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Brick and tile works in the Vale The earliest reference to brickmaking in the Vale is a mention of 'Bingham Upper and Lower Clay Pits' in 1586. Based on 1883 OS maps there seems to have been eight brickyards in the Vale, some also making pantiles, plus one making bricks, tiles and pipes. I am confident there had been many more such operations in the Vale during previous centuries but they would have been poorly documented before early nineteenth century trade directories. Half of the brickyards on the 1883 maps also extracted gypsum. So presumably they started out as 'plaster pits' and diversified into brick-making as the gypsum deposits were depleted. Bingham had a brick kiln to the east of the village, near the junction of the old A52 with the 1980s bypass. Bottesford had two 'brickyards' in 1883 – one at Easthorpe and one at Beckingthorpe. But see this article for details of historical evidence for several others in the eighteenth century. Bottesford Blue pantiles on the roof of the Rutland Arms, Bottesford. They look even more shiny than usual because of a recent rain shower. One of these brickyards made pantiles unique to Bottesford, known as 'Bottesford Blues'. Which are actually almost black. When the owner of the brickyard died the recipe was lost. See this article for more details. Cropwell Butler had a brickyard at the side of the canal. Elston had a 'brick pit' in the south-west of the parish. Harby had a 'brick and tile' works. Hawton had both a 'gypsum and brick' works and a 'plaster and brick' works. Kinoulton also had a brickyard by the canal. Long Clawson had a 'brick and tile' works. Orston had a 'brick and plaster' works by the railway. This map of 1915 shows it as 'disused'. Shelton had a 'brick tile pipe and plaster' works. Michael Honeybone in his 1987 book The Vale of Belvoir noted The earliest [datable and surving] local use of bricks is in church building: Hawksworth tower is early 17th century, and there is a fragment north-east of Eastwell church of the same period. Bingham is graced with early brickwork: at the corner of Market Place the Manor House is either late 17th or early 18th century. The tall dovecote at Staunton Grange is of early 17th century brick. Some of the most splendid buildings in the Vale are the huge brick barns built following the enclosures of the late 18th century: a useful habit of decorative brick dating gives us 1807 for a barn in Easthorpe, 1806 in Muston at Hospital Farm and 1820 for an enormous range of barns at Hawksworth. The construction of the canal locks and bridges would have required brick kilns to be constructed. Presumably the ones at Cropwell Butler and Kinoulton continued in use after the waterway construction had been completed. Once the canal could transport the coal required for firing the bricks – and also transport the finished product – the price of bricks fell and they were used extensively for the barns identified by Honeybone and for large warehouses in Harby and Orston (the latter no longer extant). Michael Honeybone considered the Manor Arms at Elton on the Hill to have 'lovely brickwork'. Half-hipped roofs are a popular design in the Vale. Note how the boot-scrapers indicate that there was once another doorway, maybe two more. In the 1980s it still was the Manor Arms (perhaps a misspelling of 'Manners Arms'?). But it subsequently became a restaurant offering both Italian and Indian food. About 2020 it was converted into two flats. Nineteenth century houses, pubs, chapels, railway stations and bridges in the Vale all seemingly used locally-made bricks and tiles. Although mostly now-gone, the Vale once had many brick-built windmills. One of the most attractive brick-built structures is the early nineteenth century footbridge beside the eponymous ford at Bottesford. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland