Mansfield's Forgotten Places.

The Brick Works

By Alan Curtis

If you were to ask people where was Mansfield's Brick Works ?  My guess would be that only a few people would know. Although it was defunct when I was young, the Kilns and the pond were still there.

The Brick Works were at the end of " Moor Lane " and spread down to the railway lines at the top of Bradder Street.  

Ten Row

At the Brick Works side of the railway lines stood a row of stone houses, These stone houses were called  " Ten Row" and faced the railway lines.  Between the houses and the railway lines there was a stone wall about four feet in height. I remember seeing these houses being demolished, must have been around 1939, long after the Brick Works were closed.It is quite possible they were there for the Brick workers

Victoria Terrace

Victoria Terrace,( My Aunt lived at number 6 ).  The houses of Victoria Terrace stood sort of back to front,  their back yards, with coal houses and toilets at the rear along side the Brick Works. Along the back of the terraced houses there was an unmade road between the Kilns  and the outhouses, this road was a continuation of the Back Lane to Bradder Street, which crossed over the railway lines and took you past the tops of Cambridge Street, Princess Street, Victoria Street, and Moor Street, along Moor Lane, past Moor Lane school and on to Sutton Road.

St Aidens Church

Between the top of Princess Street, and Victoria Street, at the top of an embankment stood Saint Aidens Church. The church was made of timber and corrugated iron sheeting. Mr Oliver was the vicar. 

At the front of Victoria Terrace houses they had long narrow gardens that overlooked the hay-field. All the gardens were well stocked and cared for with all kinds of fruit and vegetables.

Smelly Pigs

At the beginning of Victoria Terrace was an Off-Licence run by Mr and Mrs Blower. Just a couple of times I caught my dad having tot of whiskey in there for 2d. He never went into a pub! When you walked onto the hayfield along side of Mr Blowers garden, one had to hold their nose as Mr Blower kept pigs in a sty.

At the other end of Victoria Terrace was a club which I would think did very well when the Brick Works were working.

Brick Yard Pond

The Brick Work kilns continued at the side of the club and up to the brickyard pond. As a youngster I used to play and crawl through some of the derelict kilns. And I'm afraid the brickyard pond did claim a few lives.

It was eventually filled in and cleared in the late 1940's .