It was the high-strength brick that laid the foundations for the Empire State building and Blackpool Tower.

Now, the historic factory that made the famous Nori brick is set to be reopened after five years in a £1.4m move creating nearly 40 new jobs.

Owners Hanson Building Products said they have taken the 120-year-old site off the market and will take it out of ‘mothballs’ after a surge in the demand for bricks.

The firm, which closed the site back in 2008 with a loss of 80 jobs, will start production on the Huncoat factory by January 2015.

Around 38 new jobs will be created with a further 22 jobs if the reopening process is successful.

Bosses have already confirmed that former employees have applied for their old jobs back.

The red super-strength brick, used to build the foundations of the Empire State Building and Blackpool Tower, is unique to the area because of its special clay.

Hanson spokesperson David Weeks said eight engineers, fitters and engineers are already on site to get the factory ready with a further four staff joining next month.

He said: “It will take £1.4 million to bring it back into working order so it’s quite a major investment.

“They are sitting on raw materials and clay reserves and there is still between 30 and 40 years of reserves left in the site and current production levels.

“The quality of the clay is high, strong and durable and they will be going into the new housing market. Once everything is up and running it will put Nori brick back on the map.

Mr Weeks said they are reopening the site because of an upturn in the economy and an increased demand for bricks.

He said: “It’s all about supply and demand. We are entirely demand-led. “Since the middle of last year we have seen an increase in new houses being built and it has really kick-started the market. It has been helped by the government’s Help to Buy scheme which allows first-time buyers to get on the market.

“The upturn began initially in the south but now it’s happening in the North West. We reopened another site in Lancaster earlier this year and we still find that demand is outstripping supply.”

Mr Weeks confirmed that the company will be considering applications from former employees made redundant when the site closed back in 2008.

He said: “A number of former employees have already sent in their CVs and we will certainly be looking at those.”