Description and History of Site:-
In 1889-92 the brickworks consisted of a main production building, a Hoffmann kiln, a shale quarry/clay pit that was connected to the production building by a plateway that went through a tunnel under the kiln, with a disused pit to the south of the works. The site was reused by a motor vehicle manufacturer before becoming a builders merchants keeping many of the brickworks buildings including the kiln following closure as a brickworks, though now only the lower part of kiln remains under modern additions. In 1850-1 there was no sign of brickmaking on the site, but in 1852 John Shortridge was identified as a brick manufacturer on Abbeydale Road, which is thought possibly to be this site or more likely the adjacent Lowfield Brickworks site. He continued to be identified as such until 1862. By 1862 Sheffield Patent Brick & Fire Clay Co. were identified as operating a brickworks at Attercliffe, but in due course it acquired/set up three brickworks that included the works on Abbeydale Road at Heeley, and left their Attercliffe site. To inject additional money into the enterprise to take over the operation of these three works it set up Sheffield Patent Brick Co. Ltd. in 1872 with its headquarters at the Abbeydale Road site. By 1876 the company was not doing as well as had been hoped for with stocks were beginning to build up, and land being sold off at Abbeydale Road site to reduce losses, which continued so that the liquidator was called in during 1879, though the company continued trading. Sheffield Brick Co. Ltd. was set up to purchase the company which it did, taking over on 1 January 1880 with its headquarters now at the Rutland Road site. The new company was successful stemming the losses. Meanwhile the liquidation process continued with the old company was finally wound up in 1882. During 1883 a Hoffmann kiln was added at the works, but during its erection it partially collapsed killing a man. In 1889-92 the brickworks comprised a main production building with a Hoffmann kiln immediately to its north with a shale quarry/clay pit beyond to the north that was connected to the production building by a plateway that went through a tunnel under the kiln, with a disused pit to the south of the works. By 1901-3 the production building had been extended to the east and the disused south pit had been brought back into use. Sheffield Brick Co. Ltd. continued operating the Aizlewood Road Brickworks until 1910 when the adjoining properties on land that predessor company had sold off precluded enlargement of the site and with the source of clay/shale exhausted it was closed. During this time the brickworks was also known as Abbeydale Road Brickyard then Brickworks, Heeley Brickworks, and Sheffield Brick Co.'s No.2 Works.
Subsequently the site was sold, becoming a motor vehicle garage where about 500 Richardson light cars were made between 1919 and 1921. Their engines were supplied by either J.A.P. (J.A.Prestwich and Company, of Tottenham, London) or Precision (Beardmore Precision, of Birmingham). Two cars are known to exist (2017), one of which is in Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield. Following this the site was used by a builders merchants which continued until after 1994, though by 2012 it had become Aluminium Surface Treatments.

Further Reading and References:-
Martyn Fretwell, UK Named Bricks website, http://www.uknamedbricks.blogspot.com.
Bayliss, D (ed). A guide to the industrial history of South Yorkshire. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 1995, entries C10 & F17.
Myers, S. Cars from Sheffield: the rise and fall of the Sheffield motor industry 1900 - 1930. Sheffield City Libraries, 1986.

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Key Words :- brickworks, motor manufacture cars vehicles, Hoffmann kiln, shale quarry, clay pit

Viewing the Site :- The site can be seen from Aizlewood Road.

Address :- Aizlewood Road, Heeley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S8 0AS
Grid Ref :- SK 34922 85030
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.360997 , Long -1.476723
Local Authority :- Sheffield City Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Scheduled Ancient Monument SAM
Historic England List No - 1021089,
Site Condition :- Site in industrial use
Site Dates :- c1865 - 1920s
Record Date :- 6 May 2015

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