Forest of Dean Acetone factory (General)

by messerschmitt @, Monday, June 17, 2013, 10:23 (4179 days ago)

Dear all - silly question, not quite family history but hey, ho! Where was the acetone factory built in 1913-14?

It is an interesting part of World War One munitions manufacture.

FoD Acetone factory, Wood Distillation Works, Cannop.

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Monday, June 17, 2013, 11:56 (4179 days ago) @ messerschmitt

Hi M, good to see you again !
As you say not FH specifically but this forum has seen many such queries in the past and I hope more to follow. Now I'm NO chemist and struggle to know the differences, it's all "creosote" to me !, but for your ease of searching either online or in books the factory is most often known as the Wood Distillation Works. It was situated at Cannop Crossroads between Coleford and Speech House. More precisely if driving from Coleford along the B4226, it was on the righthand side immediately after/on the junction with the B4234 Lydbrook-Parkend road, so diagonally opposite the Pigmy Pinetum nursery (hope it's still there ?) .

I know you have many local history books; if you have it the best reference by far with many pages of historical text and photos of the Works is the book "Severn & Wye Railway Vol 2, Forest of Dean" by Ian Pope etc, Wild Swan publications. Hopefully this link will take you to it in the Glos Libraries website, several copies are currently available at the local branches. My amateur summary below, which is not copied directly from the book, collects together just a few points from this highly recommended book. As with all links, it's best opened via a new tab or window.
https://gloucestershire.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/BIBENQ/15205668/661590,7

I cannot find any photos online whatsoever, however the Works can be clearly seen on the Old Maps website, a great site but occasionally awkward to use, enter "Cannop" into the search box.
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html
The best old map to select in this instance is the "1922 pre WW2 1:2500", this shows the layout and associated railway lines very clearly, the later "1960" map is also good. The Works was near the old Speech House Road railway Station, this was a few yards up the hill towards what was Speech House Hill Colliery on the left (since 1969 the Beechenhurst picnic area) and then the Speech House uptop.
If you're new to the Old Maps site may I suggest you read this prior post to help ensure your best viewing, it can be a tricky site to access at first.
https://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=38858

(2021 UPDATE - the Old Maps site appears to be u/s - try this much newer & better site instead. The works is at centre/right of this 1940s map.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346001

Thanks M for this query, on first reading the book a few months ago I hadn't fully realised the Works' importance for WW1 as you say. The War is an interest of mine and I didn't know the acetone was important in the making of Cordite, the explosive charge used to propel all those millions of artillery shells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordite

The Wood Distillation Works at Cannop was first built abt 1913 for and run by the Office of Woods, intended to use the large quantities of waste wood generated during the felling of the oaks and other hardwoods. It was deliberately sited for the easy road and rail links. It first produced charcoal, acetate of lime, wood spirit and wood tar. However it was also realised that War was looming and such products would be increasingly necessary for the War Effort, so Government backing was also forthcoming. Ironically the main plant within the works was supplied & installed by the Meyer company of Hamburg. Acetone production was also planned, for Cordite production, but WW1 started before the necessary retorts could be installed in 1915, when the Works was bought by the Ministry of Munitions of War.
By the time it was "closed down, for the time being" in May 1919 the Works was referred to as "HM Factory, Dean Forest". The works were eventually sold and with some new equipment continued to produce albeit within a severely depressed market. After only producing charcoal thro the 1960s, the site eventually closed in June 1972, long afer it's railway links had been severed in 1963.

Re the adjacent Speech House Road Station, or more accurately a Halt with Signal Box, these links & photos may be of interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_House_Road_railway_station
http://www.pastscape.org.uk/maps.aspx?a=0&hob_id=501033&mv=s
http://forestpictures.co.uk/page31.htm
http://www.archive-images.co.uk/index.search.php?sid=16445&img=8
http://www.forestprints.co.uk/speech_house_road_station_v2.htm
Re this last photo, it's hard to imagine this quiet country track is now the main B4226 road from Coleford upto the Speech House, with the Station Signal Box on the right and the main railway line crossing the road, now a cycle path complete with crossing "gates" if I recall correctly(?). The open ground seen between the Station and the camera was next to the sweeping curves of the railway sidings into the Distillation Works. These curves can still be seen as the edge of the treeline on the modern satellite image from the Pastscape site linked above - if you zoom into this photo you can clearly see an area of different (smaller?) trees which were presumably planted to cover the Works site once cleared, it looks a good place for a summer stroll, perhaps this week.


Hope this helps, if you don't have the book and still have any more-specific questions please ask and I'll try to help.
atb Jeff.

ps following our last "chat" I sent you an email re local bus books etc, I do hope you received it ok ?.

If interested this image gives a detailed railway map of the Forest showing the Severn & Wye Railway in red, Speech House Road Station at the centre, and also the competing Great Western Railway.
The S&W bisected the Forest linking the main line at Lydney via Parkend to Lydbrook, Drybrook & Cinderford, en-route serving the major Cannop Colliery etc.
Altho it seems a small image on first loading, clicking on the image will significantly enlarge it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Bilson%2C_Cinderford%2C_Coleford%2C_...

Forest of Dean Acetone factory

by messerschmitt @, Monday, June 17, 2013, 14:34 (4178 days ago) @ Jefff

Jeff

thanks - useless internet had references only to the Forest of Dean and acetone factory, so no real details of where it was.

I sent you a reply to that message and have just resent it to you in case it didn't appear in your inbox - there is an attachment with it.

Campbell

Forest of Dean Chemical / Naptha works - prior thread

by slowhands @, proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Monday, June 17, 2013, 14:46 (4178 days ago) @ messerschmitt

Campbell

This should help

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=entry&id=8292

you did not mention if this was related to your family or a more general question, perhaps related to a book you are writing (?) ...in which case I might consider this a breach of acceptable use http://www.forest-of-dean.net/?Help_FAQ_General_FAQ#faq13

regards
S

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Forest of Dean Chemical / Naptha works - prior thread

by messerschmitt @, Monday, June 17, 2013, 17:49 (4178 days ago) @ slowhands

It was a general interest question. Industry has always fascinated me. I saw mention of collecting conkers for the war effort and found details of the acetone factory but nothing if its location.

Forest of Dean Chemical / Naptha works - prior thread

by slowhands @, proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Monday, June 17, 2013, 18:23 (4178 days ago) @ messerschmitt

It was a general interest question. Industry has always fascinated me. I saw mention of collecting conkers for the war effort and found details of the acetone factory but nothing if its location.

Thanks for clearing that up

http://www.historyextra.com/conker

Prior to the First World War, the acetone used in British munitions was made almost entirely from the dry distillation (pyrolysis) of wood. As it required almost a hundred tonnes of birch, beech or maple to produce a tonne of acetone, the great timber-growing countries were the biggest producers of this vital commodity, and Britain was forced to import the vast majority of its acetone from the United States.

An attempt to produce our own acetone was made in 1913 when a modern factory was built in the Forest of Dean. But by the outbreak of war in 1914, the stocks for military use were just 3,200 tonnes, and it was soon obvious that an alternative domestic supply would be needed.

and

http://histclo.com/act/out/game/conk/conk-ww1.html

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Forest of Dean Chemical / Naptha works - prior thread

by HarryBrook @, Tuesday, June 18, 2013, 09:26 (4178 days ago) @ slowhands

The New Regard, the journal of the Forest of Dean Local History Society, published an extensive article on "The Wood Distallation Works and Munition Supply in the Great War" by Roger Deeks in the 2010, number 24, edition of that publication. ISSN 1753-6308.

Forest of Dean Local History Society, "New Regard" Journal.

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 12:29 (4177 days ago) @ HarryBrook

With all due "regard" to the aforementioned excellent publication, I hope this FoD FHT website will permit me to include a link to the website of the FoD LHS. I'm not yet a member of the LHS, I do not know what links there are with these two groups, I hope plenty including shared members.

Some back issues of the New Regard magazine are held within local Librairies,
http://prism.talis.com/gloucestershire/items?query=new+regard

as well as being available to buy from the LHS via this webspage.
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnrprevious.html

This pfd file is an extensive Index to all issues of The New Regard.
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/New_Regard_Index_(Combined)_vols_1-27.xls

Thankyou.

Forest of Dean Local History Society, "New Regard" Journal.

by shepway @, Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 14:31 (4176 days ago) @ Jefff

Hi Jeff,

We will add a link to the website. As you say there will be some users of this site who are members of the FOD Local History Society and if you are not a member I would recommend you join especially as I believe you live in the Forest and would be able to attend the meetings.
Looking at the FOD LHS website there is not a link to our site so I have emailed their webmaster.

Michael

Forest of Dean Local History Society, "New Regard" Journal.

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 15:10 (4176 days ago) @ shepway

Hi Michael,
thanks very much for clarifying that point, I'm very pleased to know relations are good between the two sites. I did look for a link or hint to that effect on this site/forum and did wonder why I couldn't find one. Sadly I'm afraid I don't live in the Forest so cannot attend their meetings, but I read their monthly newsletters with great interest which my mother obtains from Cinderford library.

All the best from a very muggy West London.... oh for the Forest's clean air....
Jeff.

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