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Summary

Shaugh Brickworks shown on 19th century map to the north of Shaugh Bridge

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of 19th century Ferro Ceramic Mine as well as remains of 16th century Bickleigh Mill, wheelpit and associated leat north of Shaugh Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SW/23/2
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BRICKWORKS (XIX - 1880 AD to 1890 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Shaugh Works (Brick)' shown on 19th century map as a long rectangular building to the north of Shaugh Bridge and west of the 'Ferro Ceramic Mine (Disused)'.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Shaugh Works (Disused)' shown on early 20th century map.

Owens, M., 1994, Industries beneath Dewer, 16-18 (Article in Serial). SDV158975.

Fletcher, M., 2000, The Ferro Ceramic Mine and Shaugh Brickworks, Meavy (Report - Survey). SDV360342.

A 1:500 scale survey was undertaken by English Heritage in 1999 at the Ferro Ceramic Mine and Shaugh Brickworks to identify the standing remains for management and conservation purposes. Survey revealed remains of structures associated with the two late 19th century industries. A revolutionary type of tunnel brick kiln 62 metres long was installed circa 1880 and was out of use by 1906. In an auction of 12th May 1883 it appears that the brickworks and the adjoining Ferro Ceramic Mine were offered together. The listed items for the brickworks included a Brogden and Casper Improved Tunnel Kiln, a tile kiln and two working sheds adjoining the brick kiln. Improvements were made to the tunnel kiln in 1880 and in 1882. The kiln was designed for continuous firing with trucks running on rails used to carry bricks through the stages of drying, firing and cooling. The kiln was at first sub-divided by vertical doors which were raised and lowered to allow the passage of the trucks these were later replaced by a shield of firebricks mounted at the end of each truck.

National Monument Record, 2017, Pastscape, 1030384, SX56SW37 (Website). SDV359964.

In November 1994, a field observation was undertaken by RCHME of a 19th and 20th century industrial complex at Shaugh Bridge, in the course of unrelated fieldwork nearby.
At the confluence of the rivers Plym and Meavy are the remains of a ferro-ceramic mine and brick kiln in operation from 1880-83. The remains include adits and shafts, leats and a wheel pit, settling tanks and a length of railway track, which allowed the brick kiln to be loaded and unloaded continuously.
Various other buildings, the foundations of which survive are shown on the Ordnance Survey First and Second Editions.
The abandoned iron mine and the adjacent ruins of the brick and tile manufacturing works located north east of Shaugh Bridge represents a unique survival of two late 19th century industries. Evidence of the brief industrial episode here is fossilised in the form of ruined structures and earthworks. These include the remains of one, probably two kilns and their associated buildings, a wheelpit and leat, rectangular stone-lined pits, building footings, adits and in-filled mine shafts. The site was investigated and surveyed at 1:500 scale by English Heritage in the Autumn of 1999 for the National Trust. The origins of the mine are not known, but authority 'to mine and search' for iron was granted in a lease issued to the Ferrio Ceramic Company in 1879. The terms of this lease and the assets of The Dewerstone Iron Mine, as it was then called, are described in an auction inventory dated 1883. The fate of the works after this date is not known but it seems likely that it was soon dismantled because it was disused by 1886. A revolutionary type of tunnel kiln was installed circa 1880 and there is documentary evidence to substantiate the existence of a tile kiln. A direct link with the clay drys as one source of the raw materials for the brickworks is postulated.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7345 - The Ferro Ceramic Mine and Shaugh Brickworks, Meavy
• EDV7370 - Survey of the charcoal-burning platforms at Goodameavy Woods
• EDV8730 - Shaugh Bridge and North Wood: English Heritage Field Survey Project

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