Historic Brick Kiln. Douglas. New Zealand. - Ovens and Kilns on Waymarking.com

The brick Downdraught Brick Kiln at Douglas was saved when its new owners, who had purchased the land for dairy farming, agreed to enter into a Heritage Covenant with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1988. The kiln was restored and a protective shelter erected by local builder Frank Mathews.

Erected after the Depression, the Downdraught Kiln at Douglas provides valuable insight into New Zealand's industrial history. The Douglas kiln is a late example of a kiln type that had been superseded by the technologically advanced Hoffman Continuous Kiln in the late 1870s.
The Downdraught kiln concentrated on producing round field tiles for drainage. The Downdraught Kiln reached temperatures of between 1000 to 1100 degrees centigrade and was run for two to three days at a time. The tiles were retrieved after the kiln had cooled. Three sizes of tile were produced and at peak production the kiln could produce just over 91 kilometres [300,000 feet] of tile per year, over 30 burns.

Type of Oven / Kiln: Tile Status: Historical Site Operating Dates: From 1930s. Website: [Web Link] Additional Coordinate: Not Listed Additional Coordinate Description: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/19/2011 Punga and Paua visited it