Hi there, thought I would try my hand at my first report after doing some exploring this evening so any critiques or recommendations on what to do different are very welcome! I also didn't know where the right place would be to put this report. This is the first of two site I visited this evening so I will try and get the second one up in the coming days.
History
What is now known as Pembrey Country Park used to be the site of a munitions factory. The site with its sand dunes made it a prime spot for this as the dunes provided a screen if there ever was an explosion at the site, preventing any damage to the village nearby. The area attracted this type of business as early as 1882 with the production of gunpowder. This them evolved into the production of TNT and dynamite under the factory name National Explosive Factory. The factory underwent several different names during its time, the first change to The Nobel Explosive Company and once more during the Second World War to the Royal Ordnance Factory. During its peak the site employed around 6,000 people, most of who were women.
The site was first developed properly in 1914 by the Nobel Explosive Company who reached an agreement with the Secretary State for War to build a factory capable of producing TNT for the war effort, as opposed to the initial plan to produce industrial explosives. The state ate all the costs for this project who would own the and retain the site with the Nobel Company being retained as agents for administration after the war.
After Britain’s victory in the First World War the site was rapidly run down, as with many other sites across the UK.
The factory was subsequently rebuilt and reopened at the turn of the Second World War as the Royal Ordnance Factory. The site covered around 200 hectares with its central offices, barracks, surgery, library, canteen and other administration buildings being grouped together at the entrance of the factory. The other buildings, such as the nitration buildings and magazines, were built surrounding the sand dunes a safe distance away.
As well as the natural dunes present, artificial mounds were erected to create underground bunkers. These structures had two purposes: they acted as camoflauge against any enemy planes above and as protection against any possible explosions. Careful consideration had been given to the layout of the site with raw material stores, acid plants and nitration buildings were set in a progressive order which allowed an effective flow of materials alog the sites railway system. The site was also self-sufficient, even having its own plant and machinery to produce electricity.
During its peak production during the war the Royal Ordnance Factory was the country’s largest producer of TNT, ammonium nitrate and tetryl. When production hit its highest in 1942 some 700 tons of TNT, 1,000 tons of ammonium nitrate and 40 tons of tetryl were being produced per week.
Production continued after the war at a low level except for an increase in the 1950s during the Korean War. In the late 1950s the factory was more concerned with breaking down obsolete or superfluous bombs and shells.
In April 1962, the closure of the factory was formally announced in the House of Commons upon the recommendation of the Royal Ordnance Factory Review. The factory then finally closed in March 1965.
Then, in the 1970s, the site was taken over by the local authority who began to transform the area into a parkland and coastal facility for the public to visit. Today, the only evidence remaining of the old factory are its bunkers and some of the old railway tracks from the factory’s railway system.
The explore
After arriving about 10 minutes before sunset to nose around during the quieter times when other visitors have gone home, I parked up at the dry ski slope and made the five-minute walk over to the first of the three accessible bunkers. The bunkers all follow the same layout with the old railway track leading in and then to one side there is a platform that would have been used to load and unload materials. There are also three large rooms where these materials may have been stored and on both ends there are entrances to a small tunnel that runs behind these three large rooms. There are steps leading up to the platform that gives you access to the large rooms. There is also a single smaller room that is on the far end also. The first bunker seems to now be used as a storage space with some very interesting pictures of mock-up animals which first gave a bit of a fright when shining a torch in there! Unfortunately, they could only be seen via the tunnels leading behind the large rooms as these are mostly sealed off with large metal doors. Sadly, there’s a lot of graffiti littering each bunker. I did see a previous report on this place where someone luckily managed to access the bunker with the buses present, but this has since been sealed up and locked away. After checking for a way in I noticed a camera above my head so promptly walked away. That’ll teach me to be more mindful! Though this may not be one of the more adventurous sites around it has been almost a decade since I’ve had a nose around and felt it was a good time to document their current state.
History
What is now known as Pembrey Country Park used to be the site of a munitions factory. The site with its sand dunes made it a prime spot for this as the dunes provided a screen if there ever was an explosion at the site, preventing any damage to the village nearby. The area attracted this type of business as early as 1882 with the production of gunpowder. This them evolved into the production of TNT and dynamite under the factory name National Explosive Factory. The factory underwent several different names during its time, the first change to The Nobel Explosive Company and once more during the Second World War to the Royal Ordnance Factory. During its peak the site employed around 6,000 people, most of who were women.
The site was first developed properly in 1914 by the Nobel Explosive Company who reached an agreement with the Secretary State for War to build a factory capable of producing TNT for the war effort, as opposed to the initial plan to produce industrial explosives. The state ate all the costs for this project who would own the and retain the site with the Nobel Company being retained as agents for administration after the war.
After Britain’s victory in the First World War the site was rapidly run down, as with many other sites across the UK.
The factory was subsequently rebuilt and reopened at the turn of the Second World War as the Royal Ordnance Factory. The site covered around 200 hectares with its central offices, barracks, surgery, library, canteen and other administration buildings being grouped together at the entrance of the factory. The other buildings, such as the nitration buildings and magazines, were built surrounding the sand dunes a safe distance away.
As well as the natural dunes present, artificial mounds were erected to create underground bunkers. These structures had two purposes: they acted as camoflauge against any enemy planes above and as protection against any possible explosions. Careful consideration had been given to the layout of the site with raw material stores, acid plants and nitration buildings were set in a progressive order which allowed an effective flow of materials alog the sites railway system. The site was also self-sufficient, even having its own plant and machinery to produce electricity.
During its peak production during the war the Royal Ordnance Factory was the country’s largest producer of TNT, ammonium nitrate and tetryl. When production hit its highest in 1942 some 700 tons of TNT, 1,000 tons of ammonium nitrate and 40 tons of tetryl were being produced per week.
Production continued after the war at a low level except for an increase in the 1950s during the Korean War. In the late 1950s the factory was more concerned with breaking down obsolete or superfluous bombs and shells.
In April 1962, the closure of the factory was formally announced in the House of Commons upon the recommendation of the Royal Ordnance Factory Review. The factory then finally closed in March 1965.
Then, in the 1970s, the site was taken over by the local authority who began to transform the area into a parkland and coastal facility for the public to visit. Today, the only evidence remaining of the old factory are its bunkers and some of the old railway tracks from the factory’s railway system.
The explore
After arriving about 10 minutes before sunset to nose around during the quieter times when other visitors have gone home, I parked up at the dry ski slope and made the five-minute walk over to the first of the three accessible bunkers. The bunkers all follow the same layout with the old railway track leading in and then to one side there is a platform that would have been used to load and unload materials. There are also three large rooms where these materials may have been stored and on both ends there are entrances to a small tunnel that runs behind these three large rooms. There are steps leading up to the platform that gives you access to the large rooms. There is also a single smaller room that is on the far end also. The first bunker seems to now be used as a storage space with some very interesting pictures of mock-up animals which first gave a bit of a fright when shining a torch in there! Unfortunately, they could only be seen via the tunnels leading behind the large rooms as these are mostly sealed off with large metal doors. Sadly, there’s a lot of graffiti littering each bunker. I did see a previous report on this place where someone luckily managed to access the bunker with the buses present, but this has since been sealed up and locked away. After checking for a way in I noticed a camera above my head so promptly walked away. That’ll teach me to be more mindful! Though this may not be one of the more adventurous sites around it has been almost a decade since I’ve had a nose around and felt it was a good time to document their current state.
