THE ROYAL NAVAL CORDITE FACTORY - HoltonHeath
Index of picture gallery:-
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Picture of the site from reservoir hill
The nitration of paper to form nitrocellulose
The Shmid nitrator in AB2 (Nitroglyerine hill)
Apart from the annotated pictures listed above, see the Archive of Holton Heath Pictures
Please note: The copyright of these pictures rests with H.M.S.O.
For the complete story of Holton Heath including many more pictures, see:-
"A Pictorial Record of
the Royal Naval Cordite Factory"
If you are interested in visiting
Holton Heath, please contact: Mr. J.C. England on 01929-471469. (Royal
Naval Cordite Factory Association)
IMPORTANT NEWS:
Due to the rejection of the N.E. Purbeck District Plan, the historical
aspects of the site are in some jeopardy, since the site has been sold by
the Ministry of Defence to a developer. Whilst the developer has been most
sympathetic towards the historic importance of the site, it has been necessary
for the museum collection to be removed to other locations. The large
scale model and some of the artefacts have now been moved to
the "Explosion" museum at Priddy's Hard, Gosport (Tel: 02392-505600). Some
of the smaller and more personal items being forwarded to the nearby Wareham
Town Museum. Other items such as paper records are held at the Dorset County
Archive.
The RNCF Association is currently engaged in preparing a comprehensive electronic
record of the pictures of Holton Heath.
It may be possible to still
allow conducted tours around the site, but clearly the character will eventually
change as the developer will need to make use of the facilities and buildings.
Many of the buildings on the site and adjacent land are listed, and it is
vital that the heritage aspects of Holton Heath are conserved.
Please support the conservation of Holton Heath by writing to the Purbeck
District Council and your Member of Parliament.
Thanks are due to both the Ministry of Defence and Birchmere Ltd. for
their kind assistance over several years.