Stewartby Brickworks, Marston Vale
Amid the bleak interwar years of the 1930s, Britain was plagued by economic catastrophe and mass unemployment. The decade also saw the rise of both domestic and international fascism, paving the way to the Second World War. The 1930s is often viewed as a minor footnote, an unfortunate prologue to the following decade which would see an unprecedented level of global destruction. However, by the end of the decade Britain’s economy was on its way to recovery and new industries such as car and aircraft making were transforming the nation in a way which would set the tone for post-war prosperity. One place in which this transformation can be seen is within Bedfordshire’s booming brick-making industry. Marston Vale’s various smaller local companies were bought by the London Brick Company (LBC) after the First World War and the industry would go on to completely transform the region. LBC would go on to build model villages, such as Stewartby (named after the directing Stewart family), whi
