Watnall Brickworks

Watnall Brickworks sits by the M1 motorway between Hucknall and Watnall in Nottinghamshire.

Watnall used spoil from the local mines, which was then crushed to a fine powder. This was then mixed with water, put into moulds and baked for about two weeks.  This produced cinder blocks known as common bricks, which were used like breeze blocks of today, for the inner walls of buildings. The brickworks also supplied 'puddle' bricks to the East Midlands collieries. Unbaked, these bricks were used to stop up 'Gob' fires down the mines. One of the sources of this spoil was by rail from Moorgreen pit, a train came every day at approx 3:30 pm with about ten wagons of spoil. Spoil arrived by road from Wollaton colliery as it was in a built up area and there rail sidings to the colliery.

Built as an addition to Watnall Colliery, which was the largest of the coal mines in Watnall. The colliery opened in 1873, it was closed in 1950. The brickworks finally closed in 1975. All that remain are four chimneys, in what is now wasteland. The four kilns sat behind the chimneys which have now been reduced to rubble. At the rear of number one kiln was the puddle shop, this is where the bricks were made.

Sadly on wednesday, 12th August 2009, the chimneys were demolished, forever removing the famous landmark. Safety reasons were cited for the removal of the chimneys after it was claimed that bricks were stolen from the chimneys making them unstable and likely to collapse.

They were demolished by Bloom Demolition and Excavation, East Markham.