Bursledon Brickworks Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum |
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| Former names | Hooper & Ashby (1897–1903) The Bursledon Brick Co. Limited (1903–1959) The Sussex & Dorking Brick Company (year unknown) Redland Holdings Ltd (1959–1974) Bursledon Brickworks Conservation Centre (1995/96–2000s) Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum (2012–2017) The Brickworks Museum (2017–) |
| General information | |
| Type | Museum |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | Swanwick, Hampshire, England |
| Address | Coal Park Lane / Swanwick Lane |
| Town or city | Southampton |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°53′09″N 1°17′27″W / 50.8858°N 1.2908°W |
| Elevation | 11 metres |
| Owner | Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Awards and prizes | Solent Protection Society 2004 Conservation Award Tourism South East / Beautiful South Business Awards: Best Community Tourism Business 2014 Small Visitor Attraction of the Year (Bronze) 2014, 2017 (Silver) IMECH Industrial Heritage Award TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2015, 2016 Fareham In Bloom: Business Parks and Commercial Landscape (Silver) 2018 Wildlife Garden (Silver Gilt) 2018 |
The Brickworks Museum, also known as Bursledon Brickworks, is a special museum in Swanwick, Hampshire, England. It is run by volunteers. This museum is thought to be the only UK brick factory from the Victorian era that still uses steam power.
Some parts of the brickworks are very important. The brick kiln, tall chimney, drying sheds, and the engine house are all protected. They are listed as Grade II* buildings on the National Heritage List for England. This means they are historically significant.
Contents
History of the Brickworks
Starting with Hooper & Ashby
Bursledon Brickworks was built in 1897 by Robert and Edward Ashby. The Ashby family owned a company called Hooper & Ashby. This company sold building materials in Southampton.
Edward Hooper started the original business in the 1850s. He was an engineer and architect. Later, his brother Charles joined him, and they began making bricks. They sold these bricks as Hooper & Co.
Edward saw a chance to grow the business. He started selling all kinds of building materials, including their own bricks. Southampton was growing fast, so his business did very well. In 1860, Edward married Harriet Ashby. Her brother, Edmund, joined the company a year later. The business was then renamed Hooper & Ashby. It became very successful, with stores along the south coast.
The Ashby Family Takes Over
By 1885, Edward Hooper had passed away. The Ashby family then managed both the brick-making and building material businesses. They saw a big demand for bricks in the area. So, they opened a new brickyard in Chandlers Ford. Here, they focused on making many machine-made bricks.
This plan worked well until the clay in Chandlers Ford started to run out. The family then looked for a new location. They found a perfect spot at Lower Swanwick. This area was next to the River Hamble. It had a very deep layer of sandy clay, which was excellent for making bricks. In 1897, the new brickworks was built and began making its first bricks.
How the Brickworks Operated
The new brickworks was very advanced for its time. It used a large brick-making machine from Bennett & Sayer in Derby. This company was known for making big machines that handled clay. The machine the Ashby brothers bought was an "extruder." It could make 40,000 bricks every day! A powerful steam engine from John Wood & Sons in Wigan ran this machine.
After the bricks were shaped, they needed to dry. They were moved to large drying sheds. These sheds had pipes under the floor to heat them. The bricks took a certain amount of time to dry completely. The company even had a special patent for the design of these drying sheds. Once dry, the bricks went to the kiln.
The kiln was a special type called a Staffordshire continuous kiln. It had twelve chambers, and each could hold up to 26,000 bricks. The kiln was always hot, with chambers reaching over 1,000 degrees Celsius. This cycle took about 15 days for each chamber.
In 1903, the brickworks changed its name to The Bursledon Brick Co. Limited. Around this time, they added more buildings to the south. They also built another complete brick-making unit to the north. In 1935, a third unit was added. With all this extra space, the brickworks made over 20 million bricks each year. They were one of the biggest brick makers in the region.
After the Second World War, the family business joined with another company. In 1959, it became part of Redland Holdings Ltd.
The Workers at the Brickworks
Most of the men who worked at the brickworks lived nearby. They often worked as labourers, digging clay, making bricks, or looking after the kiln. All these jobs were very hard physically. Workers were paid based on how many bricks they helped make each day. They worked quickly to earn as much as possible.
The pay was good compared to other jobs in the area. There were other jobs like working in local market gardens or boatyards. But the brickworks usually paid better, as long as you could keep up with the fast pace.
The "clay gang" dug clay from the pits. Their work depended on the weather. If it was too wet or dry, they couldn't dig as much clay. Their pay could change a lot. The clay was moved to the machine using small railway wagons. These wagons were pulled up a ramp to the top of the brick-making machine.
The "machine gang" took the bricks from the machine to the drying sheds. They used wooden wheelbarrows, pushing 40 bricks at a time. They would run about 15 miles a day with their barrows! It was hot work because the drying sheds were around 25 degrees Celsius.
Once the bricks were dry, the "kiln gang" took over. Their job was to take 50 bricks at a time in barrows to the kiln. They then stacked the bricks inside the hot kiln chambers. This was the toughest job because the chambers were very hot and full of coal fumes. They earned the most money on site, but it was incredibly hard work.
Sports Teams
The brickworks even had its own sports teams! On March 20, 1926, the Bursledon Brickworks F.C. football team won a semi-final match 4–1. The cricket team, Lower Swanwick B.C.C., also won a championship shield in 1908.
Closing the Brickworks
The brickworks finally closed in 1974. Later, the site was saved from being torn down by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust. The southern part of Bursledon Brickworks, which includes the kiln, chimney, drying sheds, and engine house, is a protected Grade II* listed site.
The northern part of the brickworks was taken down. The land was bought by the National Air Traffic Services (NATS). NATS manages air traffic control for London. As the owners, they have helped fund the Swanwick Lakes Wildlife Reserve project. This project is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
The Brickworks Museum Today
Becoming a Charity
The museum is run by the Bursledon Brickworks Museum Trust. This trust became a charity in November 2016. Being a charity means it works for the public good and relies on support.
Funding and Opening
In 2012, the Heritage Lottery Fund gave the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust £666,300. This money helped create the museum. The museum officially opened in 2014. It is now a fully recognized museum. It is open to the public three days a week from April to October.
In 2023, Historic England gave the museum £246,000. This money is being used to replace the old asbestos roof over the brick kiln.
Museum Collections
The biggest part of the museum's collection is the brickworks itself! It still has all its original buildings and working machines. Over time, the museum has collected many more items. It now has one of the largest collections of bricks and brick-making tools in the UK.
The main brick-making machine is kept in working order. It is steamed up once a month for special events. The original boilers no longer work, so a modern boiler creates the steam needed.
Special Events and Attractions
The Southampton and District Transport Heritage Trust keeps a collection of old buses at the museum. They help by providing bus services for some events. The Southampton Historic Steam and Engineering Society is also based here. They host two large steam events each year with visiting steam engines.
The museum also has two types of railways. There is a narrow-gauge railway and a miniature railway. The narrow-gauge railway runs during bigger museum events. A diesel engine and wagons show how the railway once worked. The miniature railway also runs at events and offers rides for children.
Getting to the Museum
The brickworks has two entrances. One is on Swanwick Lane, and the other is on Coal Park Lane. The Swanwick Lane entrance has a car park for visitors. It is also where coaches drop off passengers. The Coal Park Lane entrance is for staff, volunteers, and deliveries.
On TV and Radio
The Bursledon Brickworks has been featured in the media! In July 2015, BBC Radio Solent presenter Nick Girdler visited. He helped show off a new brick sculpture called the Twisted Shard. This sculpture took five months to build. It was designed by local artist Joe Taylor and built with help from students. Later that year, the brickworks appeared on BBC South Today's documentary about VE Day.
In January 2017, a five-minute segment about Bursledon Brickworks was shown on the BBC One TV show Antiques Road Trip. A month later, the museum welcomed Peter Richards from Saturday Kitchen.
