The Cheltenham Brick Works (Abandoned)
The Cheltenham Brick Works located on Mississauga Rd. just a little bit north of King St. is an old abandoned but preserved fromer brickyard complex, it is not well known and I actually came across it by accident while driving around in Caledon but quite glad I found it. Even though it is fenced off it is easily accessible as people have made holes in the fense to access it.
The Cheltenham Brick Works is very interesting as it is a good example of our industrial era history. Established in 1912 and in full operation by 1914, the brickyard was the first in Canada to mass produce bricks, shipping to national and international markets by truck and rail. The area was rich in “medina shale” which was a hard clay that made excellent bricks when fired in kilns.
In 1914, the Interprovincial Brick Company took over the brick making operations on Mississauga Road to expand their own brick making operations. Six downdraft kilns and one continuously firing kiln allowed the company to produce 90,000 bricks at once. Its workforce living largely on-site or in nearby villages, the brickyard was an important economic stimulant to the local rural community for many years.
The brick making at the Cheltenham Brick Works continued until 1958 when the Interprovincial Brick Company ceased operatons and it was left vacant. Domtar took over the site and demolished the workers homes. In 1993 Brampton Brick reopened the brick yards for shale extraction and they have preserved the remaining original brick works.
I have enhanced the photos slightly with the program Photomatix to bring out the color a little more, click on the images to open larger versions. I also have a number of inside shots of the Cheltenham Brick Works that I will be posting soon.
Posted: May 1st, 2011 under Abandoned Houses, Caledon, Photos.
Tags: abandoned house, Abandoned Houses, brick works, brick yard, brickworks, brickyard, Caledon, cheltenham, cheltenham brickworks, hdr, mississauga rd., ontario, Photos
Comments
Comment from Carissa
Time November 17, 2011 at 1:09 am
I used to go to Credit Veiw school and I always saw this whenI drove by on the school bus to and from school. my friend once told me about the hole in the fence and said we should one day go in and have a look. but we both chickened out and never got around to doing it.
I know much more abandon houses in Caledon. I lived there pretty much my whole life. e-mail me 🙂
Comment from John Ursel
Time March 17, 2012 at 1:13 am
This brickyard brings back fond memories of my childhood.
Growing up in Port Credit my friends and I used to camp and party at the yards. Good to see it is still standing.
Comment from tina
Time October 11, 2012 at 9:50 am
I spent my childhood and early adulthood in Brampton and would frequently go to the brickworks and Limehouse. The area is beautiful and rich in history. I am glad Domtar is trying to preserve the area now. The fencing around the brickworks is there for a reason….it is dangeraous to be in the buildings and Domtar is trying to save them from vandalism. Pease respect this local history and stay on the right side of the fence
Comment from Tish Ford
Time September 4, 2013 at 8:55 pm
I have not been to the brickworks in quite a few years. My grandfather worked there, first in the brickworks then in later years as a security guard there. My grandparents raised 4 children in one of the brickyards homes.
Comment from Christelle
Time May 6, 2014 at 2:33 am
Thank you so much for posting this! My grandmother and her 6 other brothers and sisters were raised in the brick yard homes for about 15 years as my great grandfather was employed with the Cheltenham Brick Works. I grew up hearing stories about this so it is great to see these images and learn even more about it.
Comment from Donna Eves Glawson
Time March 18, 2015 at 11:49 pm
I was raised in one of the brickyard homes. My dad worked at the brick works. I just loved watching the trains with their great plumes of black smoke coming and going. A lot of brick was hauled out of that place, the trucks would come and go all day hauling the brick out to who knows where. We visit the site whenever we go to Ontario to visit family.
Comment from Tish Hunter-Ford
Time March 19, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Does anyone remember the Foster family?
Comment from John delutis
Time July 24, 2015 at 9:23 am
i was raised in one of the brick yard homes my grandfather was the Forman there my dad ,uncle ,and cousins all worked there at one time
Pingback from The Big Fix – The Belfountain General Store
Time December 29, 2015 at 11:13 am
[…] These are believed to be Credit Valley bricks, probably fired locally. In fact if you travel to or from Belfountain on Mississauga Road, you’ll see the historic Cheltenham brickworks kilns on the west side just above King Street (near the public school). There’s a great trail there that will take you close to the hulking structures themselves. These kilns did not come into operation until 1912, so the store pre-dated them, but would have created similar product. (There is more about the Cheltenham site on a blog called “Inside Caledon,” – here’s a link.) […]
Comment from Christelle Moneypenny (Bradbury)
Time May 9, 2016 at 1:29 am
This is so neat! My Nana Karen Bradbury who grew up here as her dad Harry worked in the Brick yard remembered the families there at the same time. The Eves and Delutis’ and also the McDonalds, Rundans, Watkins and Edmunds. Does anyone have pictures of the the old employment rental houses that were on the brickyard property?
Comment from Donna Eves Glawson
Time September 26, 2016 at 2:41 am
Tish Hunter-Ford, yes I remember the Foster family. My brother Steve broke one of the windows in their house, he was so scared when he had to go tell the Fosters that he did it.
Comment from Donna Eves Glawson
Time September 26, 2016 at 2:46 am
Christelle Moneypenny, I went to school with the Bradbury kids. I remember Karen, and Kenny. They lived up Chickory Alley Lane.
Comment from Scott Harris
Time February 3, 2018 at 4:34 pm
My fathers family lived across the st. To the north of the brick yard. A 2 bed room home/ farm that raised 13 kids. My father was the youngest son. My father had school mates who lived in the factory homes of the brickyard. Some of my grandfathers sons worke at the yard for a time. Most of my haratage has disappeared now, all except the stand of evergreens that my father planted for a 4H project to line the old driveway. The brick yard is part of my family history.
Comment from Donna Glawson
Time February 10, 2019 at 6:22 pm
Scott, I remember the Harris farm. Was your father Howard HARRIS? I know there were a lot of kids raised at that farm, most of them grown and moved away by the time I was born, but I do remember a HOWARD Harris.
Comment from john delutis
Time March 1, 2022 at 11:43 am
looking for anyone who lived there and went to ssnumber 4 school
Pingback from Inside The Cheltenham Brick Works (Abandoned) | Inside Caledon, Ontario
Time August 29, 2011 at 8:50 pm
[…] I posted some photos of the Cheltenham Brick Works (see the article here), today I have some interior shots to show you what it currently looks like inside. As you can see […]