Listed Building record MDR5783 - Kiln of Former Oakwell Brickworks, off Derby Road, Ilkeston
Type and Period (2)
- HOFFMANN KILN (Victorian to Mid 20th Century - 1900 AD? to 1966 AD?)
- BUILDING (Mid 20th Century to 21st Century - 1966 AD? to 2050 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Kiln of former Oakwell Brickworks, off Derby Road, Ilkeston, built c1900.
'Oakwell Brickworks (now Stanton & Staveley), ...has a Hoffmann kiln about ninety years old, reconditioned after World War II but abandoned in 1966.' (1)
'In February 1972 the kilns at Oakwell Brickworks (a Hoffmann and two downdraught kilns) were described as derelict, with one of the downdraught kilns having only the chimneys and the end wall still standing. The chimney to the Hoffmann kiln had been demolished. At that time the site was owned by the British Steel Corporation as successors to the Stanton Ironworks Company.' (2-3)
At the disused Oakwell Brickworks at Ilkeston there are one Hoffmann and two rectangular downdraught kilns. Of the two latter, No. 1, the older, held about 25000 bricks and had sixteen fireholes, with a chimney at each end to give a balanced draught in the underground flue. No. 2 held about 55000 bricks and had 24 fireholes. It shared a chimney with the Hoffmann kiln. No. 1 kiln and the Hoffmann kiln were built sometime between 1900-1913. An OS map of 1879, prepared soon after the works opened, shows two rectangular kilns on the site of the Hoffmann kiln and a small circular kiln on the site of No. 1 kiln. Kiln No. 2 was probably built after 1930 when the Stanton Ironworks Company took over from the Oakwell Red and Blue Brick Company. Many of the bricks of which No. 1 is built are stamped 'Oakwell'. (4)
'A Hoffmann brick kiln is the most substantial remains of the former Oakwell Brickworks. Although the kiln is listed, it has collapsed in places. The results of a detailed survey are published and a copy is to be found in the local library. The other existing kiln is a rectangular Scotch type which survives nearly intact to the east of the Hoffmann.' (5)
The original form of Hoffmann Kilns was circular and had 12 chambers. The damper openings were in the floor, right across the chamber from one side to the other, and were controlled by dampers in the centre of the ring near the stack. Some of these early kilns stand, though it is very doubtful whether any of the circular Hoffmanns still in use are the original type. (6)
Plans of the kilns at Oakwell brickwells, drawn in 1987, are located in the HER parish files (paper). (7)
In Hoffmann kilns the firing was continuous. The kiln, which was either round or oval in plan, was divided up into chambers into which the unfired bricks could be placed. Once a chamber was full, gases from the fire were introduced to the chamber, and when the unfiring was complete gases were shut off and the bricks allowed to cool before removal. A then another batch of unfired bricks was then placed in the chamber. (8)
According to current Google imagery (Google Earth, 2022) the roof is incomplete.
From the National Heritage List for England:
'PARISH OF ILKESTON DERBY ROAD SK 44 SE 3/32 (South Side) Brick Kiln II
Brick kiln at the former Oakwell brickworks. Built between 1900 and 1913, a kiln of the Hoffman type. Pink brick with corrugated iron roof of segmental profile, surmounted by a narrow slightly raised semi-circular canopy with open ends. Rectangular in plan with rounded ends. The walls taper inwards. Two tiers of openings. The lower tier consists of fourteen round-headed entrances to the two parallel segment vaulted furnaces, which connect at the rounded ends. The upper tier of openings comprises ten square openings; on the south side the wall has partially collapsed around one opening. The upper openings have chamfered sills. The Oakwell brickworks began production c1879 and ceased production in the 1960s.
Listing NGR: SK4602541130.'
(9)
Sources/Archives (9)
- <1> SDR10751 Bibliographic reference: Nixon, F. 1969. The Industrial Archaeology of Derbyshire. 262.
- <2> SDR19111 Index: Council for British Archaeology (CBA). CBA Industrial Archaeology Report Card.
- <3> SDR21071 Unpublished document: Tye, V. 1982. Continuous Kilns.
- <4> SDR21070 Article in serial: Hammond, M D P. 1977. 'Brick kilns: an illustrated survey', Industrial Archaeology Review. Volume 1, pp 171-192. 180-183, Fig. 6.
- <5> SDR6754 Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D. 1986. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology - A Gazetteer of Sites. Part II - Borough of Erewash. 11.
- <6> SDR23377 Bibliographic reference: Macey, H. 1957. What Happens in a Hoffmann.
- <7> SDR23692 Graphic material: Hammond, M D P. 1987. Plans and sections of the kilns at Oakwell Brickworks, Derby Road, Ilkeston.
- <8> SDR24534 Unpublished document: na. 2012. Oakwell Brickworks, Ilkeston, Derbyshire: Options Appraisal.
- <9> SDR19551 Listed Building File: Historic England. 2011. The National Heritage List for England. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1329243?section=official-list-entry.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | SK 46025 41130 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ILKESTON, EREWASH, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR4997
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Sep 1 2023 6:24PM