FORMER HOFFMAN BRICK AND POTTERY NO. 1 WORKS

The Former Hoffman’s Brick and Pottery No. 1 Works is of local and state level historical, social and archaeological significance as one of Victoria’s largest brick and architectural terracotta manufacturers in the late 19th century.

The Former Hoffman‘s Brick and Pottery No. 1 Works is historically and socially significant for its association as a brick and pottery works established by 1870 and in operation for over 70 years from the latter half of the 19th to early 20th century. 

The Former Hoffman’s Brick and Pottery No. 1 Works site is archaeologically significant for its potential to contain archaeological features and or deposits related to its latter 19th century - early 20th century use as a brick and pottery manufacturer. 

 
The site is associated with the operation of Heritage Listed Former Hoffman’s Brickworks located a block away, to the south-west (H0703) and shares that site’s historical significance for its association with the development of Melbourne's brickmaking industry in the nineteenth century and the development of the city and suburbs in the twentieth century. The site is archaeologically significant for its potential to contain archaeological features, deposits and relics that relate to the development and use of the site from the mid-late nineteenth century onwards. It also has significance as the likely site of first Australian Hoffman Kiln, a type later used at H0703. The bricks produced at the works contributed to multiple built city landmarks, the expansion of the broader urban landscape and regional centres of Victoria from 19th to 20th centuries.

The site of the No. 1 works has remarkable social historical significance for the size and scope of its manual clay extraction from a single enormous hole and its association with the estimated production of ~500 million bricks from that clay hole alone. The site is of social and cultural significance for its connection to past labour practices and worker conditions and its industrial operations processes and broader contribution to the economy in a colonial setting. 

The site is of scientific significance for its association with 19th century technical developments in brickmaking as the location of the first Hoffman patent steam brick kiln installation and operation in Australia. The site is also of scientific significance for its archaeological potential. 

The site is of significance for its archaeological potential to contain subsurface material remains, features or deposits related to the 19th and early 20th century clay extraction and brick making use of the site. The archaeological potential of the site may demonstrate a tangible connection to the past via the presence of historical fabric at the site and its importance as the original site of operations for a leading brick and pottery manufacturer within Victoria for over 70 years (and longer at the adjacent No. 2 Works site, see VHI site: Hoffman’s Brick and Pottery Works, H7822-0019).