1. The History
The former War Department munitions depot at Barlby is located near Selby, North Yorkshire. Grade II listed in December 2018 due to it being a remarkably complete late Victorian munitions depot and forerunner of the much larger depots constructed during the First World War, it was established 1889 and remained operational into the 1970s. The gunpowder magazine was constructed by the War Department and linked by a siding to the Selby to Market Weighton railway line with the connecting tramline entering the complex to the south. The facility was further expanded a year later in 1890, with some further additions circa 1938.
The depot develop was initially just a storage facility, but latterly saw shells and cartridges being filled with explosives. The stores along the eastern side of the larger enclosure (9 in total) have painted signs indicating use as munitions stores (explosives, filled shells and small arms ammunition) and most likely date back to the Second World War. Maps from 1938 show four additional buildings on the eastern edge: to the north, two buildings and two further buildings to the east that were separated by earth embankments. The latter two were most likely to be magazines for fuses, located at a safe distance from the rest of the complex. These being at higher risk of accidental explosions than unfused ordnance or small arms ammunition.
The first buildings you come to along the approach road in the north-western corner of the complex are a terrace of three houses built 1889 (A).
Due south-east is a large central magazine building or gunpowder store (B), within its walled enclosure, incorporating an entrance building, linked to an open-fronted structure adjacent to the end of the railway siding on the western side. Here, three stores (entranced from the west) formed a single, tall block, each with its own hipped roof and a brick-built ventilator at the eastern end and an encircling corridor. Interestingly, two of the stores have their original double doors with signage reading “1060 BARRELS” and a metal flap-covered peephole.
Immediately to the south of this is a guard block (C) with a surviving part of the rail transhipment shed extending southwards. Moving south again are two corrugated iron sheet buildings, (D) and (E), constructed prior to 1905.
On the eastern side, along a north-south axis, are six brick-built buildings and their associated smaller outbuilding (G), and the remains of a 20-inch gauge tramway, running along the western side. These date to circa 1890, and surviving signage indicates they were explosive and small arms ammunition stores. Numbered from the north, Building 1 has ‘SAA STORE’ painted over the door (the abbreviation for small arms ammunition). Moving south, Building 4 has ‘EXPLOSIVES STORE’ over the doorways, as does Building 6.
The three buildings to their west are further store buildings (H) that date to around 1938. The northernmost of the 3 has signage reading ‘SAA STORE No 36’.
After the site was decommissioned and sold off in the 1970s, it went back to agricultural use with most of the stores being used as a piggery.
Finally in the north-eastern corner there is another store (I) for filled shells that dates to 1890.
2. The Explore
Interesting little place this. Visited on a lovely sunny day back in august with my non-forum member exploring mate J. Only one previous report up on the forum here – a fab one from @MK83 from June 2021, see HERE, that brough this place to my attention. Nothing spectacular, but interesting if you are into military history. Spent a good hour or so on a relaxed wander round this place. The stores were pretty empty with the best bit being painted signage. Meanwhile, there were some nice colours in the three houses.
3. The Pictures
View from the gate:
First up, the cottages:
I much prefer the red bricks to the pebbledash:
Drainpipes still in place:
Love the colour of this door:
The larder:
Up the stairs we go:
Guess they (quite understandably) couldn’t be arsed moving this bath out:
Next house along:
Liking the old fireplace:
And on to the final house:
Front of central magazine:
Love the old lettering and peep-hole:
Nice sash windows:
One of the three storage rooms:
The old lighting:
Along the outside corridor:
And back out again:
Inside one of the two corrugated roof buildings to the south:
Looking north between the two lines of stores:
The former War Department munitions depot at Barlby is located near Selby, North Yorkshire. Grade II listed in December 2018 due to it being a remarkably complete late Victorian munitions depot and forerunner of the much larger depots constructed during the First World War, it was established 1889 and remained operational into the 1970s. The gunpowder magazine was constructed by the War Department and linked by a siding to the Selby to Market Weighton railway line with the connecting tramline entering the complex to the south. The facility was further expanded a year later in 1890, with some further additions circa 1938.
The depot develop was initially just a storage facility, but latterly saw shells and cartridges being filled with explosives. The stores along the eastern side of the larger enclosure (9 in total) have painted signs indicating use as munitions stores (explosives, filled shells and small arms ammunition) and most likely date back to the Second World War. Maps from 1938 show four additional buildings on the eastern edge: to the north, two buildings and two further buildings to the east that were separated by earth embankments. The latter two were most likely to be magazines for fuses, located at a safe distance from the rest of the complex. These being at higher risk of accidental explosions than unfused ordnance or small arms ammunition.
The first buildings you come to along the approach road in the north-western corner of the complex are a terrace of three houses built 1889 (A).
Due south-east is a large central magazine building or gunpowder store (B), within its walled enclosure, incorporating an entrance building, linked to an open-fronted structure adjacent to the end of the railway siding on the western side. Here, three stores (entranced from the west) formed a single, tall block, each with its own hipped roof and a brick-built ventilator at the eastern end and an encircling corridor. Interestingly, two of the stores have their original double doors with signage reading “1060 BARRELS” and a metal flap-covered peephole.
Immediately to the south of this is a guard block (C) with a surviving part of the rail transhipment shed extending southwards. Moving south again are two corrugated iron sheet buildings, (D) and (E), constructed prior to 1905.
On the eastern side, along a north-south axis, are six brick-built buildings and their associated smaller outbuilding (G), and the remains of a 20-inch gauge tramway, running along the western side. These date to circa 1890, and surviving signage indicates they were explosive and small arms ammunition stores. Numbered from the north, Building 1 has ‘SAA STORE’ painted over the door (the abbreviation for small arms ammunition). Moving south, Building 4 has ‘EXPLOSIVES STORE’ over the doorways, as does Building 6.
The three buildings to their west are further store buildings (H) that date to around 1938. The northernmost of the 3 has signage reading ‘SAA STORE No 36’.
After the site was decommissioned and sold off in the 1970s, it went back to agricultural use with most of the stores being used as a piggery.
Finally in the north-eastern corner there is another store (I) for filled shells that dates to 1890.
2. The Explore
Interesting little place this. Visited on a lovely sunny day back in august with my non-forum member exploring mate J. Only one previous report up on the forum here – a fab one from @MK83 from June 2021, see HERE, that brough this place to my attention. Nothing spectacular, but interesting if you are into military history. Spent a good hour or so on a relaxed wander round this place. The stores were pretty empty with the best bit being painted signage. Meanwhile, there were some nice colours in the three houses.
3. The Pictures
View from the gate:
First up, the cottages:
I much prefer the red bricks to the pebbledash:
Drainpipes still in place:
Love the colour of this door:
The larder:
Up the stairs we go:
Guess they (quite understandably) couldn’t be arsed moving this bath out:
Next house along:
Liking the old fireplace:
And on to the final house:
Front of central magazine:
Love the old lettering and peep-hole:
Nice sash windows:
One of the three storage rooms:
The old lighting:
Along the outside corridor:
And back out again:
Inside one of the two corrugated roof buildings to the south:
Looking north between the two lines of stores:
Last edited:
