A NEW MANUFACTURE OF OVERLAPPING WALL FACING
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walton, of Ivy Cottage, Old Charlton, in
the County of Kent, Government Builders' Agent, for the Invention of
"A NEW MANUFACTURE OF OVERLAPPING WALL FACING."
Sealed the 10th October 1861, and dated the 1st May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
May 1861.
I, WILLIAM WALTON, of Ivy Cottage, Old Charlton, in the County of
Kent, Government Builders' Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW MANUFACTURE OF OVERLAPPING WALL FACING," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a peculiar facing for walls to
be used in combination with ordinary bricks, and consists in forming the
facing of the wall of blocks or pieces of terra cotta, or any suitable material
made with a flat or even face which corresponds to the face of the wall, and
with a projection at the back thereof, which extends into and forms part of the
wall. The lower. edge of the facing or front part is bevilled in the interior,
and the upper edge is bevilled on the exterior, but the interior is bevilled at a
more acute angle than the exterior, so that when one block or piece is placed
perpendicularly upon another block, with a brick or bricks. built in or laid

page_text: upon its projecting position, the space between the two bevilled edges, which
is filled with mortar or cement, takes the shape of a wedge, of which only the
narrowest part is exposed to the atmosphere. The projecting portion may or
may not be perforated lengthways, and may also have channels or grooves
therein, both on the upper and lower sides, the channels or grooves being
useful from the saving effected in material and weight, whilst the perforations
are also useful in that respect, and the blocks being placed side by side in the
building, the perforations form a. continuous passage or tube, which may be
used for the reception of telegraphic or other wires without interfering with
the exterior of the wall.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Walton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALTON, of Ivy Cottage, Old Charlton, in the County of Kent, Government
Builders' Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Walton, Her special license that I, the said William Walton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Walton, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW MANUFACTURE OF OVER-
LAPPING WALL FACING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Walton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Walton, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: .
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the manufacture of a peculiar facing for walls to
be used in combination with ordinary bricks, and consists in forming the facing
of the wall of blocks or pieces of terra cotta, or any suitable material made with
a flat or even face, which corresponds to the face of the wall, and with a pro-
jection at the back thereof, which extends into, and forms part of the wall.
The lower edge of the facing or front part is bevilled internally, and the upper
edge is bevilled externally, but the lower edge is bevilled at a more acute angle
than the exterior, so that when one block or piece is placed perpendicularly
upon another block, with a brick or bricks built in or laid upon its projecting,
portion; the space between the two bevelled edges, which is filled with mortar.
or cement, takes the shape of a wedge, of which only the narrowest part is.
exposed to the atmosphere. The projecting portion may or may not be per--
forated lengthways, and may also have channels or grooves therein, both on.
the upper and lower sides, the channels or grooves being useful from the saving,
effected in material and weight, and the better hold afforded to the mortar ;..
whilst the perforations are also useful, as where the blocks are placed side by.
şide in the building, these perforations will form a continuous passage,, which
may be used for the reception of telegraphic or other wires, without interfering..
with the exterior of the wall.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now.
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the.
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a vertical transverse section of one of
the separate blocks or pieces which I manufacture for the purpose of making.
my new wall facing; Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section. of a portion of
a single brick wall, showing one mode of applying my facing blocks for the
purpose of forming the improved face on one surface of a wall; and Figure 3
is a similar view of a double brick wall having both faces formed .according to
my Invention. These improved blocks or face pieces may be formed. by any
of the methods commonly used for working clay and other similar plastio
materials, suitable dies or tools being employed for giving the required foru
to the block, and making the perforations therein.
A is the portion of the block or piece which is intended to form a portion
of the wall facing; B is a projection, which is intended to be inserted or built

page_text: in and to form part of the wall; C, C, are longitudinal passages or perforations,
which are formed in the blocks or pieces for the purpose of diminishing the
weight, and also for carrying bell or telegraphic wires, or which, when required,
may be used for the purposes of ventilation. The top part a of the portion A
of the block or piece is bevilled or sloped downwards towards the exterior or
face of the wall, and the lower portion b is bevilled or inclined upwards
towards the interior of the wall, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
The angle of the upper part a with the face of the wall may be rather more
obtuse than the angle of the lower part b, so that when the lower part 6 of an
upper block or piece rests upon or is placed above the upper part a of a lower
block or piece, the mortar which unites the two pieces takes the shape of a
wedge, of which the thinnest edge only is exposed to the atmosphere, as will
be clearly seen in Figures 2 and 3; but I do not consider such difference of
angle essential to my Invention, the object in using such angles being to
prevent water lodging on the horizontal mortar and penetrating the wall. The
under surface of the block should also be so formed, that when two blocks are
set, the lower corner of the reverse incline c may be about on a level with the
highest point of the incline a of the lower block, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3.
The blocks or pieces A, B, may be of any required size, but for ordinary
purposes I prefer to make them about fourteen inches in length, the portion A
being about six inches in depth, and the portion B about six inches wide,
including the thickness of the facing, by about two and a half inches in
thickness. The part A may also slightly increase in thickness towards its
lower end, as shewn in the Drawings, where it meets and unites with the pro-
jecting portion B. In making the wall facing, care should be taken to use
only the best mortar between the two bevilled edges a and b, but common
mortar may be used for the purpose of uniting the bricks with the wall facing;
or the space between a and b may, if preferred, be left entirely without mortar
or cement. In building a wall according to my Invention, the blocks or pieces
A, B, and ordinary bricks are placed in alternate layers, and made to break
joint; and in case I wish to form a facing on the interior surface of a wall, so
as to dispense entirely with internal plastering, I place the blocks or pieces so
that the projections B meet each other, and lay the bricks upon such pro-
jection in the manner shewn in Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawing.
I am aware that bricks have been made with perforations, and also that
blocks have been made having a piece projecting at a right angle, which pro-
jecting piece is intended to be inserted into and to form part of the wall, but
the following are what I consider to be the advantages of my flacing blocks;
and, first, the projection and the part intended to form the facing being made

page_text: of dimensions suitable for the bricks to be used therewith, the workman is
thereby enabled more readily to incorporate them with the bricks in forming
the wall, and also to use a smaller number of bricks, and as the facing forms
part of these blocks, the extent both of horizontal and perpendicular bedding
joints exposed to the atmosphere is diminished, whilst there are a sufficient
number of joints to prevent heaviness in the appearance of the wall. Secondly,
the wall thus constructed is firmly held together, and a less extent of horizontal
and perpendicular bedding joints being necessary, there is a corresponding
diminution in the amount of labour required. Thirdly, the edges of the facing
on the blocks being bevilled, as above described, the bedding mortar is pro-
tected from the atmosphere by the upper part of the facing being lapped over
by the lower part of the facing immediately above it and fitting into it. And,
lastly, when the double facing is used, the expense of plastering may be saved,
as the facing will answer the same purpose, and will be laid at the same time
that the wall is built, and can at any time be readily cleansed by washing.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the application and use of wall facing blocks, so constructed and
formed that one portion thereof may cover or overlap the front or outer faces
of the bricks of a wall, whilst the other portion is built into the body of the
wall in alternate layers with the bricks, substantially as herein-before described.
Second, the peculiar construction of wall facing blocks, and the mode or
modes of applying the same, in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.