Claybank Brick Plant, Brick manufacturing plant in Elmsthorpe No. 100, Canada.
Claybank Brick Plant is a coal-fired brickworks built in 1912–1914 at the foot of the Dirt Hills, with ten kilns, drying sheds, offices and workshops on its grounds. It made face brick and refractory fire brick from clay dug on the site, and closed in 1989 with its machinery still in place.
This facility began operations in 1914 and manufactured specialized bricks for industrial purposes like railways and oil refineries for over 75 years. Production stopped in 1989, leaving behind an important record of Canadian industrial work.
Claybank face brick was fired in coal kilns, which gave it a colour that was lost after six kilns were converted to natural gas in the 1950s. The plant's bricks went into the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon and the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. The name Claybank comes from the clay deposits at the foot of the Dirt Hills.
Visitors can walk the grounds on marked paths and see the preserved buildings from the outside. The best time to visit is during warmer months when paths are easy to walk and all outdoor areas are accessible.
The site features narrow-gauge rail lines that once moved raw clay and finished bricks throughout the factory complex. These small tracks remain visible in several places and show how production was organized and controlled.
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