Littlehampton brick

The Littlehampton Brick Company was founded in 1892 in Littlehampton, South Australia, in the Adelaide Hills.

It continues to manufacture clay bricks and pavers on the same original site by the railway siding in Littlehampton.

In the beginning, before the company was formed, exploration teams were sent from Adelaide to Littlehampton, where they discovered that there were exceptional clay seams and shales, ideally suited for the manufacturing of refractory firebricks and top quality house bricks.

A workman’s hut was erected on the actual site where the company now stands, and hand-moulded bricks were first made to be tested for use in industry application.

The bricks proved to be of superior quality, and the Littlehampton Brick Company was formed.

The Littlehanpton Brick Company began by producing firebricks for the smelter works and foundries at Port Adelaide, and by the early 1900s the refractory bricks were used in all the new “T” class locomotives for the Royal South Australian Railways.

Through the years the company has withstood the Great Depression, two world wars and has seen many other changes, especially in the manufacturing procedures.

The first original kilns, two of which still stand today, were wood fired for two full weeks, allowing 15,000 bricks to be made a fortnight.

Today the modern kiln can fire 90,000 bricks in just two days burning time, allowing more than 6m bricks and pavers to be produced per year for the local and overseas markets.