Description and History of Site:-
Initially the firebrick works comprised just four bays of low roofed sheds within which all the preparation, production and drying were done, with round downdraught kilns added for the firebricks By the early 1970s the works had effectively become contained within a single large irregularly shaped shed, made up of many different sheds/buildings/structures that just abutted each other, apart from a series of offices buildings, that included the laboratory, along the east side. The works remains operational. In 1892 John West leased Friden Farm and Pit from Squire T. W. Bateman, where he set up a new company, Derbyshire Silica Firebrick Co., to build a firebrick works which went into production in April 1894, though common bricks had been made on site during into construction. He also owned West Gas Improvement Co. who built gas production plant and wanted the firebrick works to make refractories needed for use in and with the plant. Initially the firebrick works comprised four bays of low roofed sheds within which there was a grinding pan driven by an old locomotive engine powered by steam from a vertical boiler, and a small drying floor, mainly utilising raw materials from Friden Pit. Whilst the building bricks were fired in clamps, the first round downdraught kiln was built in 1895 for the firebricks, when there were around 19 employees which by 1905 had grown to 44. In 1898 the firm became a limited liability company. During 1906 Blakemoor Pit opened and a horse worked narrow gauge tramroad connected it to the works, with each horse hauling two 1cu.yd. side tipping tubs. From 1907 the company's products started to be sold worldwide. During 1920 a fire engulfed the lower sheds where it was fortunately contained, and by the middle of the following year more modern machinery had been installed in the new replacement buildings. In 1923 new offices, canteen and laboratory were added and a Motor Rail Simplex petrol locomotive was bought to replace the horses, around which time there were 188 employees at the works. Over time they broadened their industrial base so that by 1932 there were also supplying refractories to the steel, glass, cement and petroleum industries, as well as producing roadstone. The works continued to operate through the Second World War with 342 people employed at the works in 1942 when Italian prisoners of war started to be employed with an average of around 45 being there for the rest of hostilities. By 1950 the main products were 'Siliceous', 'Semi-Siliceous' with 82-92% silica, 'Peaksil' with 95% silica made from ganister in the western part of the works, and 'Dome' diatomaceous insulating bricks/blocks together with matching cements. By this time, in addition to the pits to the south served by the narrow gauge tramroad, road vehicles brought in much of the raw material from other pits in the area, with ganister coming from the east of Matlock, whilst the diatomaceous earth produced in Northern Ireland coming to the works by railways from the docks. Once at the works the raw materials were blended as necessary before being put into storage bunkers from where they go to the pressed, being pugged en-route if required, where they were made into bricks, blocks or special shapes, with some of the latter having to be hand made where they could not be machine moulded. From there they would go to the drying areas with their hollow floors heated by waste/used steam to be dried before being set in the kilns for controlled firing, a process lasting up to sixteen and a half days. After firing the products were drawn there were inspected and then loaded into railway wagons or road vehicle for dispatch to their users, or put into storage. During 1967 the railway line that served the works was closed, so all raw materials had to be brought in and production then had to arrive or leave by road. By the early 1970s the works had effectively become contained within a single large irregularly shaped shed, made up of many different sheds/buildings/structures that just abutted each other, apart from a series of offices buildings, that included the laboratory, along the east side. In 1987 West Group International, as the parent company had become, sold Derbyshire Silica Firebrick Co. Ltd., operators of the works, to British Hartford-Fairmont Ltd. In 1993 the subsidiary operating company went into receivership, with the works passing to DSF Refractories & Minerals Ltd. with Derek Whelpton managing director, who were also owned by British Hartford-Fairmont Ltd. In the 1990s the near-by silica pits, which had been used to supply the works, closed, along with the tramroad. By this time the works had gone over to primarily producing high alumina refractories rather than silica based ones, which were exported all over the world. The works has continued trading with 115 employees based at the works in 2015.

Further Reading and References:-
N. Jones & J. M. Bentley, Scenes from the Past 37 Part 1: Railways of the High Peak: Whaley Bridge to Friden, Foxline, Stockport, 2000, pp. 68-77 quoting Dr. J. R. Hollick's High Peak Notebook, and Derek Whelpton, managing director of DSF Refractories and Minerals Ltd. together with the company's archive.

https://www.dsf.co.uk/about.html

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Key Words :- brickworks, brickyard, firebrick works, fireclay, refractory, kiln, clay mine, pit, quarry

Viewing the Site :- The brickworks can be seen from Friden Road.

Address :- Friden Road, Friden, Hartington, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 0DX
Grid Ref :- SK 1700 6080
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.144078 , Long -1.747301
Local Authority :- Derbyshire Dales District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Derbyshire
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1894 - in use
Record Date :- 29 June 2021

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Chris Bateman