stewartby brickworks march 2010

[purple-breeze]

a quote from wikipedia

The town takes its name from the Stewart family, whose famous son Sir Malcolm Stewart who bought the London Brick Company in the town in the 1920s. The site is due to close in 2008 as the owners, Hanson, cannot meet UK limits for sulphur dioxide emissions.[2] The four chimneys remaining were due to be demolished upon closure but these have since been listed for preservation of Bedfordshire's brick-related history. and will remain.[3]
Stewartby brickworks was home to the world’s biggest kiln and produced 18 million bricks at the height of production.
BJ Forder & Son opened the first brickworks in Wootton Pillinge in 1897.
Wootton Pillinge was renamed Stewartby in 1937 in recognition of the Stewart family who had been instrumental in developing the brickworks.
The firm became London Brick Company and Forders Limited in 1926, and shortened to London Brick Company in 1936.
At the height of the industry’s production there were 167 brick chimneys in the Marston Vale.
In the 1970s Bedfordshire produced 20% of England’s bricks.
At its peak London Brick Company had its own ambulance and fire crews, a horticultural department and a photographic department, as well as its own swimming pool inside the factory, and ran a number of sports clubs.
More than £1 million was spent on Stewartby Brickworks in 2005-7 in an attempt to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions.
The factory used Lower Oxford Clay, which is made up of 5% seaweed, formed 150 million years ago when it was on the sea bed. This removed the need to add coal to the fire, as the organic material burned.

a calm explore and quite a bit to see visited early march 2010


the iconic chimney


kilns


kiln roof collapse


office


acid


skylights


birdhouse


chair shot


door


quality counts


sneaky kiln pic


the bogs


papers



purple_breeze

[boxfrenzy]

That looks a brilliant place to explore, and really nice pictures too. Very good stuff

[the_undertaker]

Superb. Good explore and great pics. Can only describe the chimneys as STONKING.

[kent-urbex]

Visiting here next week now looks good, fort demo had started?

[BB]

That looks really cool
Great report

[Runner]

Great pictures there bud, particularly like the 1st chimney
Wouldn't mind a mooch around there myself - looks very nice.

[SilentHill]

That's a great explore mate
Would love a mooch myself but sadly too far away

[magoo²]

Nice job! Cracking shot this one

[wolfism]

Nice, looks like there's still a bit to see on the south side of the railway...

[LutEx-UK]

Nice one! I've only been there at night, looks worth a visit in daylight.