the brick works
In the nineteenth century Arlesey was to become one of the largest brick making
centres in Bedfordshire, and was important to the boom in building all over the country.
Here is Part 2 of our feature on the brickworks– Making millions!
Robert Beart, born in 1801, from a farming family in Welney, Isle of Ely,
had formed a company in Godmanchester making clay tiles and bricks.
His bricks were made with an array of twenty four holes, in three rows of
eight. This gave the bricks a quicker drying time and a more even firing.
His successful business produced around 60,000 bricks a week at the
factory, employing six men and four boys. It brought him notoriety and
wealth. He was voted mayor of Godmanchester six times. But he needed
to be closer to London where he saw massive opportunity. This would
come with the installation of the Great Northern Railway, which opened in
1850, from London to Leeds. In 1852 he moved his operation to Arlesey,
approximately 30 miles south of Godmanchester, and with improved
machinery he created ‘an immense works’ to take advantage of the
villages proximity to the capital. The business was called The Arlesey
Brick Company. At this time there were brickworks here but none on the
scale that Beart was to introduce.
Langford
N
A1
London & Arlesey
Brick Company,
Langford
Great Northern Railway
Beart’s Patent
Brickworks
River Hiz
Arlesey
Station
Kiln at
Gault
Brickworks Astwick Road,
Stotfold
A5
07
Arlesey
Stotfold
Arlesey
Brick
and Lime
Co. Ltd.
Riv
A1
er
Ive
l
Three
Counties
Hospital
Great Northern
Brick Co.
(inc. William Dennis’
Brickworks)
3 miles
0
5km
0
Redrawn from a map by T. P. Smith
The figure above shows the brickyards in and around Arlesey.
Those still working in 1900
• Beart’s Patent Brickworks
• Arlesey Station Gault Brickworks
• London & Arlesey Brick Company,
Langford
• Brick and tile works south of
Caldecote Road, Stotfold
Brickyards closed before 1900
• Great Northern Brick Co.
(incorporating G7 William Dennis’
Brickworks)
• Arlesey Brick and Lime Co. Ltd.
• Kiln at Astwick Road, Stotfold
Others
• Three Counties Hospital
6 |
October 2015
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The site had an abundance of yellow gault clay was used in the making
of Arlesey Whites.
It was said to be possible the brickworks here could produce 320,000
bricks, but an actual figure in 1858, was 160,000 per week. Beart had
also modified production in Arlesey changing to three rows of seven
holes. The Arlesey Brick Company changed its name several times in the
following years.
Robert Beart died in 1873 at the age of 72, but his legacy carried on.
Arlesey Whites would be used for the construction of the new Asylum
called Three Counties, on land to the east of Arlesey High Street. The
quantity being produced was soon to be insufficient and so a small
brickworks was established on-site at the Asylum to make up the
shortfall. 1.3 million bricks would be used in the construction.
Beartʼs Company around 1885 founded the Arlesey Brick Company. It
was situated near Arlesey Sidings at the southern end of the village.
The Sidings were to become the Three Counties Station with the
construction of the mental asylum (now Fairfield Park). There were in
fact three separate brickworks near the Sidings, BJH Forders being
another. They eventually all amalgamated in 1900 with the London Brick
Company and the future industry of brick making in Arlesey as a major
employer was set. The former Great Northern Brickworks clay hole
was filled with rubbish carried by the railway from London. The current
business park buildings are in fact sited roughly on top of this pit.
Arlesey had six brickworks. Four being t