Reasons for Designation
The brick and tile industry in Bridgwater was established by the 17th century,
making use of the local clay deposits, and by the end of the 18th century the
industry was operating on a much larger scale taking advantage of the
accessible alluvial clays of the River Parrett. After the clay had been
extracted from the river it was processed and shaped into the finished product
ready to be fired. This operation was carried out in square or bottle-shaped
kilns.
Bottle kilns were of the intermittent type which meant that they were fired
intermittently on a cycle of fill-fire-cool-empty, taking between one to three
weeks to complete a firing. Intermittent kilns were originally all of the up-
draught type and each firing needed about 15 tons of coal with much of the
generated heat escaping through the chimney.
The brick and tile kiln west of East Quay, 200m east of Bridgwater Dock lock
was one of many such kilns constructed in Bridgwater between 1845 and 1850 and
is now the only example which survives in the county and is one of only a few
which survive nationally. In addition it illustrates an important change in
technology, being converted from the primary up-draught firing to the more
energy efficient down-draught firing.
Details
The monument includes a post-medieval brick and tile kiln located on the east
bank of the River Parrett on East Quay road.
The kiln was founded in 1858 by Alfred Barham and was part of the extensive
Barham Brothers' Works which produced materials for the building trade
including the distinctive Bath Brick and a range of roofing tiles and assorted
decorative products such as terracotta plaques and gable end finials.
The outer part of the kiln, known as the hovel, is brick-built in a typical
bottle-shape, with a circular base wall approximately 4m in diameter below,
and a cupola-shaped top above, tapering to the original up-draught chimney. It
is estimated to be up to 21m from base to chimney. The upper part of the kiln
is reinforced with iron bands to counteract cracks caused by the heat. Inside
the hovel, the oven chamber is countersunk about 2m below ground level and has
eight surviving fire-mouths or grates set into it.
The circular base wall of the kiln is enclosed by a brick-built building, of a
date contemporary with that of the kiln, approximately 12.5m square and rising
to roof level at which height the kiln structure begins to taper. Louvres set
within the wall of this building were designed to control the air flow within
the kiln.
During the 1950s the kiln was converted to a down-draught type which increased
the heating efficiency of the kiln by means of an external square chimney,
which still survives on the south east side of the kiln structure.
The brick kiln remained in commercial use trading under its original name of
Barham Brothers from its foundation until 1965 when it ceased production.
The entire kiln and its surroundings have been converted to form the Somerset
Brick and Tile Museum. A viewing floor and guard rails have been installed
inside and an additional building has been built on the south side of the
kiln. The new building has been constructed in the style of a tile-drying shed
using building material reclaimed from the site of two kilns which were also
once part of the Barham Brothers' Works and which were demolished in 1974.
This purpose-built museum building is not included in the scheduling.
All modern flooring and guard rails, all information panels, and all modern
features dedicated to the display of the monument are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33727
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
