Being local to me I have made a few visits over the last four years to this small but quaint brickworks. Me and man gone wrong made another visit after the Jeld Wen explore as we were near. It's not really changed much but did notice a few small graffiti tags had appeared.
The company started in 1934 by the Easey brothers. Originally just built to produce bricks they moved on in 1950 to produce field pipes for use in agriculture. Brickmaking stopped in 1967. Except for a special order of twenty thousand red bricks in 1977. The site has a few buildings, a large shed what looks like it was used for storage of the bricks once, a corrugated moulding shed and three down draught pipe kilns. There was four coal fired scotch kilns on the original site, the ones here were oil fired. The kilns were unique as they were built by a none specialist builder as they could not find a kiln designer.
The brickworks had a sister site near Diss that I looked at about five years ago. It was smaller than here with one kiln. I pulled up and a family was in the grounds. Got talking to them and be said he had bought it and converting it too a residential property. He let me wander around freely and take photos then joined me later telling me about the site and his plans.
This was the large storage shed, it's just empty now.
Looking towards the moulding and machinery shed
The moulding shed consists of a conveyor belt which is driven by pulleys and belts. Outside is a couple of plinths that had a crossley diesel engine on to power the system.
Some old brick formers lay about.
The cogs to drive the wood framed conveyor belt.
One of the carts that transported the clay on a rail system up top.
Up a rickety ladder you get to see the rail system..I know mookster visited a few months after my last visit and had a bit of a bum clenching moment going up the ladder ha ha.
The lever to release the carts.
The old track going down.
In the middle section is some more workings.
Large wheel that would be linked to the engine outside. This would then turn the wheels on the inside.
To the side is a collapsed shed. I. Limbed inside to see a pair of old hand carts. One was completely covered in collapsed roof though.
Moving on to the kilns which their are three of them. Two together with a chimney between them. And another further over with its own chimney. The kilns are grade listed.
The first kiln to go in is the nicest. It's got bricks laid over the risers. I feel sorry for the guy who had to put all them down. I can almost bet it was the apprentice.
Each kiln has a bont around them. A metal strap for strengthening the kilns.
The company started in 1934 by the Easey brothers. Originally just built to produce bricks they moved on in 1950 to produce field pipes for use in agriculture. Brickmaking stopped in 1967. Except for a special order of twenty thousand red bricks in 1977. The site has a few buildings, a large shed what looks like it was used for storage of the bricks once, a corrugated moulding shed and three down draught pipe kilns. There was four coal fired scotch kilns on the original site, the ones here were oil fired. The kilns were unique as they were built by a none specialist builder as they could not find a kiln designer.
The brickworks had a sister site near Diss that I looked at about five years ago. It was smaller than here with one kiln. I pulled up and a family was in the grounds. Got talking to them and be said he had bought it and converting it too a residential property. He let me wander around freely and take photos then joined me later telling me about the site and his plans.
This was the large storage shed, it's just empty now.
Looking towards the moulding and machinery shed
The moulding shed consists of a conveyor belt which is driven by pulleys and belts. Outside is a couple of plinths that had a crossley diesel engine on to power the system.
Some old brick formers lay about.
The cogs to drive the wood framed conveyor belt.
One of the carts that transported the clay on a rail system up top.
Up a rickety ladder you get to see the rail system..I know mookster visited a few months after my last visit and had a bit of a bum clenching moment going up the ladder ha ha.
The lever to release the carts.
The old track going down.
In the middle section is some more workings.
Large wheel that would be linked to the engine outside. This would then turn the wheels on the inside.
To the side is a collapsed shed. I. Limbed inside to see a pair of old hand carts. One was completely covered in collapsed roof though.
Moving on to the kilns which their are three of them. Two together with a chimney between them. And another further over with its own chimney. The kilns are grade listed.
The first kiln to go in is the nicest. It's got bricks laid over the risers. I feel sorry for the guy who had to put all them down. I can almost bet it was the apprentice.
Each kiln has a bont around them. A metal strap for strengthening the kilns.
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