Production began hundreds of years ago, although the site is not recorded on the Sheffield maps before the year 1902. This was because, until 1900, the Woodside area was not actually part of Sheffield - Meersbrook being the traditional boundary between the two counties of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. There were about fifty small brickworks in Sheffield at that time, each serving the needs of their local community - bricks had to be transported on horsedrawn wagons which was quite dangerous considering their weight and the steep hills they had to negotiate. Woodside was one of the largest companies, employing about fifty workers on the Sheffield side of the site. There were two kilns producing a total of approximately 2,000 bricks per day, which may sound a lot, but when you consider that a builder would need about 30,000 to build just one house, it's obvious that the company must have been literally working overtime.