This site has a number of names

Royal Ordnance Factory Hooton
ROF Hooton
ROF Willaston
ROF No 10
ROFTEN

Some of the original large buildings are still in existance and are being used by various businesses. ROF Hooton was a temporary factort set up for WW2, after the was it was handed over to Williams & Williams as part of the policy of disposal of temporary ROF sites. The site is approximately 30 acres (pretty big).

Many of the main site buildings are alive and well and are in use by various businesses as part of the ROFTEN industrial estate. I was looking in the surrounding woodland hoping to find something of interest. I already knew there were three pill boxes near to the site.

Part of the site is being used by a rubble recycling company which blocks off some views, another part of the site has been used as an off-road 4X4 track and also apparently (by the thousands of cartridges) as a twelve bore shooting site. There are loads of rabbits in the vicinity.

The site is right next door to Hooton station and even the car dealers on Hooton road are using some of the ROF buildings.

What did I find, I found two destroyed pill boxes on-site, 3 intact pill boxes on the wirral way (which goes round the east and south sides of the site) and also one derelict building.

Pictures to follow ....

Here are some pictures of the main buildings, most of which are in use by businesses.

Note the main factory has the railway going through the building.

Here are the first two on-site pill boxes - deperately trying to remember if there were three actually - maybe - but only photos for two.

The second one had a double culvert next to it which may have been a brdige, hence the pillbox

The first pillbox I found by the wirral-way, this is in very good condition and has/had an interesting layout (though one internal wall has been removed).

Next pillbox by Wirral Way - this one was a lot harder to spot.

Last pill box, this is on-site but by Wirral way, I didn't see it the first time I went past, even though I had been about 15ft from it (as a preverbial bat!).

There was this one (non-pillbox) building that was hidden in the trees, this is derelict but was in use in the 1970s. This may look remarkably to a building that 28daylater (28dl) described as a childrens home??????
28dl Kids Home???

Doesn't look like any children's home to me!!!

That's the last of the pictures (thank god they say), this ROF site, like RAF West Kirby has been well cleansed, even in 1970 there were quite a few buildings in the woodland that have now gone. Had a good day looking though - if you don't look, you won't find.

Very good DD. At the beginning of the thread you mentioned the site was handed over to Williams & Williams for cleaning up. Do you know anything on that firm Williams & Williams, during WW2 my mother worked for that company making Jerry cans, apparently she gained welding skills. As far as i know it was in Chester.

wow you have been busy

Good work dd. Presume you spotted the somewhat bizarre/Darlek looking Fire Watcher's shelter in your 5th photo down. It's on the gantry behind the 2 long black buildings.

There were 2 of these on that gantry. They are "Consol" Shelters. Made for firewatching duties. Made of thick mild steel plate with an access door. Few of these survive.

I've some close-up prints of these together with a war time advert for them. At Chris's next weekend, so hopefully he can scan the info. and post same. Watch this space !

Pinz - I meant to take a picture of that "bell" when I did my second pass. I've blown it up from the hi-res piccy here. Can you give some more information on this - was it for the fire lookout to hide in if he found himself doing a Guy Fawkes?

Yes, that's right. It was a measure of protection from shrapnel and other bits of flying joy and delight during an air raid.

I think the main duty of the Firewatcher was to spot any incendiary bombs that fell onto the roof and then tackle any blaze before it got out of hand.

You can just make out the lifting eye on top. Must have been craned up. I shudder to think how much they weigh. Saw an old one being used as a shelter for the shotfirer in a N.Wales quarry. From memory, the steel was at least half an inch thick !

What a great garden shed !!!

Williams & Williams main business was making metal window frames, the Hooton site made standard sized frames for the building industry, the Chester site made Aluminium Curtain Walling. They took over the Hooton site on 21st April 1945.

Loving the urban exploration DD. Some good sh**in specs too!

Another bit of information just surfaced - the Hooton sites main function was to make Anti-Aircraft Guns - there is also a possibility they made shell cases. This site did not deal with explosives of any kind.

Nice Work DD.
Any Chance Of Finding Were The Explosives Were Made Then?

Thanks for that DD

There was a large ordenance factory over in Liverpool, making grenades and shells, cant remember where tho!!

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/blitz/munitions.asp

Thanks Bert.

I work at roften galvanising which has moved from the original site in hooton years ago up on to north rd in ellesmere port .

I only found out where the name came from sometime last year

apparently roften stands for

(R)oyal (O)rdinance (F)actories TEN

I dont know if it meant there was ten factories there or not but it seems logical enough

Here is a better picture of the Fireman's Watch Shelter, the second picture is confirming what Pinz said, there is a another shelter at the other end of the gantry, second picture is a pitch black (15 second ISO-1600) night-shot hence the poor quality - but spot the stars.

Visited here today with Pinz. Here's a couple more pics of the Consol shelter. Also, a scan of an advert for it from the book "Walls of War" by Mallory & Ottar: Pinz's book, thanks. We were also able to gain access to the inside of the building, thanks to a co-operative security guard. Of interest is the internal factory narrow gauge rail system. Shown in the pic is a crossover on the narrow gauge system, combined with the standard gauge line which would have connected with the main line at or near Hooton.

Well done lads, that place was very twitchy in the past so one place I never thought of asking.

I didn't spot the third rail on my own picture either - good one. Love the washing line in your picture, I guess the company has moved out, I haven't seen the shutters up at all in the last few weeks.

yerrr the view would be good from there

pm me

This is my first post in Wirral History - so hello everyone!!!

Just a thought on where the explosives were made - Capenhurst (before it was UKAEA / later BNFL) was a large ordnance factory in WW2 and just down the road from Hooton - my Nan worked there...

Cheers,
Bill.

Billy - can you ask your Nan whether capenhurst was a "Filling Factory" (ie one that put the explosives into shells) or an "Explosives Factory" (ie one that made the chemical explosives) or even an "Engineering Factory" (ie one that made small arms or did other engineering work). I used to have this information but I have lost it, and all references to details of ROF Capenhurst (pre 1950) have seemed to have disapeared off the internet.

Cheers
dd

Hooton is down as an engineering site, not a filling one, not sure about Capenhurst, the only other i know is filling in Speke

Hi dd - I'm afraid my Nan passed away in 1972, but my Mum or Dad will probably know - I'll ask them and get back to you soon.

Cheers,
Billy.

Many years ago I often travelled between Penrhyndeudraeth (think that is the spelling) and Bryn Glas. A factory on the left before the causeway travelling from Penrhyndeudraeth made black powder for ordinance but I am unsure if they supplied ROF Hooton.

Hi again dd - it seems that my Nan was employed quality checking the bullets (visually I hope!!) - my Dad confirms that Capenhurst was a indeed a 'filling' factory, although he doesn't know if shells were manufactured as there as well. (He worked at Capenhurst from the ealy 1950's)

He also recalls that the roofs of the original buildings were formed in a shallow 'vee' shape, so that if any explosion took place, any blast would blow the roof off and be directed upwards, rather than sideways.

Incidently, Capenhurst had numerous sidings off the Birkenhead - Chester line for transfer of ordnance and its own small internal railway system (including a very small engine shed!) - so it must have been a fairly large operation I would have thought.

Hope this helps.

Billy.

Thanks for the quick response Billy, I thought it was filling, but logically you'd expect it to be chemical/explosives with it being turned into nuclear after the war, so wasn't so sure.

A couple of questions:

Does anyone know when ROFTEN opened ?
Does anyone know who the builder was ?

Thanks

d.d. could probably help with the info bud and have some info!
could you empty you pm box bud nice one!

I re-sprayed a Mini in a unit at the rofton site that a m8 of mine rented about 15 years ago

I thought I had put the opening date up on the first post, but I didn't, I will see if I can find it again. No idea who built it, there is some story of a "team" going round building these sites but I don't think the timescales would have worked and it would have to be a bloomin' big team, some of the sites are HUGE.

Men worked 12&14 hours a day 7 days a week in those days DD, not like now turn up at 8 or 9 and away by 3 Mon to Thur, and midday Friday.

And they didn't have "fag" breaks, they smoked on the job. You tell the kids these days ....

Midday Friday???? what's that about, I thought it was "show your face and run" on a Friday.... Gotit, turn up at Midday and show your face!

And Women, don't be sexist, and thankfully something has been done about those long hours for next to no pay.

yes they made windows here i worked in the press shop there around the late sixties,

Capenhurst was never a ROF munitions site - it roots lay in the 'Mollington Petrol Depot' - (Ministry of Supply) - so would not have made happy bedfellows !

It was developed into a uranium enrichment site - uranium-tipped shells became available in the 50s - for use mainly in anti-tank rounds apparently.

BTW the Mollington mainline siding was certainly still operational as well in the 1980s - with one of Levers named diesel shunters always kept there on standby....

Just to clarify: the uranium used is depleted uranium, which is not fissile. It is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process by gaseous diffusion which was carried out at Capenhurst.

So perfectly harmless then - Chris !!

Yes, unless a chunk of it hits your tank.