Title: |
Former Royal Ordnance 16 Elstow :Building Recording and Oral History Project |
Series: |
Albion Archaeology unpublished report series
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Downloads: |
albionar1-70647_1.pdf (778 kB)
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albionar1-70647_2.pdf (3 MB)
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albionar1-70647_3.pdf (34 MB)
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Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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DOI |
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Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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Abstract: |
Albion Archaeology carried out historic building survey at the former ROF 16, Elstow. Following on from the building recording an Oral History Recording project was also undertaken with interviews taking place between March and June 2008. Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) no. 16 at Elstow was one of 16 large national filling (ROF FF) factories built between 1936 and 1942 (a further four were planned but not built). Although many of the buildings were in a poor condition and a number had been previously demolished, the combination of a detailed inspection of the buildings, surviving war-time plans, the near-contemporary description of H E Bates and the memories of the oral history interviewees has allowed a surprisingly complete record of the war-time factory, one of the largest and most significant surviving World War Two monuments in Bedfordshire. Buildings were recorded from each of the main groups present at Elstow: Group 10 administration and workshops; Group 5 Cordite then Shell Re-conditioning, Group 8P Pellet Production, Group 8 Bomb Filling and Group 9 Magazines. A number of interesting features remained on the site including examples of spark- and flame-proof electrical fixtures and fittings, gas proof doors, war-time posters, processing equipment, steam pipe heating and black-out curtains. Vegetation Clearance that took place in January 2008 revealed evidence of the former station platform, the 8P pellet processing area and the raised walkways and traversed buildings in the Group 5 area. The oral history memories not only added depth and colour to the record but helped clarify aspects of life and work on the site. |
Author: |
H Cooper-Reade
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Publisher: |
Albion Archaeology
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Other Person/Org: |
Historic England (OASIS Reviewer)
Bedford Borough HER (OASIS Reviewer)
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Year of Publication: |
2009
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Locations: |
Site: |
Wixams - Elstow Ordnance Factory |
Parish: |
ELSTOW |
District: |
Bedford |
County: |
Bedfordshire |
Country: |
England |
Grid Reference: 505490, 244920 (Easting, Northing)
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Subjects / Periods: |
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Identifiers: |
OASIS Id: |
albionar1-70647 |
OBIB: |
2009/16 |
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Source: |
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Relations: |
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Created Date: |
24 Nov 2016 |