First report in a long old time, been a busy busy beee so sorry if i suck but i loved this place so have to share !
A Brief History (taken from DarkDogs Prev report)
Hammill Brick occupies the site of the former Hammill (or Woodnesborough) Colliery. Construction was started in 1910 by Arthur Burr's Goodnestone & Woodnesborough Colliery Ltd, and an extensive range of surface buildings had been erected by 1911 including an engine house, workshops and a chimney.
No further work was to be undertaken until a branch from the East Kent Light Railway was completed, and by 1914 no sinking had yet started. At the outbreak of WW1, all further development of the site was halted for the duration of hostilities. Shortly after the war started the colliery was taken over by the Army for a cavalry re-mount unit, a large number of horses being stabled in the colliery buildings.
Around this time Intermediate Equipments, the Holding Company, began to dispose of surface plant that had already been installed.
After the war, no further development was undertaken, but apart from the wooden headgear the surface buildings were still complete in 1923 when the mine was sold to Pearson & Dorman Long, owners of Betteshanger Colliery.
They kept the mineral rights and sold the colliery to the Hammill Brick Co. who built a brickworks on the site utilising some of the old colliery buildings, opening in June 1927.
Hammill Brick continued trading until 2006, when a downturn in fortunes lead to the site running down. Despite an attempt to revitalise the company, the brickworks shut in 2008 and has been run on a care & maintenance basis ever since in the hope of keeping the site viable for a buyer.
My Visit
Randomly stumbled across this site after taking the wrong turning on the way home one chilly Dec afternoon, obviously (due to my infinite male wisdom, and ofc male pride) i wasnt lost
.
I initially noticed the old colliery buildings from the road. They look very simmilar to the ones in snowdown (allthough much much smaller). Immediately I went like a giddy school child at the prospect of a splore, but in passing I noticed fresh signage and a nice new office building. Nether the less i cudnt resist a closer look. so off across the fields i went.
Outside there are still wrapped and packed pallets aswell as a lot of the old miss formed or recycled blocks. a intresting feature themselves, all of the random colours and dyes have sort of mixe din the rain and combined to give some realy nice hues.
This motled coloured sheen is the same throughout the building, especialy by the furnace section of the buidling, Iam asumeing this is when the colours would be added in the production process. Thing that struck me the most is how untouched the site is. obviously incrediabley dusty, but there are old compressers and even a few fridges knocking about place looks liek its just been closed for the weekend.
stayed for about a hour, and met a nice guy walking his dog on a re-visit inside the bulding. All in all, a beautifull industrial splore. small but so so interesting, Pics as bellow
A Brief History (taken from DarkDogs Prev report)
Hammill Brick occupies the site of the former Hammill (or Woodnesborough) Colliery. Construction was started in 1910 by Arthur Burr's Goodnestone & Woodnesborough Colliery Ltd, and an extensive range of surface buildings had been erected by 1911 including an engine house, workshops and a chimney.
No further work was to be undertaken until a branch from the East Kent Light Railway was completed, and by 1914 no sinking had yet started. At the outbreak of WW1, all further development of the site was halted for the duration of hostilities. Shortly after the war started the colliery was taken over by the Army for a cavalry re-mount unit, a large number of horses being stabled in the colliery buildings.
Around this time Intermediate Equipments, the Holding Company, began to dispose of surface plant that had already been installed.
After the war, no further development was undertaken, but apart from the wooden headgear the surface buildings were still complete in 1923 when the mine was sold to Pearson & Dorman Long, owners of Betteshanger Colliery.
They kept the mineral rights and sold the colliery to the Hammill Brick Co. who built a brickworks on the site utilising some of the old colliery buildings, opening in June 1927.
Hammill Brick continued trading until 2006, when a downturn in fortunes lead to the site running down. Despite an attempt to revitalise the company, the brickworks shut in 2008 and has been run on a care & maintenance basis ever since in the hope of keeping the site viable for a buyer.
My Visit
Randomly stumbled across this site after taking the wrong turning on the way home one chilly Dec afternoon, obviously (due to my infinite male wisdom, and ofc male pride) i wasnt lost
.I initially noticed the old colliery buildings from the road. They look very simmilar to the ones in snowdown (allthough much much smaller). Immediately I went like a giddy school child at the prospect of a splore, but in passing I noticed fresh signage and a nice new office building. Nether the less i cudnt resist a closer look. so off across the fields i went.
Outside there are still wrapped and packed pallets aswell as a lot of the old miss formed or recycled blocks. a intresting feature themselves, all of the random colours and dyes have sort of mixe din the rain and combined to give some realy nice hues.
This motled coloured sheen is the same throughout the building, especialy by the furnace section of the buidling, Iam asumeing this is when the colours would be added in the production process. Thing that struck me the most is how untouched the site is. obviously incrediabley dusty, but there are old compressers and even a few fridges knocking about place looks liek its just been closed for the weekend.
stayed for about a hour, and met a nice guy walking his dog on a re-visit inside the bulding. All in all, a beautifull industrial splore. small but so so interesting, Pics as bellow
