Stewartby Brickworks, Bedfordshire | March 2021

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TopAbandoned

Well-known member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
81
Reaction score
284
Location
Wallsby, UK
STEWARTBY BRICKWORKS | MAR, 21

The Explore

So, I was travelling out to Cambridge to do some drone shoots for a company, and I'd heard much about this place, and as I was passing, I could not pass up the opportunity to have a quick visit, and yes, I know this place has been done to death, but I love huge industrial explores, So I ventured in and found much left behind, which is a surprise as I thought vandals would've taken over, first post on here in a little while, but hope everyone likes this :).

YouTube Video


History


At its height, Stewartby was the largest brickworks in the world. In 1936, Marston Vale was home to the world's biggest kiln and 167 chimneys, producing 500 million bricks per year, and employing over 2,000 people. During the post war housing boom, there was an enormous demand for bricks to help reconstruct Britain.

Originally two Wootton farming settlements, Wootton Pillinge and neighbouring Wootton Broadmead, the Wootton Pillinge LBC village was in 1936 renamed Stewartby, taking its new name from the Stewart family, directors of London Brick Company since 1900. The family's son Sir Malcolm Stewart had amalgamated LBC with the Forders Company in the village in the 1920s.

Stewartby was the largest brickworks in terms of output in the world. The site closed in 2008 as the owners, Hanson, could not meet UK limits for sulphur dioxide emissions. 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.

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.

Stewartby Brickworks closed in May 2008.

Drone.jpg
Conveyer.jpg



Chimneys.jpg
Factory.jpg
Main Factory.jpg
IMG_1213.JPG
inside workings.jpg
IMG_1258.JPG
Stewartby Phone.jpg
Light in.jpg
Windows.jpg
Office.jpg
Chimney Factory.jpg
Green Brick.jpg
IMG_1216.JPG
 
Nice touch of LBC in naming the place Stewartsby. "-by" is a suffix from the Vikings meaning farm, and the works covered two "farming settlements".
I'd rather see chimneys than cathedral spires any day.
 
It is indeed a nice touch, and ah right, that's why you get so many up in the North of England
Nice touch of LBC in naming the place Stewartsby. "-by" is a suffix from the Vikings meaning farm, and the works covered two "farming settlements".
I'd rather see chimneys than cathedral spires any day.
 
This one is right on my doorstep looks like it may have opened up a little more...if tha was even possible lol nice set fella
Thanks man, and yeah, the other part is on the other side of the railway line but the only way across is in direct view of security lol
 
It's telling that most places ending with -by are in the north & east of England, in what was Danelaw which had it's boundary marked by Watling Street, which is roughly today's A5.

It's odd the BBC chose Holby as the name for the location of Casualty, a place that is Bristol by another name.
 
It's telling that most places ending with -by are in the north & east of England, in what was Danelaw which had it's boundary marked by Watling Street, which is roughly today's A5.

It's odd the BBC chose Holby as the name for the location of Casualty, a place that is Bristol by another name.
British Bullshit Corporation
 

Latest posts

Back
Top