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In the late 19th Century the area around Marl Hole was scattered with used and disused coal shafts and also clay pits. All the clay pits at Marl Hole were owned by the Hamblett family. The family also owned the local brickworks and produced blue and red bricks, flooring and roof tiles, paving slabs, kerbings and sough bricks. Blue bricks were the firms speciality and the clay for these bricks was extracted from Marl Hole. The bricks works were the largest in the area and produced between 400,000 and 500,000 bricks every week. By 1919 the brickworks had ceased production and the clay pits or 'marl holes' had been abandoned and started to fill with water. However, money could still be made from the old claypits, as the holes could be filled with waste and become landfill sites. By 1938 most of the clay pits had been filled with industrial, domestic and commercial waste. However, the Hambletts clay pit was the largest in the area and by 1948 it was only half filled. All the time the clay pits were being filled with rubbish, new housing was being built nearer until there was housing on the edge of the clay pits. Housing has not being built on top of the clay pits because:
The rubbish in the landfillsite contains some industrial waste which can contaminate the soil. The history of the area can be seen in the local street names:
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