Chinese Brickmaking Kiln

When a section of a mid-19th century Chinese brickmaking kiln was discovered in Bendigo in 2005, heritage Victoria organised an investigation to discover more about the site and its history.

Aimed at determining the condition and extent of the kiln, the excavation was conducted by Heritage Victoria archaeologists, with support from an expert in South-east Asian kilns, Dr Don Hein, with help from numerous students and volunteers.

Unearthing the kiln

The excavation established the size of the kiln, how it operated and provided a vivid illustration of the transfer of Old World technology to a new country. The A’Fok, Fok Sing and Company kiln is the only known example of a Chinese brick making kiln outside of China.

In addition to the kiln, numerous artefacts related to the camp and its activities were discovered, including a variety of food jars, handmade gardening tools, buttons, combs, bowls, gambling tokens, and Clydesdale horseshoes (the horses were used to plough the fields).

The archaeologists covered the excavated section of brick kiln with sand and plastic to protect its fragile fabric. Another excavation is required to uncover the kiln’s working floor and investigate its flue and firing chamber. Only then will we be able to tackle the multitude of questions that still remain to be answered.

View our story about the Kiln's excavation at Culture Victoria and watch the video of the excavation.

The kiln is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. For more information on the kiln visit the Victorian Heritage Database.

Bricks and Bok Choy

A background essay

For the first 50 years of the 19th century, Australia was not a favoured migration destination because of its distance from Europe and its convict history.

This quickly changed in 1851 when gold was discovered in Victoria. Stories of gold discoveries of mythical proportions flowed from Victoria. The gold rush resulted in a great mixing of countries and regional groups who previously had little contact with one another.

Desperate to support their families, Chinese men turned to the new opportunities available at ‘Tsin Chin Shan’ - the land of the New Gold Mountain. The majority of Chinese migration to the Bendigo goldfields occurred during the mid-1850s when 16,260 males and one female arrived at Guichen Bay in South Australia.

Travel directly to Victoria was unfavourable due to State Government legislation limiting Chinese immigration to the goldfields to one person per ten tonnes of ship cargo. In addition there was a ten pound head tax imposed upon entry to a Victorian port, while entry through the ports of South Australia was free. The Chinese miners walked from South Australia to the Victorian goldfields with ta’am (bamboo poles) balanced on their shoulders holding provisions.

In 1859, A’Fok, Fok Sing and Co. constructed their brick kiln, near the southern end of the Ironbark Chinese Camp. From the 1850s onwards, the camp was continually occupied by the Chinese people for more than a century.

It was reported that by March 1859, the Ironbark Chinese Camp had greengrocers, butchers, barbers, and doctors, gambling houses, a wine shop, a large collection of Chinese graves at White Hills Cemetery and a Chinese joss house. The camp was described in an article in the 'Bendigo Mercury': ‘The population varies weekly from 150 to 1,000 souls, and the village consists of 204 tents.’

A’Fok, Fok Sing and Company’s brick kiln was abandoned in the 1880s and the site was then used as a market garden. As mining became less profitable, market gardening became a very common Chinese occupation. Many Chinese had experience with agriculture and were well-suited to the new occupation. By the end of the nineteenth century approximately one third of all Chinese in Victoria were engaged in marketing gardening.

There were close ties between market garden cooperatives and urban Chinese storekeepers and greengrocers, who helped provide gardeners with credit or financial support.

Using hand made tools, the market gardeners worked long hours in the very labour intensive industry. Crop rotation and double cropping methods were used to grow a range of produce including fruit trees, tomatoes, cauliflower, herbs, and lettuces. Many of the vegetable species were imported from China, including Chinese broccoli, bok choy and spring onions.

Images

(from top to bottom)

Kiln sketch

The A’Fok, Fok Sing and Company constructed the brick kiln in 1859, near the southern end of the Ironbark Chinese Camp. 

‘The Bendigo Advertiser’ (Oct 25, 1859) reported that the kiln was nearing completion:  “The kiln for burning the bricks is worth of inspection, both from its novelty and apparent fitness for the purpose of design. It is very neatly built in a conical form, something like a beehive or coke oven, and terraced round, with different openings for the parties to go in to load the kiln. The other portion of the works is most ingeniously arranged, and no doubt when all is completed it will present a most complete plant.”

Excavation

The excavation revealed that the 10-12 metre high kiln is domed-shaped and built into the bank with the lower section of the firing chamber buried.

The arched firebox leading to the firing chamber is at least 1.5 metres deep with clay brick walls. The circular firing chamber is 10 metres in diameter, extending under Thunder Street.

Kiln in the bank

Chinese kilns, and bricks, differ from their European counterparts in design and in the temperature required to fire the bricks. This single firebox kiln demonstrated that it was able to reach much higher temperatures than European kilns, which had double fireboxes. The process resulted in the manufacture of bricks that were more durable than others available at the time. 

Small artefacts

Chinese counters for playing games were discovered during the excavation. In the area the counters were found, other artefacts such as Chinese jars were also discovered, indicating the area was used as a rubbish tip.  Among the artefacts were medicine bottles containing tonics such as peppermint oil, and fragments of Chinese porcelain bowls.

Chinese Stoneware food jars

Excellent examples of  typical 19th century stoneware jar from Southern China, used for storing and transporting food products. The smaller jar on the right has hooks to tie a cork down. The jar on the left has an inscription in Chinese indicating the jar was used to store wine.

In situ pots

In the area the counters were found other artefacts such as Chinese jars were discovered - indicating the area was also used as a rubbish tip.

Patterned jar

This large jar was a unique find. Although it was commonly used to import bulk dry goods from China such as rice or sugar cane, not many have been found in Australia. It is also unusual for its detailed pattern – the jars were treated as disposable once they reached their destination and therefore were typically plain in design.

Hoffmeyer demijohn

The demijohn is from wine and spirit merchants in Mitchell Street, Sandhurst, the original name for Bendigo.

Gold was discovered on the banks of Bendigo Creek in 1851. The creek remained at the heart of the settlement as it quickly developed. The goldfields of Bendigo were known world-wide. In 1852, the government named the settlement ― not Bendigo, but Sandhurst.

The 'Bendigo Advertiser' summed up the case for change, asserting the name Bendigo was "A good one, a strong, manly name, as befits a mining community," while Sandhurst recalled "a dark period of the goldfield."

As a result of a public campaign the name was officially changed to Bendigo in 1891.