The museum is dedicated to the local industry of brick and tile making, one of the many labour-intensive coal-based industries once found in Somerset. The core of the museum is the only remaining tile kiln in Bridgwater. It used to be one of six at the former Barham Brothers’ Yard at East Quay. It was last fired in 1965, the year that the works closed.
Demonstrated inside are the methods and processes involved in making the impressive variety of bricks, tiles, terracotta plaques and other wares that create the ‘look’ of Somerset towns like Bridgwater, Burnham and Glastonbury.
Did You Know?
The kiln is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, saved from dereliction in the 1990s when it became a museum.
Address
Somerset Brick and Tile Museum
East Quay
Bridgwater
TA6 4DB
Telephone
01278 426088
Website
www.swheritage.org.uk/brick–tile-museum
Price
Entry is free, but donations are welcome
Opening Times
Open all year
Facilities
- On-site parking
- Toilets
- Disabled parking
- Disabled toilets
- Handrails
- Level access/ramps
- Limited disabled access
Collections
- Ceramics
- Industrial
- Literary
- Social history
Time Periods
- 20th Century
- Edwardian
- Victorian
