19th century brickworks, Bell's Brickworks, Saffron Walden (EHER 15724)

Bell's Brickworks were located south-east of Shire Hill Farm.

1997-2002. Survey. Bell's Brickworks were located south-east of Shire Hill Farm. It dated from 1865 to about 1910 and was operated by William Bell and Sons. The brickworks produced red hand-made bricks only that were most prominently used at the hospital, London Road, a structure in the Gothic style erected 1866 and the Friends School, built 1876-1879, a substantial structure of red brick designed by Edward Burgess costing nearly £30,000. The Town Hall was erected in 1761 to replace the Guildhall. The present mock Tudor front was added in 1879. The materials used included 159,700 red bricks at about 24 shillings per thousand and stone supplied by William Bell and Sons at a cost of £33 19s 0d. The brick mark was a 'B' for William Bell and Sons. The 'B' was deeply imprinted into each concave frog. William Bell and sons, builders and brickmakers was founded at Cambridge in 1794. The Saffron Walden branch was established in 1865 by Joseph Bell, J.P., C.A., (1833-1911) a grandson of the founder. Joseph Bell became head of the firm which were principally builders and contractors but also timber and builders merchants as well as brick and tile makers. Apart from these brickworks at Saffron Walden they also owned other brickworks at Ashdon and Audley End. In 1873 Jospeh Bell owned a 1a 0r 5p of land in Saffron Walden. In the 1870s their Saffron Walden works had one rectangular kiln with a clay pit on the opposite (south) side of the road. The hospital, Friends School, and Town Hall were built by William Bell and Sons using bricks made by them. Their builders yard was located at South Road near the Railway Station where it included large mills equipped with sawing, planning and moulding machinery driven by steam power, carpenters and other workshops, stores, offices and timber drying sheds and yards. Building materials supplied by them included tiles, slates, chimney pots, drain pipes, terra cotta, bricks, paviors, lime cement, hair, lathes etc. They were also sanitary and hot water engineers and agents for the Alliance Fire and Life Assurance Company. Joseph Bell was Mayor of Saffron Walden on eleven occasions and died on 30th December 1911. He was also the founder and a director of Stanton and Co. Limited, contractors and timber merchants of Kings Lynn and one of the founders of the Meldreth Cement Co. Cambridge. He was President of the Cambridge and District Master Builders’ Association and a prominent member of the National Master Builders’ Federation and the London Builders’ Institute. In 1907 he was elected President of the Builders’ Institute. Although their three brickworks closed by or during the First World War the building side of the business continued at South Road until well into the 1930’s. Site Assessment = Undeveloped with potentially intact below ground remains. Desk-based assessment and walkover in first instance with further intrusive works if warranted. <1> See : <2>