52:
729:
379:
289:
192:
484:
In 2009 the former ROF Heapey was decommissioned after BAE Systems stated that a contract with the MOD had finished. The site was sold to
Redcliffe International, a specialist in explosives shipping and storage, and is currently licensed for the storage of 192 tonnes of explosives across the Heapey
318:
By June 1940, the numbers employed there had risen to nearly 15,000. At its wartime peak, ROF Chorley had over 28,000 employees – a staggering figure at a time when there were only around a dozen factories in the whole of
Britain with a workforce each of more than 19,000 people (four of these being
355:, refurbished as part of new housing in 2017. The factory was on few occasions in 1940 and 1944 a target for the Germans, but because of its rural location, the Germans would end up bombing its surroundings instead of their main target, hitting a few farms with one time striking a chicken coop.
457:
About 400 acres (1.6 km) was declared surplus, and the buildings were cleaned of explosives by burning them. Some explosives work was carried out on part of the retained site, but this too closed in 2007. In 2000 the Royal
Ordnance headquarters function was transferred to BAE System's
254:, cut the ROF site into two areas. The smaller area was the Administration site which lay between the railway and Euxton Lane. The factory's main Administration office was located here. It also contained test laboratories, a Medical Centre, the MOD Police, and the main
167:
built a number of Royal
Ordnance Factories and satellite factories. ROF Chorley and ROF Bridgend were the two largest filling factories, but even before they were both finished it was realized that they would not have the necessary capacity to meet Britain's and the
154:
In the late 1930s leading up to the outbreak of war in 1939, the
British government developed a strategy to enhance the capacity of the existing three Royal factories and to disperse armaments and munitions production away from major cities and the southeast part of
175:
Safety considerations were paramount. The design, style, and spacing of individual production buildings meant that they were separated by wide-open spaces, or, depending on the application, approximately 20 feet (6 m) high grassed embankments and extremely thick
306:
There were also separate entrances to the explosive site; one was known as the
Leyland Gate. After privatization the road over the railway line was little used and separate entrances, i.e. the Leyland gate and the Euxton gatehouse, were used for the two sites.
281:) high along each side. Access to the site from the railway station was also by means of an over bridge. The railway station and platforms were demolished in 2002 as the former ROF site was systematically flattened for conversion into housing. The new
453:
In the early 1990s a Long Term strategy was drawn up for the whole site; which involved the decommissioning and decontamination of a significant proportion of the explosives area of the site and its disposal for other uses: mostly housing.
272:
ROF Chorley had its own private railway station, ROF Halt, which was last used on 27 September 1965. The railway line, particularly the station, was separated from the ROF by brick boundary walls some 20
416:
After privatization, the headquarters of Royal
Ordnance plc was moved to ROF Chorley and was accommodated in a new office block on the "administration site" created out of a former warehouse. The
466:. Much of this residual site was totally cleared of buildings and a major part was used to build the new Buckshaw Village. Some of the lands was also developed for light industrial use.
427:
The site continued to be known as Royal
Ordnance Chorley, or RO Defence, Chorley for some twenty years after privatization; but then lost its name, eventually, becoming a
397:
maps omitted the ROF sites and showed the location as it existed before the ROF's construction. There was a persistent tale from the 1970s that the town center of the
180:
walls and overbridges, called traverses. The purpose of the traverse was to deflect any explosion skyward rather than outward to any adjacent buildings or structures.
172:'s needs for ammunition. In all some 20 Government-owned World War II Filling Factories were built, but none was so large or employed as many people as these two.
524:
674:
188:
The site was built with extensive underground magazines, comprehensive lightning protection, and individual buildings linked by paths, roads, and railways.
647:
404:
was penciled in to be built on this "empty" site until it was discovered by the planners that the site was owned by the
Ministry of Defence and was a
1235:
1230:
757:
296:
The image shown right was taken in
January 2001. It clearly shows 2 through platform faces with bays on either side of the main platforms.
84:
Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that it, unlike some other similar facilities, would remain open for production after the end of
883:
263:
120:
408:
high explosive site. More recent editions of the maps show the detail of the buildings, road and rail links, labeled simply as "Works".
667:
1154:
1094:
299:
The main internal road, the Central Road, linking the two sites, crossed over the railway line by means of a steep road bridge, with
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642:
195:
Site of the ROF railway station, 2005. The old administration buildings are on the right and the site of the factory is on the left
21:
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660:
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231:
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The larger area of the site lay to the north of the railway line and was the main Explosive, or ammunition filling, site.
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606:
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The new factory employed over 1,000 production workers by the outbreak of the Second World War, in September 1939.
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55:
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51:
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323:, ROF Chorley and ROF Bridgend). ROF Chorley was the site where the bouncing bombs, designed by
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499:
243:
73:
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ROF Chorley, like ROF Bridgwater and ROF Glascoed, manufactured the concrete components for
146:; the facility is still in use by BAE although its exact usage has still not been revealed.
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477:
to become the new home for Chorley Police station. Central Road still exists although the
8:
970:
841:
703:
212:
177:
123:. Chorley factory closed in 2005-07 and the majority of the site is now home to the new
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1000:
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and formed part of Runshaw College's, Euxton Lane site. However it was sold in 2022 to
398:
348:
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227:(MOD Police) Force. After privatisation they were replaced by private security guards.
980:
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602:
494:
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has been replaced and the road has been upgraded; it is now known as Central Avenue.
417:
344:
70:
333:, were filled, the main site for the filling of large-capacity aircraft bombs being
285:, which opened on 3 October 2011, is built close to the site of the old station.
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990:
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Dangerous Energy: The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture
223:) perimeter fence which until privatisation was guarded by what was to become the
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92:(Filling Factory No. 2), would replace the Royal Filling Factory located at the
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The former main administration office building was converted into an adult
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89:
85:
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Post War concrete post and beam, factory-built Airey semi-detached house.
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site. The headquarters function was moved from Chorley to BAE Systems'
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that surrounds the facility. One mount that once held the gun with a
220:
405:
401:
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300:
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135:
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of the Royal Ordnance Factories in the 1980s it became part of the
97:
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570:"New police station as college campus undergoes transformation"
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101:
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Until the mid-1990s, in the interests of security, British
216:
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200:
266:(ENSA) concerts and other entertainments during wartime.
134:
The factory had a storage depot built deep into the
258:building. This large canteen was equipped with a
1222:
462:, Bristol site and more recently to Glascoed in
643:Chorley Guardian report on new owners of Heapey
340:The overall cost of the plant was £13,140,000.
292:Chorley RoF station in 2001 prior to demolition
207:) site, which was built between Euxton and the
159:which were felt to be especially vulnerable to
668:
611:Nevell, M., Roberts, J. and Smith, J. (1999)
363:During the slack period between 1945 and the
420:of Royal Ordnance plc, however, remained in
613:A History of Royal Ordnance Factory Chorley
264:Entertainments National Service Association
121:BAE Systems Global Combat Systems Munitions
675:
661:
648:Redcliffe brochure page on the Heapey site
310:
567:
525:"Written Answers for 9 Nov 2005 (pt 29)"
377:
287:
190:
50:
442:
386:ROF Chorley also manufactured concrete
1223:
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246:and Euxton junction, with stations at
656:
232:London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1236:Royal Ordnance Factories in England
1231:Buildings and structures in Chorley
568:Suffield, Alice (6 December 2022).
13:
615:, Lancaster: Carnegie Publishing,
591:
14:
1252:
976:Chorley and South Ribble Hospital
626:
531:. 9 November 2005. Archived from
131:, although many remnants remain.
58:on a visit to the factory in 1941
1006:Winter Hill transmitting station
727:
683:Buildings and structures in the
411:
283:Buckshaw Parkway railway station
149:
104:, but was known as ROF Chorley.
16:British munitions filing factory
163:from the air. As a result, the
119:and later a production unit of
561:
547:
517:
433:BAE Systems Land and Armaments
351:was found in Lucas Green near
1:
601:, Swindon: English Heritage,
510:
343:The factory was protected by
7:
488:
390:and manufactured clothing.
183:
10:
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446:
225:Ministry of Defence Police
100:. It was built largely in
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1039:
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966:Charnock Richard Services
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954:
936:
860:
827:
820:
776:
743:
736:
725:
691:
555:"Heapey Storage Facility"
371:two-story pre-fabricated
529:House of Commons Hansard
429:BAE Systems Land Systems
475:Lancashire Constabulary
345:anti-aircraft artillery
311:World War II production
80:). It was planned as a
1059:Chisnall Hall Colliery
1027:Preston England Temple
500:Royal Ordnance Factory
383:
293:
196:
74:Royal Ordnance Factory
59:
597:Cocroft, W.D. (2000)
381:
291:
194:
88:; and, together with
78:Filling Factory No. 1
54:
443:Run down and closure
219:(approximately 14.5
170:British Commonwealth
142:, in the village of
127:on the outskirts of
971:Chorley Interchange
884:St John the Baptist
842:Rivington Hall Barn
359:Post-war production
319:the Royal Arsenal,
236:Manchester Victoria
178:reinforced concrete
33: /
1074:Ellerbeck Colliery
1054:Camelot Theme Park
1001:Rivington services
685:Borough of Chorley
399:Central Lancashire
384:
327:and famed for the
294:
197:
165:Ministry of Supply
117:Royal Ordnance plc
60:
1241:Filling factories
1218:
1217:
1035:
1034:
1020:Places of worship
981:Chorley Town Hall
932:
931:
861:Places of worship
816:
815:
777:Places of worship
495:Filling Factories
418:registered office
262:and was used for
71:munitions filling
69:government-owned
1248:
1205:Whittle-le-Woods
1135:Clayton-le-Woods
1125:Charnock Richard
1110:Bank Hall Estate
991:HM Prison Wymott
959:
958:
837:Great House Barn
825:
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808:Unitarian Chapel
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449:Buckshaw Village
431:site and then a
388:railway sleepers
353:Whittle-le-Woods
303:on either side.
125:Buckshaw Village
48:
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37:53.680°N 2.661°W
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638:Runshaw College
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592:Further reading
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535:on 24 June 2006
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395:Ordnance Survey
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330:Dambusters raid
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56:Queen Elizabeth
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627:External links
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42:53.680; -2.661
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714:Hoghton Tower
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412:Privatisation
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325:Barnes Wallis
322:
321:ROF Bishopton
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150:Early history
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109:privatization
105:
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94:Royal Arsenal
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57:
53:
49:
46:
1195:Ulnes Walton
1078:
1069:Duxbury Hall
1064:Croston Hall
920:
912:
908:Holy Trinity
904:
897:Euxton Hall:
896:
888:
880:
867:
847:Runshaw Hall
832:Coppull Mill
804:
796:
783:
763:Cuerden Hall
612:
598:
577:. Retrieved
573:
563:
549:
537:. Retrieved
533:the original
528:
519:
483:
468:
456:
452:
426:
415:
392:
385:
368:
362:
342:
339:
335:ROF Glascoed
329:
317:
314:
305:
298:
295:
271:
268:
229:
198:
187:
174:
153:
138:hills, over
133:
115:Division of
106:
90:ROF Bridgend
86:World War II
81:
77:
62:
61:
18:
1079:ROF Chorley
1040:Derelict or
881:Bretherton:
792:St Laurence
709:Heskin Hall
699:Astley Hall
633:BAE Systems
579:27 February
479:bridge deck
63:ROF Chorley
40: /
1225:Categories
1115:Bretherton
1105:Anglezarke
1042:demolished
996:Mavis Mill
946:Round Loaf
921:Rivington:
913:Mawdesley:
868:Adlington:
805:Rivington:
758:Carr House
704:Great Barn
511:References
365:Korean War
215:, had a 9
203:(376
113:Ammunition
107:After the
25:53°40′48″N
1190:Rivington
1185:Mawdesley
1155:Eccleston
1095:Adlington
1088:Listed in
939:monuments
937:Scheduled
852:Shaw Hill
787:St George
748:Bank Hall
737:Grade II*
574:LancsLive
301:footpaths
221:kilometer
82:permanent
28:2°39′40″W
1210:Withnell
1200:Wheelton
1100:Anderton
955:Unlisted
916:St Peter
905:Hoghton:
892:St James
889:Brindle:
821:Grade II
784:Chorley:
489:See also
406:licensed
402:new town
375:houses.
373:concrete
199:The 928-
184:The site
98:Woolwich
1180:Hoghton
1150:Cuerden
1145:Croston
1140:Coppull
1130:Chorley
1120:Brindle
876:St Paul
797:Euxton:
692:Grade I
539:28 July
471:college
349:pillbox
256:Canteen
252:Leyland
248:Chorley
240:Preston
234:, from
213:Leyland
161:bombing
157:England
140:Chorley
136:Pennine
129:Chorley
1175:Heskin
1165:Heapey
1160:Euxton
924:Church
900:Chapel
871:Christ
619:
605:
485:site.
460:Filton
439:site.
437:Filton
422:London
279:meters
244:Bolton
242:, via
144:Heapey
102:Euxton
65:was a
369:Airey
260:stage
617:ISBN
603:ISBN
581:2023
541:2024
275:foot
250:and
230:The
217:mile
209:town
201:acre
277:(6
238:to
211:of
1227::
572:.
527:.
424:.
337:.
205:ha
96:,
67:UK
676:e
669:t
662:v
583:.
557:.
543:.
76:(
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