To celebrate the rich history of Sittingbourne’s brick industry and clay in North Kent, local housebuilder David Wilson Homes encouraged the next generation of Sittingbourne to take a deep dive into their area’s local heritage, organising a brick making workshop for Sittingbourne Scouts led by artist and sculptor Martin Brockman. The day included an overview of the brickmaking and clay industry in North Kent, a demonstration of a brick being made, and famous figures and places in and around the local area who popularised this industry, concluding with the scouts letting their creative flair free by carving a brick and decorating a tile. They also designed motifs to carve into pre dried bricks and transfer onto pre made terracotta tiles using etched line and brushed black manganese oxide.

“The students had a fantastic time learning all that goes into brickmaking at the workshop, and it was wonderful to see their creativity flourish by decorating and carving the bricks at the end of the session. It is incredibly encouraging to see a local housebuilder and Outdoor Studios work together to nurture the learning of the next generation in Sittingbourne, so thank you so much to both David Wilson Kent and Martin Brockman/Outdoor Studios for the running and organisation of the day!”

Scout Leader, 1st Sittingbourne Scouts

“The workshop aimed to inspire the next generation of children to learn about their local area and industries by practical means. This session aligns perfectly with our values of engaging with education in our community, especially when there is a local link with something like brickmaking here in Sittingbourne. It has been great working with Martin Brockman from Outdoor Studios who provided an invaluable hands-on experience during their workshops, and we hope that the scouts have left the day having learnt the processes of brickmaking which they can link back to building in their local area such as Applegate Park.”

Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director, David Wilson Kent