Visited with Maniac and Kent-Urbex
Maniac had managed to obtain an enlarger for his darkroom from an internet auction site, but needed to pick it up from Cambridge. As a result the three of us headed North with no real idea as to where we would be exploring.
The nearest place that Kent-Urbex had stored on his sat-nav was the Stewartby brickworks so that was where we headed. Initially we were a bit disappointed, but as we got further into the site there was a bit more machinery and things to see. After a four-hour wander around the site (and an incredibly close call with one security guy and his dog), we were pretty pleased with the day's exploits. Maniac also got his enlarger despite being at the pickup a tad late, so total success all round.
History has been done before, but no harm in including it here;
In 1897, B.J. Forder and Son opened a Fletton brickworks at Wootton Pillinge (later to be called Stewartby). The company later merged with several other companies, the main one being the London Brick Company (which had been founded in 1889). By 1936 the London Brick Company was recognised as the largest brickworks in the World, employing 2,000 people and manufacturing over 500 million bricks per year. In 1984, the London Brick Company was taken over by Hanson. In 2005 there were just 230 people employed at the Stewartby brickworks, and only 2 kilns and 3 chimneys in use, producing a total of 135 millions bricks a year.
More than £1 million was spent on Stewartby Brickworks in 2005-7 in an attempt to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions. This attempt was unsuccessful and the brickworks finally closed in February 2008.
Cheers for looking!
Maniac had managed to obtain an enlarger for his darkroom from an internet auction site, but needed to pick it up from Cambridge. As a result the three of us headed North with no real idea as to where we would be exploring.
The nearest place that Kent-Urbex had stored on his sat-nav was the Stewartby brickworks so that was where we headed. Initially we were a bit disappointed, but as we got further into the site there was a bit more machinery and things to see. After a four-hour wander around the site (and an incredibly close call with one security guy and his dog), we were pretty pleased with the day's exploits. Maniac also got his enlarger despite being at the pickup a tad late, so total success all round.
History has been done before, but no harm in including it here;
In 1897, B.J. Forder and Son opened a Fletton brickworks at Wootton Pillinge (later to be called Stewartby). The company later merged with several other companies, the main one being the London Brick Company (which had been founded in 1889). By 1936 the London Brick Company was recognised as the largest brickworks in the World, employing 2,000 people and manufacturing over 500 million bricks per year. In 1984, the London Brick Company was taken over by Hanson. In 2005 there were just 230 people employed at the Stewartby brickworks, and only 2 kilns and 3 chimneys in use, producing a total of 135 millions bricks a year.
More than £1 million was spent on Stewartby Brickworks in 2005-7 in an attempt to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions. This attempt was unsuccessful and the brickworks finally closed in February 2008.
Cheers for looking!
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