New residents of Chandler’s Ford may be surprised to hear that 120 years ago this leafy suburb of Eastleigh was the centre of a thriving brick making industry. Around 1895 there were four distinct areas of activity. These were sited near the following modern day roads.
1) Guildford Drive, Velmore Road.
2) Common Road, Common Close, Carne Close.
3) Julius Close.
4) On the site of the Chandler’s Ford Industrial Estate in School Lane.
At this last location there were no fewer than seven brickworks proprietors. Several of these works were connected by a railway siding to the main line at Chandler’s Ford station. One of the companies was Southampton based Hooper and Ashby who went on to found The Bursledon Brick Co., a works now preserved as a museum which is open to the public.
Researching the history of the brick making industry in Chandler’s Ford
I have been researching the history of the brick making industry in Chandler’s Ford and wish to make an appeal for information. It is possible that someone living in the area today may be related to one of the early brick makers and they may be able to shed light on their activities at the time. In addition I would like to hear from anyone in Chandler’s Ford who has found or perhaps dug up bricks with a distinguishing mark imprinted on them, perhaps in the form of a name or letters.
The names of the proprietors at the end of the 19th century were, Aslett, Carter (Edwin and William), Crook, Kenny, Macklin, Noyce, Playfair, Toole, White and Wren.
If you are able to help I should be grateful if you would contact me by e-mail at: jim.beckett@talktalk.net.
Will be most interested in anything you find out about the brickworks. I was born in Station Lane Chandler’s Ford and as a boy played amongst the ruins of the brickworks in what we always called “the brickfield”, also along the old railway although the rails were long gone. It led up to and past what we called the Iron Pond, very red, probably a dumping ground for slurry and brick dust. Have often wondered what its history was.
Another long term resident of Chandlers Ford also mentioned the Iron Pond and the old tramway. He also said he played among the ruins of some old brick kilns. It appears all activity on the site had died away soon after WW1 but that an area just to the east of Titlark Copse was re-opened for a short time in the 1930’s. If you want to know more I would recommend a visit to Bursledon brickworks Museum where you can see machinery as used in the brickyard of Hooper & Ashby in Chandlers Ford around 1890. Most of the yards would not have been mechanised. The bricks would have been made by hand.
Thomas Wren lived in a large house called “Ferndale” close to where you were born in the triangle between Station Lane and Bournemouth Rd. He owned one of the brickworks on the right hand side of what is now School Lane. He died early in the last century but do you remember the house?
I lived in Fordington Villas, Station Lane near the bottom end there was 3 houses in a terrace then a gap and 5 houses in another terrace called Knightwood View, all quite old houses. My family had been there since before the Second War maybe they were built from Chandler’s Ford bricks. There was an alleyway running right along the bottom of both terraces on the other side of that was a fairly big house, detached and think that may have been called “Ferndale” or “Fernvale”. The Eydermans lived in it, their back garden stretched right to the end of both terraces, on the other side of that ran the old brick works railway line, there is a post card picture in my ” History in Chandler’s Ford of Station Lane (Memories of Station Lane, Chandler’s Ford) when the line was still there, so it’s possible many of the original older houses in the Lane may have used bricks from the works.
School Lane was only a track when I was growing up and the ruins were right at the end and had become part of Mr Fortune’s farm.
Both terraces and the detached house at the bottom are still there, as far as I know. Ours was rented from a Mr Purkiss (that name keeps appearing in anything to do with Chandler’s Ford).
Thank you for your comments. The detached house you refer to is called “Fernvale”. I don’t know when it was named but that house is shown on the 1895 OS map. At the same time there was a larger house situated just to the rear of where the shops are now in Bournemouth Road, close to the footpath that runs up from the station carpark. The house was called “Fern Dale” and it must have been demolished when or before the shops were built.
Mr. Jim Beckett,
Like many these days I have been researching my families’ roots. Members of the REEVES family were brick-makers and brick-burners in the general vicinity of Eastleigh. Alas, I know very little of the internal workings of the brickmaking industry.
I know that my great grandfather, George REEVES (working period: 1860s into the early 1900s) lived for a time on Velmore Road in Chandlersford and worked for Thomas Wren. A descendent of Thomas Wren, Christopher Wren of Castle Lane in Chilworth, supplied a good deal of background information on the REEVES family for us. Based on the birthplace of the REEVES children, George moved around a fair bit. With the assumption that in the 1800s and early 1900s most tradesmen worked for one company for their entire working lives perhaps you could assist me?
Based on where George and Ann (Brazier) REEVES’ children were born, George was working near the following towns during the dates listed:
1867 Redlynch;
1868 North Baddesly;
1870 Romsey;
1872 Rownhams;
1877 Chilworth;
1878 – 1882 Hursley;
1883 – 1888 Chilworth.
Based on the towns listed and their labour-catchment area, would George REEVES have been working in different brick works for the same Company (co-owner, Thomas Wren) or was he an itinerate brick-maker taking work where he could?
Thank you very much for any assistance you can give me on this matter.
Alastair Reeves
I am unsure when the brickworks finally closed down Brickfield Lane, but I remember quite clearly I used to walk down the lane and see brick kilns and piles of bricks … I also remember the Iron Pond, a skating haunt when frozen over in winter, and London Brick Company lorries entering Brickfield Lane empty and coming out laden with bricks … I would have been 7 or 8 from memory (1941/42).
Hi Jim, interesting read. I live at 67Common Road, formerly Brandon Villas and Rose Cottages. I believe the property was built at the time of the the brickworks, best guess 1980. I have dug up wire cut bricks but none marked.