The Kilns transforms former brickworks site

A Northumberland brownfield site is being transformed into a new community.

The historic Swarland Brickworks near Thrunton, built in the 1930s and closed in 2010, is being redeveloped by Countylife Homes into a rural housing scheme called The Kilns. 

The site, previously derelict following a fire in 2013, will feature 14 new homes and three lakeside holiday cottages.

Originally established by Commander Clare Vyner RN of Studley Royal, Ripon, to provide work and housing for unemployed tradesmen and shipyard workers from Tyneside, the brickworks was later sold to the Blythe family in 1942, who were involved in brick manufacture in Birtley and Washington.

The factory produced high-quality bricks for decades, while the surrounding clay pits were transformed into landscaped fishing lakes that remain popular with anglers and walkers.

Countylife Homes, a Northumberland-based developer with more than 25 years of experience, specialises in smaller, distinctive developments that integrate seamlessly with their surroundings. 

The Kilns will combine traditional architectural styles with contemporary, high-specification interiors, incorporating sustainable materials and energy-efficient design.

The developer is hosting an event on October 25 to showcase the site’s history and ongoing transformation, offering visitors a glimpse of the new community and its lakeside setting, just off the A697 near Alnwick and Rothbury.

Mike Pattison, managing director with Countylife, said: “The site has a fascinating history but had obviously seen better days.

“Although a great opportunity for regeneration – being a brownfield site surrounded by stunning Northumbrian countryside – it also posed a number of challenges for redevelopment and was what perhaps could have been called a blot on our beautiful landscape. 

“That certainly isn’t the case now as we move forward with creating these homes and a new future for the site. 

“A nod to the past will remain with the old chimney remaining as a focal point in the centre of the scheme.

“We hope people will join us between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, October 25th at The Kilns (NE66 4SE), to take a tour of the site, find out a bit more about its rich history and take a look at how we are changing an industrial throwback into a new, stylish and rural oasis that people can call home.

“We look forward to welcoming guests to site to show how we have transformed a derelict eyesore into a wonderful place to live.”

Councillor Steven Bridgett, of Northumberland County Council, added: “I don’t often say this, but the scheme is one of the best designed schemes I’ve seen in a very long time.

“I think they’ve done it very sympathetically; I like the idea of the chimney remaining and the open space within it and I would ask for more applications like this.”

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