unrecovered bricks will be lying behind sheds or in a pile at the bottom of the garden.

"[I am hoping] the good people of Stirling, Alloa and Clackmannan areas could get in touch with me if they have bricks in their gardens or know of an area where I might search for same. This would greatly assist in recovering bricks that I know exist but as yet do not have in the collection.

"There will be many a humble brick lurking behind a multitude of old garden sheds and some of them will no doubt be fantastic examples of local social and industrial history.

"In particular, there are bricks marked Christie & Son, from Stirling, as well as various Alloa-marked bricks and some fantastic, dated Clackmannan bricks to be found.

"Bricks stamped Clackmannan are among the earliest to be marked with the year of manufacture. I have only found one dated Clackmannan; unfortunately it is broken, but the date is 1846.

"A similar brick dated 1872 was found in St Petersburg, Russia, and another whole 1846 brick was recovered in Australia.

"Any of these bricks would be fantastic additions to my Scottish National collection. There will of course also be bricks lying out there that we simply do not yet know exist with regards their stamps.

"Eventually, when I believe I cannot recover any more, or my back gives out, I want to exhibit the collection and loan out bricks to schools and groups for talks and general interest purposes."

Mr Cranston can be contacted through his website on www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk, by emailing markcranston1962@gmail.com, or calling 07790 686 540.