YouTuber Tom Scott visits our historic Claughton works

We have recently welcomed YouTuber Tom Scott to our Claughton site in Lancashire to make a film about its aerial ropeway, the only remaining operational system of its kind in the UK.

The gravity fed ropeway has been transporting clay to the factory for almost a century and is integral to the creation of brick at Claughton. Tom’s video uses various filming techniques to capture the ropeway and explains its benefits and the engineering brilliance which means it’s still as important to the brick production process at the site today as it was 100 years ago.

Tom said: “A few months ago, one of my viewers emailed me saying that they drove under the ropeway and wondered about it. A bit of research later and I discovered it was the last one still standing in the country: so, at that point I had to send a message to the team at Forterra asking if I could film with it.

“It’s a brilliant bit of industrial heritage and a very clever bit of engineering from nearly a century ago. It was a privilege to see it working close up, and to fly a drone over it and track the buckets as they descend. I was also able to capture a full bucket trip on a GoPro camera, which should be published soon!

“The video has been seen by more than a million people already and it’s been really well received. I want to say a huge thank you to Forterra for allowing filming at Claughton and to site manager Martin Brotheridge for taking the time to be part of it.”

The aim of Tom’s channel has been to encourage people to get involved with the STEM subjects, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with the channel boasting over four million subscribers.

Our Chief Executive Stephen Harrison said: “We are really proud to have the aerial ropeway still in operation at Claughton. It is a fantastic piece of equipment and showcases just a small part of the UK’s industrial heritage.

“Encouraging people to get involved with the STEM subjects is hugely important and I want to say thank you to Tom, Martin and everyone at Claughton for helping to make this film.”

To watch the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RiYXI1Tfu4