Mr Ashby, who previously ran brickworks in Chandlers Ford, until the clay deposits ran low, established this steam driven brickworks in 1897.

The surviving buildings being the main part of the southern complex, which at its height was producing 20 million bricks a year and provided extensive local employment for around 180 people. The northern complex was demolished a number of years ago.

The brickworks was a family run concern until after the Second World War when it amalgamated with the Sussex and Dorking Brick Company and became Redlands in 1959. It remained open until 1974 when a combination of factors, including the decline in quality of the clay, problems with its extraction and increased labour and running costs and the interruption caused by the construction of the M27, meant the works were no longer viable and it was closed.

Twenty years passed and the old brickworks fell into a state of dereliction and were in danger of disappearing altogether, when it was saved and given listed status.

The brickworks was sold to Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust, for a token sum, as a result of an agreement with Redland plc which included an endowment to provide some of the funds needed for the restoration of the buildings.

Restoration began and is still an ongoing operation, which means there is plenty to keep visitors interested and find out just how much more there is to making a brick than you might think.

See also the article in the Autumn 2008 edition of "Brickbats"