When Heritage Goes Bad - Dunaskin Brickworks - June 09

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

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

tarboat

Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
117
Reaction score
12
Location
Oop North
In 1848 the Dalmellington Iron Co opened a large ironworks at Dunaskin near Dalmellington. The works flourished into the twentieth century, but by 1921 had become obsolete and was closed during a strike. The furnaces were demolished and in 1928 a brickworks was established on the site with the 1847 blowing enginehouse converted for brickmaking machinery. The clay was drawn from seams found in the local coal mines. Brickmaking continued until 1976 when demand was so low that 2.5 million bricks were stockpiled on site and production ceased.

In the late 1990s a heritage centre was developed at Dunaskin to tell the story of the industries in the Doon Valley through the structures remaining on the ironworks/brickworks site. This included the former blowing enginehouse and two kilns. The oldest kiln is a transverse-arch continuous kiln of 14 chambers constructed in 1928 and still with its original roof. The other kiln is a 24 chamber Belgian continuous kiln erected in 1935. There are two also brick chimneys on the site.

I cannot see how the heritage centre could ever have been a viable business. By 2005 the local authority withdrew funding from the ailing heritage centre and it closed down. The buildings have been abandoned and left to decay. The adjacent steam heritage railway centre continues to flourish and operates services throughout the summer at weekends.


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--6.jpg

On the approach

DalmellingtonIronworks.jpg

The original ironworks as seen in 1871

WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--5.jpg

This view is taken from just behind the double-gabled building seen in the 1871 photo. The blast furnaces would have been to the left of the nearer chimney.

WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-090.jpg

Transverse-arch continuous kiln

WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--4.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-093.jpg

Blowing enginehouse

WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-091.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-095.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--1.jpg


NCBDICO.jpg


NCBDunaskin.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--3.jpg

Belgian continuous kiln

WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6--2.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-094.jpg


WatersideBrickworksDunaskin26-6-096.jpg

 
God-damn that's some tasty brickwork going on there, don't make 'em like that anyore!
 
nice report

I visited there when it was still open, no wonder it didnt stay open during my visit with the missus we were the only ones there, and that was during the hieght of summer in 2003

there was in one of the outbuildings a pretend coal mine that was so unbelievably bad,it just some black sheets hung from the celing and few lumps of coal on the floor iirc
 
Excellent stuff there mate. Very well captured. Some very fine brickwork. A Red Brick Victorian Edifice.:lol:
 
A very impressive site. In hindsight, had there not been the attempt at preservation there'd probably be little for you to have taken pictures of :(
 
Nice report, Tarboat.

We were down this way a few months back and I hadn't realised the heritage centre had closed - the brown signs we saw must've been for the steam centre you mention. This is one of those places we often drove past and always meant to visit.

Those kilns are lovely - well captured.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top