Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum, often shortened to Bursledon Brickworks, is a volunteer-run brickworksmuseum based in the village of Swanwick, Hampshire, England. It is thought to be the last Victorian steam-driven brickworks left in the UK. The brick kiln, chimney, drying sheds, and the boiler and engine house at the south section of the brickworks are listed Grade II* as a group on the National Heritage List for England.
Bursledon Brickworks started out in 1897 as Hooper & Ashby, a Southampton-based builders' merchants, who also made bricks. The company was co-founded by the Ashbys and the Hoopers, two separate Quaker families, both from Staines in Middlesex. Edward Hooper, who moved to Southampton at the age of 26, was a civil engineer and architect. In the 1851 census records, Edward is described as being both an engineer and a brick maker. He took out a lease on Baltic Wharf in Chapel Road, and set up a business as a builders' merchant and a manufacturer trading in slate. He expanded his business by taking out a lease on a second building, American Wharf, nine-years later.
Hooper & Ashby
In 1903, Hooper & Ashby changed its name to The Bursledon Brick Co. Limited or . This coincided with the extension of the southern complex with the addition of the northern complex. This was further extended in 1935. With the extra capacity, the brickworks was producing in excess of 20 million bricks a year. They were one of the main producers of bricks in the region. Most of the original machinery was moved to the Swanwick site from Chandler's Ford.
Sport
On 20 March, Bursledon Brickworks F.C. beat North Warnborough 4–1 in the semi-finals of the 1926 Hants Junior Cup. The cricket team, Lower Swanwick B.C.C. won the Sarisbury and District Cricket League Division 2 championship shield.
Post-war period
After the Second World War, the family business was amalgamated with the Sussex and Dorking Brick Company and in 1959 became Redland Holdings Ltd.
Closure of the brickworks
The brickworks finally closed in 1974, and the site was later saved from demolition by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust. The south section of Bursledon Brickworks which houses the brick kiln, chimney, drying sheds, boiler and engine house are Grade II* listed. The north section was demolished and the land was acquired by the National Air Traffic Services. NATS operate the London Area Control Centre and London Terminal Control Centre. As site owners, they have provided funding for the Swanwick Lakes Wildlife Reserve project managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
Museum
Charity status
The Bursledon Brickworks Trust which ran from July 1997 – February 2007 was replaced by the Bursledon Brickworks Museum Trust in November 2016.
Lottery grant
In 2012, the Heritage Lottery Fund granted the museum funding of £666,300 to open up the first floor of the building, create two more education spaces and employ paid staff. The grant will also help pay for improved disabled access for the museum, in Coal Park Lane, Swanwick.
Collections
The museum operates the brick making machinery, steam engine and related smaller equipment, such as barrows, shovels and wagons, once used at Bursledon Brickworks. The steam engine and machinery were restored about 20 years ago and are operated on special events.
The Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust operates a demonstration narrow-gauge railway at the brickworks. The Trust was formed in 1961 as the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society, initially to rescue a W. G. Bagnall steam locomotive from Dorothea Quarry. The society built up a collection of rolling stock and track, and based its operations at Bursledon. In 2006, the society was incorporated into the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust.
Radio and television
In July 2015 BBC Radio Solent presenter Nick Girdler visited the brickworks to unveil of a new brick sculpture, affectionately known as the Twisted Shard. The structure, which took 5 months to build, was designed by local brick lecturer and artist Joe Taylor from Woolston, Southampton, in partnership with Michelmersh Brick Holdings. He enlisted the help of some of his Southampton City College students to aid in the construction of the Twisted Shard. Later that same year, the brickworks was featured in the last five minutes of the BBC's – VE Day: First Days of Peace documentary. In January 2017, a five-minute segment on Bursledon Brickworks featured on Series 14: Episode 6 of the BBC One television programme Antiques Road Trip.
