A sense of place and everyday heritage: the clinker brick walls of suburban London

Purpose This paper aims to explore the heritage value and importance to place identity of overlooked material elements and heritage objects in the built environment. Design/methodology/approach The discussion is exemplified by clinker bricks, initially unwanted products of 19th century manufacture created in overheated kilns, which were revalued and deployed between 1880 and 1914 by arts and crafts enthusiasts. Findings The authors contend that they contribute to heritage in three ways: firstly, by adding irregularity, sensory diversity, idiosyncrasy and individuality; secondly, by testifying to local connections with sites of supply, geology and artisanal expertise; thirdly, by potentially inspiring new forms of creativity in material making and building. The authors conclude by highlighting how these brick walls are currently being incorporated into local conservation plans. Research limitations/implications The work solely focuses on the bricks used in one London suburb. However, this allows a suitable focus to be adopted for the study. Practical implications This paper argues that the clinker brick walls serve as an exemplary case through which place managers and marketers might focus more substantively on overlooked aspects of the material environment of places, discerning overlooked features that can significantly add to developing a sense of place. Social implications This paper endeavours to enrich social and cultural relationships with place by seeking to foster more attuned approaches to noticing that which is commonly overlooked and subsequently enquiring about its provenance, origins and qualities. The paper provides examples of the incorporation of the clinker brick walls into local conservation and heritage plans. Originality/value There is little written about mundane and everyday materialities that, the authors argue, are so integral to a sense of place. The authors bring forth ideas about aesthetics, materiality, place and the everyday to investigate a hitherto neglected realm of study.