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Smeed Dean Bricks

Development built in Smeed Dean Islington Rustica brick

Smeed Dean - A proud heritage

The Smeed Dean name is synonymous with the production of high quality, traditional London Yellow Stock bricks. Based in Sittingbourne, Kent, it is the only brick factory in the UK that specialises in in the exclusive production of this type of product.

At Wienerberger we are proud of the rich heritage the Smeed Dean has. We are also committed to ensuring the Smeed Dean name continues to flourish in the future. That is why we continue to invest in this unique offering by treasuring the original products made at the factory as well as developing new products and services.

By standing the test of time, preserving a rich heritage and embracing innovation, Smeed Dean delivers a unique touch and a distinct quality with every product.

The History of Smeed Dean

Smeed Dean bricks have been used extensively throughout London and the South of England for two centuries. After acquiring a smallholding and brickworks in Sittingbourne Kent, George Smeed (1812-1881) collected town ash and clinker from the fire grates of Victorian London and mixed it with local chalk and brick earth to create the original London Stock bricks. The town ash is still used in the manufacture of Smeed Dean London Stock bricks today!

Our Smeed Dean London stock bricks are still manufactured at the Smeed Dean site using locally sourced clay and mixed with the original town ash accumulated from 1800’s. They are produced today in a modern manufacturing plant, but with the benefits of long-established skills and knowledge.

Smeed Dean Bricks Prism with Reference Project

The Popularity of Smeed Dean

The appeal of Smeed Dean yellow stock bricks remains as popular as ever. Their distinctive aesthetics and suitability for the local vernacular make them ideal for a wide range of projects from new build housing, commercial projects to renovation work. And it’s not just for traditional style projects, Smeed Dean products have been used in a whole host of modern and contemporary schemes over the past few years.

With a proud heritage, used in Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and countless other prestigious buildings, Smeed Dean can rightly claim to be the aristocrat of bricks. Many brick makers have tried to reproduce the appearance, but with only limited success – since they feature a unique combination of local chalk, brick earth mixed with town ash and clinker collected from the fire grates of Victorian London. All of which gives them a singular character.

Our Product Offering

The Smeed Dean range provides extensive flexibility to accommodate your design requirements and aesthetic preferences, from the trademark black spotting on the London Yellow Stock to the mature aged effect of the Smeed Dean Weathered Yellow and our extensive offering of reclaimed style bricks.

We also offer reclaimed styled bricks that we produce using a process known as ‘tumbling’ that we do on site at Smeed Dean to create the look of reclaimed bricks. These “tumbled” bricks have all the quality assurance you would expect from new bricks but are a good match for the look of reclaimed bricks. We can even add a mortar coating or paint to the face of the bricks to add to the authenticity of the look.

All these options are available in three different sizes – 50mm, 65mm and 68mm Imperial giving you ultimate flexibility. We also produce a wide range of special shaped bricks on site at Smeed Dean to complete our offering. We can even create special blends to suit the needs of individual projects by mixing existing colours from the range.