19世纪初，英国的地质学家威廉·巴克兰（William Buckland）经过实地调查研究后发现并命名一种新的粘土——牛津粘土（the Oxford Clay）。牛津粘土有两大优点：质地均匀、水分适当，在粉碎搅拌时无需添加额外的水便可充分混合，制成的砖坯也无需单独晾晒，砖窑里循环的热气就能使砖坯充分干燥；牛津粘土还含有较大比例的碳（C）物质，砖坯在砖窑内烧制的过程中能发生自燃，可以节省制砖成本，提高市场竞争力。 弗莱顿（Fletton）地区的制砖商人们在逐渐认识了牛津粘土的优点后，开始积极探索设计与牛津粘土特性相配套的生产工序，并不断更新机器设备，使生产效率得到最大程度的提高，使牛津粘土分布地的制砖活动发展成为一个相对成熟的产业。赫姆斯兄弟（Hempsted Brothers）成立的制砖厂最早使用牛津粘土进行生产。 用牛津粘土生产的砖相对于伦敦本地砖的成本较低。因此，除了满足本地市场的需求，弗莱顿的制砖商人开始探索更远、更大的市场——伦敦。这些制砖厂绝大部分都建在铁路附近，制砖过程中节省的费用使得即便加上远距离铁路运输的成本也能盈利。这种砖对伦敦城市建设发展做出了重大贡献，并在英国的建筑材料史上留名，使用牛津粘土生产的砖被命名为弗莱顿砖（Fletton brick），生产弗莱顿砖的产业也被称为弗莱顿制砖业。 弗莱顿制砖业主要集中在贝德福德郡（Bedfordshire）、北白金汉郡（North Buckinghamshire）和剑桥郡的彼得伯勒（Peterborough）地区。从最早记录在案的赫姆斯兄弟1881年建造的制砖厂开始，到1981年伦敦制砖厂（London Brick Company）建造新一代砖厂的申请得到批准，这项为数以千计的人提供就业机会，也为国家的房屋建设提供了大量的建筑原材料的产业，已经走过了百年的历程。 19世纪末诞生的伦敦制砖厂是弗莱顿制砖业的典型代表之一。它是股份制公司，利用相对低廉的价格优势与伦敦本地的制砖厂开展竞争，并成功打开伦敦市场。公司的发展并不是一帆风顺的，诸如生产机器的更新换代、烧窑排放煤烟引来的抱怨、铁路货运价格的上涨、劳工为了更好的待遇和工作环境而不断进行的罢工斗争等问题，都对公司运营提出了很大的挑战。新时期，伦敦制砖厂还面临着产品多元化、市场多元化、环境保护、生态恢复等问题，这些问题对制砖厂来说既是挑战也是不断改进的动力。本文梳理弗莱顿制砖业产生与发展百年历史（1881-1981），分析弗莱顿砖产销过程中机遇与挑战，以及它所带来的环境影响。

In the early 19th century, British geologist William Buckland discovered and named a new kind of clay, the Oxford Clay. The Oxford Clay had uniform texture and proper proportion of water. when crushing and stirring, there was no need to add extra water, and it could be fully mixed. The raw bricks didn't need drying, and the heat in kiln could be enough. The Oxford Clay also contained a large proportion of Carbon. When the raw bricks were burning, they could spontaneously burn which saved fuel. After gradually learning the advantages of the Oxford Clay, brick markers in the Fletton began to explore the production processes which were compatible with the characteristics of the Oxford Clay. They constantly updated their machine equipment to maximize production, and brickmaking activities in Fletton gradually developed into a relatively mature industry. The Hempsted Brothers' brick factory was recorded as the first to use the Oxford Clay. Bricks made from the Oxford Clay were cheaper than London local bricks. Therefore, in addition to meeting the demand of the local market, brick markers in Fletton began to explore a larger market, London. Most of these brickmaking factories were built near the railway, due to the convenient railway traffic condition in the United Kingdom and the savings in the brick making processes made brickmaking in Fletton profitable. This kind of brick had made a significant contribution to the development of construction in London and had been named in the history of British building materials. Bricks made from the Oxford Clay were named Fletton brick, and the industry was called the Fletton brick industry. The Fletton brick industry was mainly concentrated in Bedfordshire, North Buckinghamshire and Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. From the brick factory which Hempsted Brothers built in 1881 to the application of the new generation brickworks which London Brick Company proposed in 1981, this industry which provided job opportunities for thousands people and a large amount of building materials for the country's construction, had gone through a hundred years. London Brick Company was one of the typical representatives of the Fletton brick industry. It was a joint-stock company which was built in Fletton in the late 19th century. It competed with the London local brick companies at lower prices, and successfully entered the London market. The development of the company was not easy. It had to face so many things, such as the replacement of production machines, the complaints about emissions from kilns, the increase in freight prices, and the strike of workers for better treatment and work environment. All these posed great challenges to the company's operation. In the new era, London Brick Company faced with issues such as product diversification, market diversification, environmental protection, and ecological restoration. These issues were not only challenges but also important driving force for long-term development. This paper combs the history of the Fletton brick industry, and try to analyze the factors that promote and hinder the development, as well as the environmental impacts of the Fletton brick industry.