ROF Thorpe Arch, Wetherby, N.Yorks, Dec 08

[boxfrenzy]

16 Royal Ordanance Factories were built to manufacture munitions during the second World War. ROF Thorpe Arch produced various ammunitions including mortars for the army and bombs for the RAF. It was connected by a circular railway, and linked to the main line. Today Thorpe Arch is a shopping park, as well as housing the Northern Reading Room, Northern Listening Service and Document Supply Centre of the British Library. Another part is a prison, originally HMP Thorp Arch, now HMP Wealstun. It is also where Leeds United have their training facilities.

I was surprised by how much remained in the middle of a trading estate. I'd been to the factory outlets, also housed underground, but not seen what else remained. My first view was fairly promising, a hidden platform linked to a large, derelict room.


No machinery remained.


An empty room. Someone had fairly recently spent the night in here.


There were a few of these large rooms, boarded up in places and empty. Some of them had been converted to warehouses.


Sadly, in recent years, many of the buildings have been pulled down, leaving piles of twisted concrete and bricks. A lonely lamp.


Moss grows over roads and paths that connected the buildings. Unfortunately I am disappointed with the appearance of my ears on this photograph.


This was a ruined building, hidden between the man-made mounds built to disguise the factory from the Luftwaffe.


Familiar rubbish inside.


My favourite shot of today.


ROF Thorpe Arch actually closed twice, once at the end of the second world war, and agin in April 1958 after the Korean War had fininshed.
One of the remaining platforms.


Even though much of the southern part of the site has been flattened, odd bits remained. The shape gave this away from a distance, and I began to get excited as I got closer. Could it be?


The air-raid shelter was hard to see into, and was blocked by aggressive brambles at one end. The other end gave me a bit more to work with. The drainage chanel looks full, and I was pleased to notice the old tyres sheltering from any bombs. Are they brackets to hold benching?
Inside the shelter.


An enjoyable place to visit.
If you have a partner who thinks exploring is for subnormal freaks, this would be a good place to wander around, as there are some shops for them, and exciting war time remains for you. And a big pirate ship if you have got kids.

[Tankman]

A good explore there Most people miss these types of buildings out and dismiss them easily. But history is all around you. I have been exploring ROF Elstow for the last 4 months on and off and their is history in every building. You should always check the walls for wartime posters or graffiti from that period.

I check all the walls at Elstow in every building and was surprised that lurking in the dark in one building people had scrawled thier names with dates etc.
Also a wartime poster was still on the wall and readable.




Wartime poster from 1942.



Nice bit of wartime graffiti of one of the female workforce