Industrial History Online

Industrial History Online

Site of Stonefall Brick Works

Description and History of Site:-
Stonefall Brickworks was a complex consisting of clay pits and the buildings that formed the works themselves.

It occupied a site bounded to the East by the Leeds to Thirsk railway and to the South by the Harrogate to Wetherby road.
It is now an open green area known as Panhandle Fields.

An information point erected by the Hookstone and Stonefall Action Group in 2017 at the Wetherby Road entrance gives some background to this site. The following has been gleaned from examination of the Ordnance Survey maps and the information board referred to above.

1854 6inch Yorkshire 154 Surveyed: 1847 to 1849:
No evidence of any works shown.
1863 (unknown):The information board asserts that the brickworks were seen on this map.
1891 25inch Yorkshire CLIV.15 Surveyed: 1889 to 1890:
Two clay pits are shown, "old clay pit" to the NW and "clay pit" to the SE of the site.A complex of buildings occupies the lower part of the site. A branch line from the Leeds Thirsk railway enters the site at the SE corner.What appear to be two ponds are shown, one within the confines of “clay pit” the other in the SE corner of the site.
1909 25inch 25inch Yorkshire CLIV.15 Revised 1907:
Expansion of "clay pit" which now occupies most of the remaining site can be seen although “old clay pit” still exists.
Some alteration to the form of the buildings is seen.
Both ponds have disappeared.
1934 25inch 25inch Yorkshire CLIV.15 Revised 1932:
Further expansion of “clay pit” evident which now incorporates “old clay pit” and now occupies the entire northern 2/3 of the site.
The development of the buildings themselves can be seen on these maps.
A chimney is now denoted to the SE of the buildings.
The Leeds to Thirsk railway was opened on 1848 and closed in 1951 although a shunting track remained until 1962.
It is not known whether the railway was used to despatch finished bricks and if so when that ceased.
The site closed in 1969 and the chimney was demolished in 1971.
Local people recall the water filled clay pit being used for swimming and fishing before it was drained and used as landfill site in 1971.
Use as a landfill site ceased in the 1990's and the area capped, landscaped, planted with clumps of trees and used as a BMX cycle track for a short period of time.It is now an open community space.
The boundary extents are those from the 1891 map


Further Reading and References:-
OS maps available on National Library of Scotland site https://www.maps.nls.uk
1854 6inch map: https://maps.nls.uk/view/102344737
1891 25inch map: https://maps.nls.uk/view/125635267
1909 25inch map: https://maps.nls.uk/view/100945190
1934 25inch map: https://maps.nls.uk/view/125635273


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Key Words :- Brickwork Clay Pit

Viewing the Site :- Site is now public green area

Address :- Wetherby Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 7AE
Grid Ref :- SE 33085 54542
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.985876 , Long -1.496940
Local Authority :- Harrogate Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site cleared - no above ground remains visible
Site Dates :- 1860s - 1969
Contributor :- David Rees - 16 January 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Rees