Guided walk around Rotherwas (Royal Ordnance Factory/munitions site)

HARC (Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre) runs various courses, guided walks etc and this one sounded interesting. We had explored part of the munitions site ourselves a couple of years ago and were keen to know more, with knowledgeable guide Angela Williams, who is their "Rotherwas ROF Project Officer".

The wall of an air-raid shelter: these were positioned all around the perimeter of the site

After a short introductory talk at HARC, Angela took us out to see some of the remaining buildings they've identified. There is plenty of information on their website about what went on here during the Great War and the Second World War, so I'm not going to repeat it here, more give an idea of what we did and where we went!
The area that was the site of the munitions factory was originally parkland and farmland belonging to Rotherwas House but the owners fell on hard times in the early years of the 20th century and sold the land off. It is low-lying, often marshy land, on the west side of the River Wye and to the south of the city, and was usefully served by two railway lines, those to Ross-on-Wye and to Newport.
The factory was built midway through the Great War to combat the shell crisis in 1915. Prior to WW1 shells had been bought from Germany, which was no longer possible!
The factory was divided into three sections: this was the South Section, north of what is now the main road through Rotherwas Industrial Estate "The Straight Mile", lay the Central Section, and north of the Greenway Cycle Path was the North Section.
Angela told us about a huge explosion here in 1944, on the Whitsun bank holiday Monday; sadly two were killed but there were also a number of awards for bravery.

You can just see one of the (bricked up) tunnels that led into air raid shelters

The wages office was located just by HARC (Fir Tree Lane) and there was also a machine gun post here. Firemen's quarters were further up the lane.
We walked on up the main road, stopping by one of three memorials to those who worked here.

One of the memorials to those who worked at the munitions factory.

Angela explained that the names on these memorials don't represent a complete list of munitions workers, apparently the MOD has this record but it isn't available so this has been compiled from local records, people's memories etc. During WW2 around 6000 women and 4000 men worked here.

A "north light" roof

Many buildings had "north light" roofs, which avoided overheating in summer (but were cold in winter!)
We walked on along the main road to Twyford Road and turned down here: there are remains of shell stores, and further on (in the woodland) magazines and also a building which may have been used as a hospital.

This building in Twyford Road may have been used as a hospital

 Back at the corner of Twyford Road, by the roundabout, Angela told us something of the women's football teams which, during the first war, drew crowds of up to 32 000 people! They played a number of charity matches but because of conflict between the charities supported, and political interests, women's football was banned - a ban which stayed in place for around 50 years!
We walked on up the northern end of Twyford Road and noticed a concrete structure which Angela told us formed the end of one of the blast banks.

The reinforced end of a blast bank; also a building which was probably a guard
house, and a look out post.

There are a number of these lookout posts around, which it is suggested formed a chain of defence against possible invasion from the south (Angela recommended a book "Mercian maquis" which mentions that Hereford would have been an "anti-tank island").

The water supply for the pressurised fire main

We carried on past a pond: this was dug before WW2 as a water supply for the fire main: there was a network of high pressure pipes and hydrants; the water was pumped and pressurised by a large Blackstone diesel engine which is now at the Waterworks Museum
Next we came to a building which bears a notice describing it as "Passive Air Defence" which could variously have been a first aid post, or a decontamination station, or perhaps used for weapon decommissioning after one or both world wars.

I suggested to Angela that if it had been a decontamination station then it would have needed two sets (men and women) of rooms - from memory, you need a room to remove contaminated clothing before showering, a shower room, and then a place  where clothing is stored for people to dress in.

Another building with a raised central section for a lifting gantry may later have been used by a sculptor working with large metal statues.

The Admin block

The Admin block was designed by Frank Baines (later Sir) and is similar to one at Porton Down. Obviously a cut above the very basic fletton brickwork of most of the buildings, with it's fancy corners and decorative cupola!

Many thanks to HARC and to Angela Williams for a good detective hunt, showing us how we can identify these remnants of history in among the modern buildings. It also gave a really good idea of the scale of the munitions factory!