About
The Somerset Brick and Tile Museum preserves the last substantially intact remains of a once-mighty local industry: the manufacture of brick and clay roof tile in and around Bridgwater, Somerset, which for over a century made the town one of the most significant centres of this trade in the whole of England. Housed on the site of a former brickworks beside the River Parrett, the museum survives as a rare physical link to an industry that has otherwise almost entirely vanished from the town it once dominated.
Bridgwater's brick and tile industry grew from the exceptionally rich deposits of alluvial clay found along the banks of the River Parrett, ideal for brick and tile manufacture. From the early nineteenth century, dozens of brickworks and kilns operated in and around the town, and 'Bridgwater brick' together with the town's distinctive clay roof tiles were shipped from the River Parrett's quays to destinations across Britain and, at the industry's Victorian and Edwardian peak, exported internationally to markets as far afield as South America and Australia. At its height, the industry employed thousands of Bridgwater residents in clay digging, brick moulding, kiln firing, and the associated trades of barge transport and quay work that moved the finished product to market.
The museum preserves and interprets the surviving structures, kilns, and machinery of one of the town's former brickworks, illustrating the entire manufacturing process from raw clay extraction through moulding, drying, and firing to the finished brick or tile ready for shipment. Displays document the physically demanding and often dangerous working conditions of brickyard labour, the seasonal rhythms of the trade, and the gradual twentieth-century decline of Bridgwater's brickmaking industry in the face of competition from cheaper machine-made products elsewhere and changing building fashions, a decline that saw the closure of the last of the town's brickworks by the late twentieth century.
The museum's public opening has, in recent years, been significantly reduced from a standard regular-hours model, and current access is understood to be limited to occasional advertised open days and pre-arranged group visits rather than routine year-round opening — a common pattern for small industrial heritage sites of this kind once local authority or full-time staffing support diminishes. Visitors are strongly advised to check the current operating status and any scheduled open days directly with the museum or local council before planning a visit, as opening arrangements may vary from year to year.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current operating status and any advertised open days before travelling — public access to this site has been reduced in recent years and cannot be assumed to be routine.
- Heritage Open Days in September is historically a reliable time when small industrial heritage sites like this one are more likely to be open — check for participation.
- Wear sturdy footwear, as the site preserves genuine industrial structures with uneven surfaces.
- Combine a visit with the nearby Blake Museum in Bridgwater town centre for a fuller picture of the town's history.
- There are no toilet or refreshment facilities on site — plan accordingly in Bridgwater town centre.
- Volunteer guides, where available on open days, bring valuable first-hand or family knowledge of the brickmaking trade.
- Photography is generally welcomed; ask any volunteers present if unsure about specific areas.
- If you have family connections to Bridgwater's brickyards, mention this on any open day visit, as volunteers may be able to point you towards further local archive resources.
Highlights
The Surviving Kiln
The museum's centrepiece is one of the last surviving brick and tile kilns from Bridgwater's once-extensive brickmaking industry, preserved as physical evidence of a manufacturing process that has otherwise entirely disappeared from the town.
Visitors can see the scale and construction of a working nineteenth or early twentieth-century kiln, understanding at first hand the industrial infrastructure that once lined the banks of the River Parrett.
Bridgwater's Clay and the River Parrett
Displays explain the geological good fortune that made Bridgwater a national centre of brick and tile manufacture: exceptionally rich alluvial clay deposits along the River Parrett, combined with river access allowing finished bricks and tiles to be shipped cheaply to markets across Britain and, at the industry's peak, internationally.
'Bridgwater Brick' and Its Export Trade
At its Victorian and Edwardian height, Bridgwater's brick and tile industry exported its products to markets as far afield as South America and Australia, and 'Bridgwater brick' became a recognised trade name across the building industry. Shipping records, trade catalogues, and photographs of loaded barges on the River Parrett illustrate the scale of this once-thriving export trade.
The Brickmaking Process
The museum explains the full brickmaking process as practised in Bridgwater's works: clay extraction and preparation, moulding by hand and later by machine, drying in open-sided sheds, and firing in the kiln at carefully controlled temperatures, illustrating the skill and physical labour required at every stage before mechanisation gradually altered the trade.
Collections
The Somerset Brick and Tile Museum holds a collection documenting Bridgwater's historic brick and tile manufacturing industry, including surviving kiln and works structures, hand tools, brick and tile moulds, trade catalogues, shipping and export records, and photographs of the works and their employees.
The collection reflects both the industrial process of brickmaking and the social history of the workforce that sustained the trade for over a century. Given the industry's near-total disappearance from Bridgwater, the museum's holdings represent an important and increasingly rare physical record of a trade that once defined the town's economy and international trading reputation.
Bridgwater Brick: An Industry That Shaped a Town
The full story of Bridgwater's brick and tile manufacturing industry, from its origins in local clay deposits to its international export trade and eventual decline.
📍 Main Site
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.