These images were taken at Deception Island in Antarctica. I think the structure was originally used for rendering whale fat to oil. I assume they had been there a long time, as the whaling station has not been active since 1931, so these are pretty high quality firebricks,. They have obviously survived a range of extreme temperatures!
(I suppose one might establish a pottery here, using these bricks for a kiln, but I don't know about the clay supply, and it could be pretty hard going in the winter!)

Hopefully, I will soon have the rest of my pictures of my trip to Antarctica on the travel section of my site. It was certainly one of the most spectacular trips I have ever taken!