The Old Brickworks
Now a natural habitat with informal pathways
Origins, Location, and Early Purpose
Cruden Bay Brickworks was founded in the early 20th century, around 1902, nestled near the village of Cruden Bay. Positioned close to the clay-rich quarries of Port Erroll, the location was chosen for its abundant natural resources and convenient access to local transport routes.
The brickworks specialized primarily in the manufacture of field drain tiles and other essential infrastructure products, a role that would define much of its industrial identity. While bricks for buildings were produced, the bulk of the output supported the agricultural and rural economy, laying the hidden veins that sustained farms, roads, and drainage systems across the region.
Early operations were modest, employing a small workforce drawn from the local community. Men labored long hours in the kilns and clay pits, while families often lived nearby in houses provided or rented by the brickworks. These cottages, now known as the Bricker Houses, formed a close-knit community where work and home life were intertwined.
The kilns themselves were a defining feature, including a Hoffmann continuous kiln that allowed for efficient, large-scale production. Early reports suggest daily output could reach thousands of bricks and tiles, highlighting the significance of the works even in its first decade. The Brickworks quickly became a cornerstone of local industry, providing employment and supporting the infrastructure that underpinned life in Cruden Bay and beyond. Its early decades laid the foundations for a century-long story of industry, community, and transformation.
Long before the development of Cruden Bay village as we know it today, the Brickworks were a predominant employer in the area. The image below shows the extent of the site, with the only housing visible being ‘The Bricker Houses’ which were built to accommodate the company’s employees.
An ariel view showing the former brickworks and clay pits, with the (10 semi-detached) ‘Bricker Houses’ on Errolston Road, long before the development of the Braehead housing estate.
The audio track below celebrates the lives of those ‘Brickwork’ employees who once lived in The Bricker Houses, as well as the lives of those who live in them today.
The Bricker Houses
The Brickworks Through Important Times
Throughout the 20th century, Cruden Bay Brickworks played a crucial role in supporting the community and the wider region, especially during periods of national challenge. During the World Wars, the brickworks’ production of field drain tiles and essential construction materials became even more significant. As agriculture and rural infrastructure faced manpower shortages, the steady output of the brickworks helped maintain vital systems that kept farms operational.
The workforce adapted to changing demands, balancing routine production with wartime priorities. Men labored long hours in the kilns, while families supported the effort on the home front, maintaining households and contributing to a resilient, local economy. The mid-century years saw further modernization. In 1947, the brickworks were extended and updated, increasing production to meet both local and regional needs.
At its peak, annual output reportedly reached several million bricks, highlighting its enduring industrial importance. Beyond numbers, the brickworks fostered a strong sense of community. Workers developed lifelong friendships, and many families had generational ties to the site. The Bricker Houses remained a focal point for this community life, housing workers and reinforcing bonds between home and workplace.
Even as technology changed and kilns were modernised from coal to gas, the human element—the labor, camaraderie, and dedication—remained central. Cruden Bay Brickworks was more than an industrial facility; it was a hub of social and economic life, quietly shaping the landscape and sustaining the region through both ordinary and extraordinary times.
Decline and Demolition
By the late 20th century, changing industrial demands and economic pressures signaled the decline of Cruden Bay Brickworks. Advances in building materials, competition from larger manufacturers, and shifts in agricultural infrastructure gradually reduced the need for the traditional products that had sustained the works for decades. Workforce numbers dwindled as operations scaled back, and by the 1980s, the brickworks’ once-bustling kilns were largely silent.
Despite its industrial importance, the site could not escape the broader trend of deindustrialization affecting many rural Scottish enterprises. Eventually, the brickworks closed its doors, leaving a landscape marked by abandoned kilns, clay pits, and the quiet echoes of decades of labor.
Demolition followed in stages; most buildings were removed, leaving only traces of foundations and the earthworks where kilns and drying sheds had once stood. Machinery was dismantled or scrapped, and the physical presence of the brickworks faded from the village.
Yet while the industrial structures disappeared, their imprint on the community remained. The Bricker Houses, once rented or owned by employees, continued to provide homes, now largely in private hands. Memories of the work, the camaraderie, and the vital role the brickworks played in sustaining local livelihoods lingered in the oral history of Cruden Bay. Though the brickworks itself no longer existed, its legacy remained woven into the fabric of the village and the surrounding landscape.
Reclaimed by Nature
With the closure and demolition of the brickworks, the surrounding site slowly began to revert to a more natural state. Clay quarries, once the source of labor and industry, filled with water, creating ponds and habitats that attracted swans, birds, and other wildlife. Grasses, reeds, and shrubs gradually colonized the former industrial ground, softening the memory of kilns and clay pits with the calm persistence of nature. Paths and embankments, once carefully maintained for industrial use, became overgrown, blending into the rolling coastal hills and giving the landscape a peaceful, reclaimed quality.
This transformation illustrates the resilience of both nature and memory: while human activity once dominated the area, ecological processes quietly restored balance, creating a sanctuary for wildlife and a reflective space for visitors. The Bricker Houses stand nearby as a living reminder of the village’s industrial past.
Though the brickworks are gone, the houses are still occupied, linking past and present, labor and home. The site today tells a layered story—of human ingenuity, community, labor, and the quiet reclamation of the land. It is a testament to how history and nature intertwine, preserving the memory of a once-thriving enterprise while allowing the landscape to breathe and flourish anew.
Legacy and Community Today
Though the kilns are long silent and the brickworks gone, Cruden Bay Brickworks’ legacy endures in the community and landscape. The Bricker Houses remain as private homes, cherished by families who continue to live in a village shaped by the industry that once defined it. Local residents recall stories passed down through generations of workers, keeping alive the memory of the dedication, camaraderie, and craftsmanship that sustained the region.
Beyond personal histories, the bricks and tiles themselves—once hidden underground as field drains and infrastructure—remain a quiet, enduring testament to the skill and labor of those who produced them. The reclaimed quarry ponds, teeming with wildlife, provide a living, natural reminder of the site’s transformation and resilience.
Today, Cruden Bay celebrates its heritage through these subtle markers: the preserved houses, the ponds, and the enduring stories of a community built around hard work, ingenuity, and mutual support. The brickworks may be gone physically, but its impact on local culture, landscape, and collective memory continues to shape the identity of Cruden Bay, offering both residents and visitors a window into a century of industrial history and its lasting human and environmental echoes.
The Walk of D.R.A.C.U.L.A.
In nineteen-ninety, the usually quiet residents of Cruden Bay united in protest against the expanding commercial ambitions of Cairds, a company dealing in domestic waste disposal. Cairds proposed depositing nearly a million tons of household refuse into the old clay quarries beside the abandoned brickworks. To villagers, the plan threatened not only the landscape surrounding their homes but also the character and heritage of the community itself.
Cruden Bay’s strong literary ties, especially its association with Bram Stoker and the creation of Dracula, inspired the villagers to frame their resistance with a touch of dark humour. They formed an action group with the pointed name “Determined Residents Against Cairds Unlawful Land Acquisition.” This title, knowingly dramatic, reflected both their creativity and their determination to resist an outside force seen as careless of local concerns.
At the time, a home video documented the event, and we have now incorporated much of that footage into this new piece, ‘The Walk of Dracula’, which celebrates a community march blending theatrical homage with genuine protest. The footage captured villagers, families, and supporters – moving together through the village in a symbolic assertion of unity and identity.