Seeing a news report about the demolition of some towers at an old brickworks site jogged a very faint memory for me.
When I was young I had a distant relative living way down south in Kent and we did visit occasionally. Now bearing in mind that I’m talking about the 1960s/70s a trip that far south was a major expedition with my old man religiously checking the car’s various fluids etc.
Getting to the point I seem to remember seeing from the M1 a place where there was loads and loads of chimneys in a small area. A google tells me I could have been looking at Stewartby Brick. However I don’t ever remember seeing them as a lorry driver ie later than 1986.
So my question to the locals, could I have seen Stewartby Brickworks from the M1? And when was it demolished?
Lonewolf Yorks:
Seeing a news report about the demolition of some towers at an old brickworks site jogged a very faint memory for me.
When I was young I had a distant relative living way down south in Kent and we did visit occasionally. Now bearing in mind that I’m talking about the 1960s/70s a trip that far south was a major expedition with my old man religiously checking the car’s various fluids etc.
Getting to the point I seem to remember seeing from the M1 a place where there was loads and loads of chimneys in a small area. A google tells me I could have been looking at Stewartby Brick. However I don’t ever remember seeing them as a lorry driver ie later than 1986.
So my question to the locals, could I have seen Stewartby Brickworks from the M1? And when was it demolished?
I’m not a Bedfordshire local like but if you closed your eyes going southbound on the M1 ( well I could 'cause I was riding shotgun in a Brady Octopus and trailer) you knew were passing Stewarby by the acrid stench that came into the cab. !! Cheers Bewick.
Well I used to back load from Stewartbey in the early 60s, Onwards for delivery to the North East, It was all hand ball and stacked with straw, The loaders were all from abroad, But good at their job, Larry.
Lonewolf Yorks:
Seeing a news report about the demolition of some towers at an old brickworks site jogged a very faint memory for me.
When I was young I had a distant relative living way down south in Kent and we did visit occasionally. Now bearing in mind that I’m talking about the 1960s/70s a trip that far south was a major expedition with my old man religiously checking the car’s various fluids etc.
Getting to the point I seem to remember seeing from the M1 a place where there was loads and loads of chimneys in a small area. A google tells me I could have been looking at Stewartby Brick. However I don’t ever remember seeing them as a lorry driver ie later than 1986.
So my question to the locals, could I have seen Stewartby Brickworks from the M1? And when was it demolished?
The chances are it was Ridgemont depot you could see from the M1 Bewick, a sizeable works and the one my dads mate worked out of, long gone now with a large Amazon warehouse amongst others now on the redeveloped land, Stewartby sits around 3 or 4 miles off the M1 and in a dip below Brogborough hill so highly unlikely it was that depot you could see, Stewartby brickyard is long gone but still has 4 chimneys standing which have a preservation order on them or at least they did the last time I heard anything, I did read something along the lines of a developer wanted to demolish them though as they are now supposedly unsafe.
Lonewolf Yorks:
Seeing a news report about the demolition of some towers at an old brickworks site jogged a very faint memory for me.
When I was young I had a distant relative living way down south in Kent and we did visit occasionally. Now bearing in mind that I’m talking about the 1960s/70s a trip that far south was a major expedition with my old man religiously checking the car’s various fluids etc.
Getting to the point I seem to remember seeing from the M1 a place where there was loads and loads of chimneys in a small area. A google tells me I could have been looking at Stewartby Brick. However I don’t ever remember seeing them as a lorry driver ie later than 1986.
So my question to the locals, could I have seen Stewartby Brickworks from the M1? And when was it demolished?
The chances are it was Ridgemont depot you could see from the M1 Bewick, a sizeable works and the one my dads mate worked out of, long gone now with a large Amazon warehouse amongst others now on the redeveloped land, Stewartby sits around 3 or 4 miles off the M1 and in a dip below Brogborough hill so highly unlikely it was that depot you could see, Stewartby brickyard is long gone but still has 4 chimneys standing which have a preservation order on them or at least they did the last time I heard anything, I did read something along the lines of a developer wanted to demolish them though as they are now supposedly unsafe.
Thanks for correcting me “K” it was Ridgemont brickworks and we used to exit the M1 in later years to run over to our trailer park at Hockliffe on the A5 ! Cheers Bewick
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well I used to back load from Stewartbey in the early 60s, Onwards for delivery to the North East, It was all hand ball and stacked with straw, The loaders were all from abroad, But good at their job, Larry.
I believe the brickyard workers were mainly Italians who had been POW’s and they decided to stay after WW2 and those London Brick drivers knew where the best cafes were as there was always a few of them on a cafe park once they had got tipped early morning and making their way back to reload. I was once told by one of the London brick lads that the 4 wheelers did two Londons in a day and the 8 wheelers usually got sent down the South coast or on the longer distance loads on a one tripper sounded about right though. Cheers Dennis.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well I used to back load from Stewartbey in the early 60s, Onwards for delivery to the North East, It was all hand ball and stacked with straw, The loaders were all from abroad, But good at their job, Larry.
I believe the brickyard workers were mainly Italians who had been POW’s and they decided to stay after WW2 and those London Brick drivers knew where the best cafes were as there was always a few of them on a cafe park once they had got tipped early morning and making their way back to reload. I was once told by one of the London brick lads that the 4 wheelers did two Londons in a day and the 8 wheelers usually got sent down the South coast or on the longer distance loads on a one tripper sounded about right though. Cheers Dennis.
A lot of them didn’t wait to get tipped before they found a cafe, Bobs just off the M1 at Watford was usually full of LBC lorries first thing in the morning
I regularly loaded out of Stewartby in the seventies when I worked for Waughs of Newcastle.
I’ve been racking my brain to try and think of the name of the pub in the layby on the right heading up to Bedford? I seem to remember loading at Stewartby was a bit of a ball ache,
so we often had to wait until the next day to load. Consequently the pub was a favourite spot, and a “lock in” often occurred . Another pub we used was " The Old English Gentleman" in Bedford, I think we used that one when loading at Allens, an engineering co which was part of Clarke Chapman/ Parsons group. Happy days!! Regards Kev.
Hi Kev, you have had me racking my brains out all morning thinking of the name of that pub.
I remember that Nuttall’s drivers used to use it quite a lot and that the landlord had a fourteen year old daughter who was always on the C.B. apparently.
This is the only thing that I can find on Google Earth but it looks smaller than how I remember it.
Bewick:
I’m not a Bedfordshire local like but if you closed your eyes going southbound on the M1 ( well I could 'cause I was riding shotgun in a Brady Octopus and trailer) you knew were passing Stewarby by the acrid stench that came into the cab. !! Cheers Bewick.
Funnily enough I remember passing a coal mine right by the M1 in the north Notts area which was a much more regular occurrence as I had a set of grandparents down that way. That used to smell big time. Every now and again you’d see the big cartwheels turning at the top of the mine tower. About where J29A is today.
Looks like Ridgemont is the one I have the faint memory of.
kevmac47:
I regularly loaded out of Stewartby in the seventies when I worked for Waughs of Newcastle.
I’ve been racking my brain to try and think of the name of the pub in the layby on the right heading up to Bedford? I seem to remember loading at Stewartby was a bit of a ball ache,
so we often had to wait until the next day to load. Consequently the pub was a favourite spot, and a “lock in” often occurred . Another pub we used was " The Old English Gentleman" in Bedford, I think we used that one when loading at Allens, an engineering co which was part of Clarke Chapman/ Parsons group. Happy days!! Regards Kev.
Hi Kev, the pub in the layby on the A421 you mentioned was the Brickmakers arms, it burnt down but I think it’s back to being just a house now.
The Old English Gentleman hasn’t been a pub for years, situated in a rough area of Bedford, Commercial Road where the old cattle market and lorry park used to be. I worked at Allen’s for 11 years.
Thanks Kempston, how could I not recall the name of that pub?? Unless it was all those lockin’s causing memory loss. That pic of the O.E.Gentleman certainly brings back some
good times we all seemed to have when the job was a lot better. Regards Kev.
kevmac47:
Thanks Kempston, how could I not recall the name of that pub?? Unless it was all those lockin’s causing memory loss. That pic of the O.E.Gentleman certainly brings back some
good times we all seemed to have when the job was a lot better. Regards Kev.
Aye Kev, It was one of Parkeys haunts, In fact thats where he been when got breathelised, And lost his licence sadley to say, But he kept on at Waughies steam cleaning their gear pre M O T,Larry.
An update on the chimneys, the last 4 standing were demolished yesterday according to the local news, so all 128 chimneys that were once in the Marston Vale have now all gone.
Kempston:
An update on the chimneys, the last 4 standing were demolished yesterday according to the local news, so all 128 chimneys that were once in the Marston Vale have now all gone.
Saw that on the news this morning, landmarks gone forever, Buzzer
