Sittingbourne in Kent, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
Sittingbourne Bricks
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, March 29, 2025
1. Sittingbourne Bricks Marker
Inscription.
Sittingbourne Bricks. . At its peak, in the 1870's, Sittingbourne had the largest brickworks in the world. There were many brickworks on both sides of Milton Creek, the largest manufacturer being Smeed Dean, which in 1877 was selling 60 million bricks a year. Smeed Dean produced the pale yellow London Stock Bricks that were used to build thousands of domestic homes and factories as well as landmark buildings like Buckingham Palace. Other significant Sittingbourne brick makers included Burley's and Wills and Packham., The Sittingbourne London Stock Bricks took their distinctive pale yellow colour from the addition of local chalk to the usual clay. The brick making process also needed ashes, which were brought from London on the same barges, and took the finished bricks back to the Capital., The pale yellow London Stock Bricks are still manufactured in Sittingbourne today.
At its peak, in the 1870's, Sittingbourne had the largest brickworks in the world. There were many brickworks on both sides of Milton Creek, the largest manufacturer being Smeed Dean, which in 1877 was selling 60 million bricks a year. Smeed Dean produced the pale yellow London Stock Bricks that were used to build thousands of domestic homes and factories as well as landmark buildings like Buckingham Palace. Other significant Sittingbourne brick makers included Burley's and Wills & Packham.
The Sittingbourne London Stock Bricks took their distinctive pale yellow colour from the addition of local chalk to the usual clay. The brick making process also needed ashes, which were brought from London on the same barges, and took the finished bricks back to the Capital.
The pale yellow London Stock Bricks are still manufactured in Sittingbourne today.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 51° 20.497′ N, 0° 44.082′ E. Marker is in Sittingbourne, England, in Kent. It is on Saint Michael's Road, on the left. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7 St Michael's Road, Sittingbourne, England ME10 3ED, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Greater South East. Globally, it is in the Atlantic Ocean, in the North Atlantic Region, in Europe, in Atlantic Europe, on one of the British Isles, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 198 times since then and 74 times this year. Photo1. submitted on May 20, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
