Demolition of Durham Kiln refused despite already being flattened

The Kepier Brick Kiln, near Durham City, was reduced to rubble in July 2025 to the shock of politicians and historians. 

Photographs taken in July 2025 show a large pile of bricks where the 200-year-old structure had stood, close to the former Kepier Hospital site.

The 200-year-old building was reduced to rubble in July 2025. (Image: DJ AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY)

Now, Durham County Council has ruled that the demolition of the 19th-century building has harmed the character and appearance of the conservation area. 

Mary Kelly Foy, MP for the City of Durham, previously described the demolition as a “huge blow” for the area’s industrial heritage. 

She said the historic building should have been treated with “significantly more care”, given its status as a non-designated heritage asset within the Durham City Conservation Area.

But Ruth Watson, the applicant, said the kiln had been in a “significant state of disrepair” for decades, such as extensive collapse, missing brickwork, deep voids in the walls and a roof that was close to catastrophic failure.

A planning statement added that demolition was necessary on safety grounds, particularly given repeated trespassing. 

Plans to create new 300mm-high footings and an interpretation board would allow the site’s history to be "understood without recreating a dangerous structure", the statement added. 

The kiln was part of the wider Kepier Brick and Tile works, which was established around 1822 and was in use up until the 1880s. The site was dismantled in the 1890s, leaving the kiln as the only surviving standing structure. 

The City of Durham Trust welcomed the proposed information board, but it warned that it is not enough to offset the loss of the building. 

A total of 30 objections were submitted against the retrospective application.

The Kepier Brick Kiln in Durham (Image: DJ AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY/NORTHERN PERSPECTIVES)

And this week, the retrospective proposal was refused. 

The council’s planning department said: “The kiln made a positive contribution to the conservation area, being a historic Victorian landmark that was a physical reminder of the area's industrial heritage, and a rare surviving structure integral to understanding local historic character. 

“The justification provided is not supported by robust evidence, evidence that alternatives have been considered and discounted as not viable, and the submitted heritage recording is inadequate.”