# Lion Brickworks, Scallford, Leicestershire, February 2015



## HughieD (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks to The Wombat for the heads-up on this place. Bit of a different explore is Scalford Ammo Store/Lion Bricks. Difficult to know whether to post it as an industrial site or military place. Plumped for the former in the end. Not a lot of info on this place – and what is available was covered in Wombat’s excellent report last year. Here’s a summary. 

The site lies just North of Scalford in Leicestershire, next to a bridge on the minerals rail line (a.k.a the iron-works line). Lion Brick-works opened in 1875. The nearby railway line provided links to the local quarries. One legacy of the brick works in Scalford itself is a house built by the owner, called ‘Lion House’. Brick production stopped in 1930 and the works closed. The site was later used during World War II as an ammo store by the MOD. Some sources state the site was used to store munitions between 1939-1945 while other sources say the MOD occupied the site between 1940 and 1955. The four reinforced concrete billet style structures and brick tower are clearly of military construction.

In 1961 the site was being used as a poultry farm. Two years later planning permission was granted for use of the site as a recreational caravan site and a toilet block constructed along with the improvement of vehicular access. However the caravan site was never fully completed and it became overgrown. In subsequent years various other planning applications have been made for this site. In 2012 Melton Council’s planning committee refused the application to allow a fishing lake, 10 luxury log cabins and an associated cafe/clubhouse on grounds the proposed development was ‘considered to represent unsustainable tourism in open countryside’. In August 2014 a planning inspector dismissed an appeal on this decision.

The site now is very overgrown but also quite fascinating. On the day I went round the weather was terrible – it was raining and the wind was howling through the trees giving the place a bit of an otherworldly feel. Anyhow – on with the pictures.

The first view of the site that you get from the road:


img7625 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The four huts nearest the road are clearly the MOD additions to the site:


img7682 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7649 by HughieDW, on Flickr

These buildings were used as a storage facility post MOD ownership:


img7640 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Much of the stock has been left in-situ to rot:


img7648 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7646 by HughieDW, on Flickr

…as nature reclaims the site:


img7680 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7679 by HughieDW, on Flickr

and the tins rust away:


img7635 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The tins in question? Dehydrated onions from Alexandria, Egypt.


img7642 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7683 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Three MOD buildings side by side:


img7653 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Moving deeper into the site you come to the toilet block constructed as part of the proposed caravan park in the early 1960s:


img7654 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And further on you come to what was probably part of the brick works:


img7658 by HughieDW, on Flickr

There are definitely the brick kilns:


img7655 by HughieDW, on Flickr

As for this building, the jury’s out:


img7660 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img7670 by HughieDW, on Flickr

More buildings made from the sites own bricks maybe?


img7667 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And stacks of tiles:


img7675 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## DirtyJigsaw (Feb 25, 2015)

Very nice that, I enjoyed your photos and esp liked the last one. Something about it. Cheers


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## flyboys90 (Feb 25, 2015)

It certainly has had a chequered career.Great set of shots thanks for sharing.


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## HughieD (Feb 25, 2015)

Cheers both. Think I'll go back in better weather. Nothing worse than trying to take pictures outside when it's raining!


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## UrbanX (Feb 26, 2015)

Fantastic set of photos! 
Brilliant, thanks for sharing


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## DarkMagpie91 (Feb 26, 2015)

I visited this place after I saw this post. Decided to make a little video of my exploration. Great photos by the way Hughie D 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8K9VsNE1Wo[/ame]


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## HughieD (Feb 26, 2015)

DarkMagpie91 said:


> I visited this place after I saw this post. Decided to make a little video of my exploration. Great photos by the way Hughie D
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8K9VsNE1Wo



Cheers mate. Fantastic little film. Looks like you had better weather than me!


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## nutnut (Feb 28, 2015)

Lovely site, love these photos! then again I am a builder....


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## HughieD (Mar 4, 2015)

nutnut said:


> Lovely site, love these photos! then again I am a builder....



Cheers nutnut. Yup....plenty of potential building mats there...


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## The Wombat (Mar 6, 2015)

DarkMagpie91 said:


> I visited this place after I saw this post. Decided to make a little video of my exploration. Great photos by the way Hughie D
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8K9VsNE1Wo



glad you found it at last


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## The Wombat (Mar 6, 2015)

nicely done Hughie 
Glad you popped down to have a mooch round here


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## HughieD (Mar 9, 2015)

The Wombat said:


> nicely done Hughie
> Glad you popped down to have a mooch round here



Cheers mate. Would never have know it was there without your report.


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## Dirus_Strictus (Mar 18, 2015)

Quote - HughieD, The Wombat.
" The site was later used during World War II as an ammo store by the MOD. Some sources state the site was used to store munitions between 1939-1945 while other sources say the MOD occupied the site between 1940 and 1955."

The date differences are easily explained when MOD and MOS working practice is taken into account.
In 1939 formal notice was given to site owners of the requirement to store munitions by the MOD
In 1940 site was requisitioned by MOD and live munitions stored on the now fully MOD owned site until 1945.
In the now ever increasing uncertainty of the 'Cold War', from 1945 to 1955 the MOD would have used the site to store items needed by the Civil Defence etc. 

There were many such sites dotted all over the UK. Clumber Park in Notts was full of low set, open ended corrugated iron shelters, full of civil defence chemicals and equipment in the period 1953/1960. On a childhood picnic we walked off the beaten track into the trees, only to stumble across vast numbers of wooden crates containing large brown glass bottles. A few years later experience told me that the Brown Winchester Bottles most likely contained chemicals needed in the production of fire suppressant foam.


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