Strange concrete pad ringed with bricks in basement

I’m developing a Victorian flat (UK) the moment and there’s a room that I wanted to clear out but there appears to be a load-bearing support beam with a concrete support pad at the base…I’m wondering at the bricks surrounding the concrete pad though. Are they decorative or were they used simply to create the seating for the wet concrete? You can see the support column and the bricks running along the concrete at the base.

• Can I take the bricks out?
• Is there a space saving structural alternative to the concrete pad at the base of the column?