1. The History
The site 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. The nearby railway line provided links to the local quarries. One legacy of the brick works in Scalford itself is a house built by the owner, called ‘Lion House’. The Lion Brick & Tile Co. is recorded in Kelly's from 1908 to 1925 editions. Brick production stopped in 1930 and the works closed. 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.
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 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.
2. The Explore
Not the most spectacular explore you’ll ever go on which probably explains why I didn’t post it back in the day. The site now is very overgrown but also quite fascinating.
3. The Pictures
The first view of the site that you get from the road:
The four huts nearest the road are clearly the MOD additions to the site:
These buildings were used as a storage facility post MOD ownership:
Much of the stock has been left in-situ to rot:
…as nature reclaims the site:
and the tins rust away:
The tins in question? Dehydrated onions from Alexandria, Egypt.
Three MOD buildings side by side:
Moving deeper into the site you come to the toilet block constructed as part of the proposed caravan park in the early 1960s:
And further on you come to what was probably part of the brick works:
There are definitely the brick kilns:
As for this building, the jury’s out:
More buildings made from the sites own bricks maybe?
And stacks of tiles:
The site 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. The nearby railway line provided links to the local quarries. One legacy of the brick works in Scalford itself is a house built by the owner, called ‘Lion House’. The Lion Brick & Tile Co. is recorded in Kelly's from 1908 to 1925 editions. Brick production stopped in 1930 and the works closed. 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.
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 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.
2. The Explore
Not the most spectacular explore you’ll ever go on which probably explains why I didn’t post it back in the day. The site now is very overgrown but also quite fascinating.
3. The Pictures
The first view of the site that you get from the road:
The four huts nearest the road are clearly the MOD additions to the site:
These buildings were used as a storage facility post MOD ownership:
Much of the stock has been left in-situ to rot:
…as nature reclaims the site:
and the tins rust away:
The tins in question? Dehydrated onions from Alexandria, Egypt.
Three MOD buildings side by side:
Moving deeper into the site you come to the toilet block constructed as part of the proposed caravan park in the early 1960s:
And further on you come to what was probably part of the brick works:
There are definitely the brick kilns:
As for this building, the jury’s out:
More buildings made from the sites own bricks maybe?
And stacks of tiles:
