ROF Chorley
June 22, 2017
Local historian and RMG Buckshaw caretaker, Stuart Clewlow detailing interesting facts about Buckshaw village.
For centuries the site of what is now Buckshaw Village was made up of the estates of Buckshaw Hall and Old Worden Hall and a number of farmsteads.
However in the mid 1930’s an area of nearly 1,000 acres was compulsory purchased by the Government to build a large purpose built Ordnance Factory, and it became known as ROF Chorley. Construction began in 1936 and the factory was opened and in production from 1939 until 2007.
ROF Chorley in numbers:
The whole factory site cost £12 million to build, at the time the average house cost £400.
20 million bricks were used.
1 million cubic yards of concrete was used.
The concrete was poured from an on site and purpose built mixer which was then the largest in the world at 120 feet tall and cost £30,000 to construct.
The factories contained 300,000 square yards of glass
Within the perimeter fencing of 6 miles was 50 miles of roads and pathways and 25 miles of railway track.
The site contained 2,000 lamp posts.
During World War Two around 40,000 people were employed at the Ordnance Factory.
If you would like to know more information relating to Buckshaw Village’s history, get in touch with stuart via saclewlow@yahoo.com
You can also find more information about ROF on Facebook: ‘ROF Chorley’.