Brick House

Lane Head Road, Clough Green, Cawthorne

Building

Roofed and walled permanent structures.

Asset type

Building

Age

Late 19th century lodge built as a gate lodge and advertisement for a brick works.

Rarity

The Brick House comprises the last surviving 19th century building on the former brickworks, and a rare example of a show piece structure for the products of the works.

Architectural and Artistic Interest

The Brick House is a single storey structure, with attic, built to the gothic revival style with steeply pitched, gabled, roof and pointed arched windows. The building is of red brick, with fireclay detailing to quoins, windows and doors and plain tile roof. On the north elevation is a porch with steeply pitched roof supported on barley twist columns. The brickwork is of good quality, and unusual for the area, reflecting its likely origin as a show piece for the brickworks. Windows and doors have been replaced in uPVC.

Group Value

The building lies next to Naylor's brick and pipe works, which occupies the site of the original brickworks, and still forms a focal point the factory.

Historic Interest

The detailed history of the brickworks is not known. It appears on the first edition OS map of the 1850s, with Brick House appearing by the second edition OS map of the 1890s. By the early 20th century it is named as a stoneware works. Trade directories and Census data suggest the owner of the works was John Acton. The presence of a number of mine shafts at the site, as well as the absence of large clay pits, suggests clay extraction may have been carried out in an underground quarry. Whether this was in association with, or following, coal mining is unknown. The works grew through the 20th century, with five large beehive ovens for firing bricks present by the mid 20th century. The works remains in use for the production of fired clay products.

Archaeological Interest

The building has some archaeological interest in respect to its potential for its fabric to preserve evidence of its former use (whether as a lodge, showroom or cottage is unknown), and to inform us of the products and manufacturing processes carried out at the works in the late 19th century.

Landmark Status

The building forms a landmark on Lane Head Road owing to its proximity to the road and its unusual appearance for the area. It also forms a landmark for the existing brickworks, and provides a sense of the depth of the site's history.

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14 Jun 2023