The factory ‘Nieuw Werklust’ was founded around 1675 and mainly produced roof tiles and flower pots. It changed owners several times in the following decades till it got in the hands of Cornelis Filippo in 1891, who acquired a steam engine for the factory to drive the clay mill and the presses. In 1917 Filippo transferred the company to his three sons and the name was changed to ‘N.V. Electric ClayWare Factory Werklust’ after the steam power was replaced by electricity. In 1941 Dirk Blanken became the director of the company. After the Second World War it was expanded, but the traditional production methods were kept till the factory closed down. In the years 1950 to 1960 over a hundred people were employed at the factory. However, the working conditions were poor and the wages were low. It was abandoned in 2001 and no maintenance was carried out since then, leading up to the decay of the buildings. It was decided to make the factory a national monument in 2002 because of its cultural and architectural-historical value.
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