Mud bricks with shale I have recently bought a medium sized plot of wood/scrub land. Half of this plot was once used to dump shale from coal mines, which means I have a lot of shale.

I have been wondering/looking for possible uses for the stuff. One thought I've had is to make "mud bricks" however I can't find any mention of whether it is possible or not. I know the traditional method uses loamy soil but would it work with shale?

I don't have a kiln or any way of baking the bricks, so would be reliant on the sun. I was thinking maybe adding water and maybe some loam?

Aside: there are no suitable tags for my question and I do not have the reputation to add any, I'm thinking I could be on the wrong site for this question, if I am, please advise me of a more suitable one.
Your idea has merit. Shale is classified by geologists as being a mudstone. It is composed of silt and clay sized minerals.

According to this geology website, shales can be crushed to produce a clay and then mixed with water. These days, items that were once made from natural clay, such as terracotta pots and tiles for roofs, are now made from crushed shale.  



Extra Information

One thing to be mindful of is that clays expand when wet and contract when dry. Anything you make from it, such as bricks, that isn't baked or protected from water by a sealed coating will expand and contract according to it moisture content.

Another application which you may want to consider is to supply crushed shale as a garden mulch or other such landscaping product.