The Brick and Tile Works

The Brick and Tile Works, established by Charles Cooper in the early 1800s, employed about 150 people and produced bricks, tiles, gargoyles, and pinnacles. The site, which closed in 1967, is now owned by the National Trust and features lowland ponds with diverse aquatic life and a variety of woodland birds and plants.

The Brick & Tile Works
The Brick and Tile Works was established by Charles Cooper in the early 1800s, exploiting a local deposit of Reading Clay. At its peak, the Works employed about 150 people, and cottages were built in Golden Ball Lane for the skilled craftsmen. In 1950, the Cooper family sold the Works to the Maidenhead Brick and Tile Company, and the site eventually closed in 1967. In addition to bricks and tiles, the works produced gargoyles and pinnacles, many of which can be seen in the locality today. The National Trust acquired the site in 1989. The industrial activity left a legacy of lowland ponds, inhabited by an impressive range of aquatic invertebrate fauna, including several species of dragonfly. There are also three species of newt and a wide range of woodland birds and other aquatic or semi-aquatic plants and animals.