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Westley Brickworks in Westley Road, Bury St Edmunds
The directories are not very helpful in the case of this brickworks.
Kellys 1888 edition lists William Rushbrooke at Westley, Bury St. Edmunds. At this time this brickworks was just outside the Borough boundary and therefore within Westley parish.
However, in the British Brick Society "Information No 26, of 2014, Graeme Perry gives a much fuller picture:-
"This works was started in about 1850 by James Lee of Bury St Edmunds, who had a timber merchants business in Risbygate Street. He also sold the bricks he manufactured though this establishment, in addition, of course, to supplying direct from the kiln. Red bricks were made and it does not seem that they bore any mark as to their origin. |
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James Lee died in 1864, and the brickworks was carried on until 1869 by the executors, when John Lee took over. He continued until 1887, when William Rushbrooke bought the works. Brickmaking continued until 1892 when the clay appeared to be running out, and in that year Rushbrooke took over a works at Sicklesmere, to the south of Bury St Edmunds, and closed Westley Road. The red bricks which were made at Westley Road by Rushbrooke had the name ‘RUSHBROOKE’ impressed in the frog. The bricks were mainly used locally, but some quite large contracts were served, one of the biggest being the erection of Gibraltar Barracks in 1878. Pantiles were also produced at Westley Road Brickworks." |
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The area today Westley Road is now entirely residential. There is no trace of the brickworks or of the nearby Burrell's chemical works.
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Summary of the owners or managers
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British Brick Society newsletter "Information No 26", April 2014,
Website - David Kitching's website - Brick Section
Website - Martyn Fretwell's blog on bricks etc
Photos of bricks by Martyn Fretwell courtesy of Museum of East Anglian Life.
Page created on 20th August, 2023
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