Ian Barry Brickell, OBE was a New Zealand potter, writer, conservationist and founder of Driving Creek Railway. He was also famed for his kiln building abilities.
His first and only teaching appointment was in 1961, at Coromandel District High School. This lasted only a few months. Brickell then became a full-time potter and purchased his first property near the township of Coromandel. In 1974, he purchased the adjacent 60-acre property, where his Driving Creek Railway and Potteries remain today.