Aerial view - Historic images - Walkaround : Brunswick / Hoffman Brickworks : Victoria Australia

The Hoffman / Brunswick Brick Tile & Pottery Company was established in 1870 on a 12-acre paddock on Albert Street Brunswick, as one of the first modern mechanical brickworks in Australia. It is located 8 Pottery Ct, Brunswick Victoria and 6.2km (3.8mi) north of the State capital Melbourne.

Initially known as the Hoffman Patent Brick & Tile Company, Hoffman Brickworks, or just ' Hoffman's' for most of its 100 plus years of operation.
The Hoffman brickworks was founded by Jenkin Collier and James McKenzie with Messrs. Barry Owen and Rourke. Initially it employed Pratt brick presses, and constructed Hoffman patent continuous firing kilns, developed by Friedreich Hoffman in Stettin, Prussia in 1859. In 1887 the company had ordered Bradley & Craven Ltd automatic brick presses, which were fabricated by Langlands foundry and a year later purchased another at the centennial exhibition. The first kiln was circular, but the company rapidly expanded and added at least five oblong Hoffman Kilns between 1880 and about 1914.
In 1884 the company erected the new No 2 works in Dawson Street Brunswick, south of the original works, as the clay pit had been exhausted, having excavated up to the backs of nearby houses. This works employed over 400 men and produced over 40 million bricks per year, reflecting the importance of the industry on the land boom of the 1880s. After the depression of the 1890s, the company expanded throughout the following decades. The Hoffmans factory whistle, which rang from 7:15 to 7:20 in the morning, to wake workers, was so regular that locals could set their watches by it.
The company also added a pottery works, much of the production going to terracotta sewage pipes as the Melbourne Sewage Scheme was being construction around the turn of the century. The pottery also manufactured a wide range of domestic wares including the Mel-rose Australian Ware
The Former Hoffman Brickworks, Brunswick is historically significant as a rare surviving industrial site which is illustrative of Melbourne's brickmaking industry. The site retains a brick press building, with associated machinery, an engine house and two Hoffman kilns and three chimneys. The kilns were the last of their type to operate in metropolitan Melbourne.
Hoffman's Dawson Street works is one of two surviving early Melbourne Brickworks, the other being the Box Hill brickworks. The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Credits and References:

State Library – Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/
Photographers and contributors;
Alfred May and Alfred Martin Ebsworth
Bellemo, Michael (draftsperson)
Dimase, Anthony (draftsperson)
Hobson, Grant (1965 - ___ )

Victorian Heritage Database - https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.a...

Picture Victoria - https://www.picturevictoria.vic.gov.a...

Museums Victoria – Collections https://collections.museumsvictoria.c...

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunswi...

Google Maps – Street View
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
We welcome you to comment, click the 'thumbs up' / 'like' button if you enjoyed the content and please click to subscribe; subscribing is TOTALLY free and helps with our channel.

We would like to keep this channel kids and family friendly as much as possible, but also want viewers to express their positive thoughts or criticisms - Any suggestions or ideas for new drone locations, places to visit or requests on something historical for us to research are welcome in the comments; even to promote a business or location !

If you require an aerial video for your business or location, we'll give it a go and we are non-for-profit ... It's a hobby we enjoy doing.

Any anti-social comments, poor language or links to your viewing choices can be left at our email address, so others don't need to experience them and us to delete!
Also political, religious, discriminatory and racial remarks will be subject to the same.

Urban Aerial Explorer can be contacted via email C/O Ludwig or son Alexander : [email protected]
Facebook -   / urbanaerialexplorer  
Postal Mail : 2-18 Davisons Place Melbourne 3000 Victoria Australia