The Explorer Within
Exploring the United Kingdom
Royal Naval Cordite Factory (RNCF)
Holton Heath, Dorset.
The Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath, (RNCF), was set up at Holton Heath, Dorset in World War I to manufacture cordite for the Royal Navy. It was reactivated in World War II to manufacture gun propellants for the Admiralty and its output was supplemented by the Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent. After the end of World War II, the explosive manufacturing areas of the site were closed down and some areas of the site reopened as an Admiralty Research Establishment. A major part of the explosives site became a nature reserve in 1981. Other parts of the site were converted into an industrial estate; and some may be used for housing. - This paragraph was sourced from Wikipedia.
The Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath, (RNCF), was set up at Holton Heath, Dorset in World War I to manufacture cordite for the Royal Navy. It was reactivated in World War II to manufacture gun propellants for the Admiralty and its output was supplemented by the Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent. After the end of World War II, the explosive manufacturing areas of the site were closed down and some areas of the site reopened as an Admiralty Research Establishment. A major part of the explosives site became a nature reserve in 1981. Other parts of the site were converted into an industrial estate; and some may be used for housing. - This paragraph was sourced from Wikipedia.
The site, combined with the Laboritories not far from the factory site, was situated in Holton Heath, Dorset due to its remote loacation. When the project was being built it was kept top secret.
Three accidents occured in the factory. The first of these accidents happened on the 10th of September 1927. An explosion killed three men that were working in an acetone recovery building that the factory had when the acetone that was kept as a vapour ignited and caused an explosion. The second incident was some time in the November of 1929. A random explosion within the factory killed 1 worker and severely injured 3 other workers. The third and most fatal explosion at the factory was on the 23rd of June in 1931 at 10:45AM, which happened in the nitroglycerin preperation chamber. This explosion was collosal, it killed 10 and injured 19. Three factory buildings were destroyed and a storage tank was ruptured as a result of the explosion, sulphuric acid was spilled into the area. The explosion was so big that it was heard from 20 miles away and any people working outdoors within a two mile radius were knocked over by the sheer force of the explosion. Later, when the factory was no longer needed, it was closed and left to decay.
Pictures from inside the factory grounds.
The factory site as it currently stands is NOT owned by the MoD but the land owner maintains site security. When we visited the site the owner had fixed the fence of the site border where it had been cut for people to gain access and the entry to the underground reservoir had been welded to the ground and had also been locked to the railing next to the entrance cover. After being at the factory site for several hours we ran out of time. Although, there is still much more to explore! An update on pictures and security should come to the website soon. Remember to contact us if you have any questions on this site.
The Royal Naval Cordite Factory Gallery
