Preserving Sydney Park’s brick kilns and chimneys
Project Status: Planned
Repair and landscaping works are expected to start in late 2024.
Why we’re doing this
The brick kilns and chimneys in Sydney Park, on the corner of the Princes Highway and Sydney Park Road in Alexandria, are a symbol of the city’s industrial heritage and hold historical and cultural significance.
Before European settlement this area was a forest of turpentine and ironbark trees. It became a brickworks because of the rich clay beds that lie underground. Josiah Gentle established Bedford Bricks in 1893 baking bricks for hundreds of Sydney homes and businesses.
Clay was extracted from deep pits, crushed and pressed into green bricks that were fired in the large kilns. Find out more about the history of Sydney Park.
Over time the kilns have deteriorated. We need to stabilise the brick kilns and renew the landscaping in this area.
What we’re doing
This work will retain the site’s industrial character and create a special place in the landscape for the community to enjoy.
In 2022 we consulted the community about these historic structures and green space to find out what was important to them and ideas on what these could look like. These ideas helped us develop a concept design approved by Council at its meeting on 22 August 2022.
A detailed design has been developed. A development application was lodged in August 2023 and is currently under assessment.
Works will include:
- stabilising the brick kilns and reinstating roof structures
- removing the fencing around the brick kilns
- better access to the area and the park from the Princes Highway
- heritage interpretation throughout the site
- a raised lawn area and plaza for small outdoor gatherings
- services renewal and upgrades.
