The Remains of Stewartby Brickworks

Описание: Stewartby was the largest brickworks in terms of output in the world.[3] The site closed in 2008 as the owners,  could not meet UK limits for  emissions.The four remaining chimneys were due to be demolished upon closure but these were initially listed for preservation of Bedfordshire's brick-related history and were due to remain,[however this since changed and the chimneys were demolished on 26 September 2021.

The brickworks was home to the world's biggest kiln and produced 500 million bricks at the height of production.

BJ Forder & Son opened its first brickworks in Elstow in 1897 before relocating to Wootton Pillinge in 1920.

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. There were four chimneys in Stewartby, but these were demolished in 2021.

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 contains circa 5% marine organics, formed 150 million years ago when it was on the sea bed. This reduced the coal requirement, as the organic material burned.

Stewartby Brickworks closed in May 2008.

In 2021, it was announced that the four remaining chimneys were to be demolished, as the landowners deemed them unsafe; they were later demolished on 26 September 2021 at 11:15am.

In December 2023,  announced that it had purchased 480 acres of land on the site of the brickworks, with the company exploring the possibility of building a theme park and resort in the area, citing nearby Bedford's proximity to London and Luton Airport

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