Stewartby Brickworks

The former brickworks at Stewartby have been closed since 2008, but this historic site has two Hoffman kilns and four chimneys dating from the mid-20th Century; although brickworks have been recorded on the site since 1898.

The two Hoffman kilns - located at the north area of the site - were constructed in the early 1950s and were used to produce up to 1.5 million bricks per week. The brickworks employed around 200 workers at its peak in the 1970s, but as demand for bricks declined, so did the workforce, and by 2008 there were only around 40 employees left.

Flat-topped and topped by a single chimney the kilns have stoking holes for the firing chambers below. The heat is drawn through side vents in the brick-lined, arched chambers of the kiln. While air is drawn down the chimney through interconnecting flues beneath the floor.

The site has been derelict since the closure of the brickworks, but there are plans to redevelop it into a business park. However, these plans have been met with some opposition from local residents, who are concerned about the impact on traffic and pollution levels.

Created: 2  October  2022  Edited: 29  November  2023