Bursledon Brickworks opened in 1897 and from the very beginning the railway was an important feature of the factory. It had its own siding off the main Portsmouth-Southampton line to take the bricks away from the site, and bring coal in. Also on-site, narrow-gauge lines were used to move clay from the quarry to the buildings. The story of this mineral line is the subject of a special display to celebrate Rail 200.
On 29th June 2025 the Brickworks Museum will host its monthly steam-up with a Trains event (admission charges apply, please see our website). On this day you can expect to see the museum in steam, alongside a whole range of additional attractions including model rail layouts and trade stalls. The Brickworks’ Miniature Railway will be operating and offering rides (for a small additional fee), and the ‘new’ mineral line display will open for the first time.
For the remainder of 2025 the mineral line display will be available to all museum visitors when open (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11-3 until the end of October, please see website for further details). It will continue to develop over the year, showing a range of clay and brick wagons accompanied by interpretation. On certain dates (TBC) our locomotive Ashby will be brought out on static display too. Please come and share your knowledge to help us grow our display.
www.thebrickworksmuseum.org