1. The History
The site of the former brickworks lies just north of Scalford in Leicestershire, next to a bridge on the minerals rail line (a.k.a. the ironworks line). Lion Brickworks opened in 1875 with the nearby railway line providing links to the local quarries. A row of six cottages to the north-west of the works, named “Lionville”, were purpose-built to house the workers from the brickworks. A 1900 map of the area shows four bottle kilns and one large building. The Lion Brick & Tile Co. is recorded in Kelly's from the 1908 through to the 1925 editions. A 1930 O/S map shows the brickworks with three kilns with the buildings extending to the south-east
Brick production stopped in 1930’s and the works closed down. One legacy of the brick works in Scalford itself is a house built by the owner, called ‘Lion House’.
The site was later used during World War II as an ammo store by the MOD. Some sources state the site was used to store munitions between 1939-1945 while other sources say the MOD occupied the site between 1940 and 1955. The four reinforced concrete billet style structures and brick tower are clearly of military construction, located to the north-west of the brickworks and just to the south of the main road and included on this 1970s O/S map:
In 1961 the site was being used as a poultry farm. Two years later planning permission was granted for use of the site as a recreational caravan site and a toilet block was constructed, along with the improvement of vehicular access. However, the caravan site was never fully completed, and the site became overgrown. In subsequent years, various other planning applications have been made for this site. In 2012 Melton Council’s planning committee refused the application to allow a fishing lake, 10 luxury log cabins and an associated cafe/clubhouse on grounds the proposed development was ‘considered to represent unsustainable tourism in open countryside’. In August 2014 a planning inspector dismissed an appeal on this decision. The site has since remained overgrown and hidden from the cars that drive along the nearby country road.
2. The Explore
A curious place and one that, perhaps due to its relative unspectacular nature, is pretty much under the radar and rarely visited. That said, you get two for the price of one with the ammo store and the brickworks. Having scoured the internet, there’s little info about the brick works and even less on the ammo stores. The ammo store is interesting as it was clearly used to store hundreds and hundreds of tins of dehydrated onions from Alexandria, Egypt, which have been left to rust/rot. Manufactured by Ayad & Co, 11 Cherif Street, Alexandria, it’s intriguing how they got to be stored here.
It was then time to tramp through the undergrowth to the remains of the brick works. There’s a surprising amount still left here and one addition to the site since I last came here about five years ago is a number of pieces of colourful graff. The highlight is the one remaining beehive kiln, as shown on the 1970 O/S map.
3. The Pictures
The Ammo Store:
First up, the long hut parallel to the road:
It’s military paint still clearly visible:
The other three huts are at a right angle to the big hut:
As nature takes a hold:
There’s a tower at the end of the first hut:
Close-up of the label of one tins of dehydrated onions:
The other three huts have differing levels of onion tins:
The end one clearly has the most:
This is the middle hut:
And the one at the far end:
And a quick look back before we go off to the brick works:
Think this was the toilet block built for the doomed caravan park:
The site of the former brickworks lies just north of Scalford in Leicestershire, next to a bridge on the minerals rail line (a.k.a. the ironworks line). Lion Brickworks opened in 1875 with the nearby railway line providing links to the local quarries. A row of six cottages to the north-west of the works, named “Lionville”, were purpose-built to house the workers from the brickworks. A 1900 map of the area shows four bottle kilns and one large building. The Lion Brick & Tile Co. is recorded in Kelly's from the 1908 through to the 1925 editions. A 1930 O/S map shows the brickworks with three kilns with the buildings extending to the south-east
Brick production stopped in 1930’s and the works closed down. One legacy of the brick works in Scalford itself is a house built by the owner, called ‘Lion House’.
The site was later used during World War II as an ammo store by the MOD. Some sources state the site was used to store munitions between 1939-1945 while other sources say the MOD occupied the site between 1940 and 1955. The four reinforced concrete billet style structures and brick tower are clearly of military construction, located to the north-west of the brickworks and just to the south of the main road and included on this 1970s O/S map:
In 1961 the site was being used as a poultry farm. Two years later planning permission was granted for use of the site as a recreational caravan site and a toilet block was constructed, along with the improvement of vehicular access. However, the caravan site was never fully completed, and the site became overgrown. In subsequent years, various other planning applications have been made for this site. In 2012 Melton Council’s planning committee refused the application to allow a fishing lake, 10 luxury log cabins and an associated cafe/clubhouse on grounds the proposed development was ‘considered to represent unsustainable tourism in open countryside’. In August 2014 a planning inspector dismissed an appeal on this decision. The site has since remained overgrown and hidden from the cars that drive along the nearby country road.
2. The Explore
A curious place and one that, perhaps due to its relative unspectacular nature, is pretty much under the radar and rarely visited. That said, you get two for the price of one with the ammo store and the brickworks. Having scoured the internet, there’s little info about the brick works and even less on the ammo stores. The ammo store is interesting as it was clearly used to store hundreds and hundreds of tins of dehydrated onions from Alexandria, Egypt, which have been left to rust/rot. Manufactured by Ayad & Co, 11 Cherif Street, Alexandria, it’s intriguing how they got to be stored here.
It was then time to tramp through the undergrowth to the remains of the brick works. There’s a surprising amount still left here and one addition to the site since I last came here about five years ago is a number of pieces of colourful graff. The highlight is the one remaining beehive kiln, as shown on the 1970 O/S map.
3. The Pictures
The Ammo Store:
First up, the long hut parallel to the road:
It’s military paint still clearly visible:
The other three huts are at a right angle to the big hut:
As nature takes a hold:
There’s a tower at the end of the first hut:
Close-up of the label of one tins of dehydrated onions:
The other three huts have differing levels of onion tins:
The end one clearly has the most:
This is the middle hut:
And the one at the far end:
And a quick look back before we go off to the brick works:
Think this was the toilet block built for the doomed caravan park:
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