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View Full Version : Edingham Munitions Factory, Scotland, March 2011



Nicola
01-04-2011, 09:09 PM
I was born and brought up in this area and had no idea this place existed until I saw Derelict-UK's post on it - as I was in the area over the weekend it seemed rude not to have a wee ganders around it.

I had no idea just how big this site was - you could easily spend a day wandering around here.

For those interested in the history:

History of Edingham Munitions Factory (From Matthew Taylor of Edingham Farm:)

The people of Dalbeattie who were born and raised here, or whose families lived here, have heard many stories about the WW2 Munitions Factory at Edingham and know it well. Indeed, many of the older people in the town may have worked there and have a fund of stories to tell. For newcomers or tourists coming to Dalbeattie there is curiosity about the buildings, mounds and humps around Edingham, on the outskirts of the town as you approach from Dumfries.

Edingham was built in 1939. McAlpine Construction was given the contract on a time and materials basis which meant there was no restriction to the final cost which amounted to £3.5 million.

Most of the factory was built by hand. Drag lines and basic diggers which had no cabs or hydraulic rams, were also used. Over 3000 men, the majority of them Irish, were used in the building and labouring. The Irish navvies stayed in wooden huts, which were later used to house prisoners of war from 1943 to 1947.


Ideally Situated

The area for the site was taken from six farmers who were paid a minimal fee. The total site was 300 acres, 180 of which came from Edingham Farm. One of the main reasons for choosing this site was the fact that the Dumfries to Stranraer railway line passed through it, making it an ideal location with easy transportation of cordite and nitro-glycerine for onward processing.


Security and Safety of Great Importance

It took 8 miles of high security fencing to surround the site, which was made up of two identical halves, so as to prevent production being interrupted if a key building was hit and put out of action.

The buildings themselves were dug into the earth and then surrounded by steep sides, like a large pudding basin. This ensured that, should an explosion occur, the force of the blast went upwards causing less damage, and not outwards to damage other parts of the site.

Cordite and nitro-glycerine were the main products manufactured. These highly dangerous products were hauled around by unshod horses and carts, supplied by farmers, to prevent any sparks which might have sent the place sky-high.

Post-War Uses of the Site

The railway line continued in use for the public until the early 1960s.

After the War the Admiralty took over the whole site and used it as a store for such items as floating mines. In 1960 the land was sold back to the farmers with Mr Taylor of Edingham ending up with most of it.

There have been many diverse ideas and uses for the buildings over the last 40 years, ranging from growing mushrooms to furniture storage etc. But the most practical use apart from providing shelter for cattle has been Army and Police training which is still ongoing.

The buildings are now derelict and unsafe, and for this reason the site is not open to the public. However, once a year a conducted tour is arranged and is very popular for those interested in the factory’s history. If you belong to a group who are interested in the history of Edingham and would like to see round the site, contact Matthew Taylor on 01556 610397.

On with the pics - unfortunately I have no idea what all the individual buildings were for so - I'll leave that to the military buffs!....

Oh and almost forgot to mention that one of the cows head butted my dog!!!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/477.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/484.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/485.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/499.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/515.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/517.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/544.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/822.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/834.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/837.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/838.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/840.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/843.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/862.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/870.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/874.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/915.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/933.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/935.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/944.jpg

We noticed lots of graffiti written by the army - they use the place as a training base sometimes....

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/950.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/956.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/961.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/967.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/957.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/973.jpg

Thanks for looking! :ty

MJS
01-04-2011, 09:14 PM
Good stuff Nipple-a :thumb

Shadow_Ops
01-04-2011, 10:24 PM
thats beautiful... i have urges now!

BB
01-04-2011, 11:30 PM
Me likey!!! :thumb

Derelict-UK
02-04-2011, 07:32 PM
So thats what those buildings look like (minus the army soldiers lol).


Great Report Nicola

Clough
02-04-2011, 07:54 PM
Good stuff Nipple-a :thumb

Change her Screenname quick! :jester
Only joking! Mint sauce!

beam assisted
02-04-2011, 08:02 PM
I really like this place Nic - top pics

KingElvis
02-04-2011, 08:49 PM
Sooooo envious Nicola, I would LOVE to see this place :-)

Nicola
03-04-2011, 10:04 AM
It's only just over the border KE - you could do it in a day!

KingElvis
03-04-2011, 10:16 AM
It's only just over the border KE - you could do it in a day!

can you FlashEarth it for me Nicola? I may just find some pennies to get my ass up there.

Nicola
03-04-2011, 10:18 AM
Yep - will do....

SaltGeorge
03-04-2011, 11:54 AM
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/933.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc499/Nicolaiona/Edingham/935.jpg


This building is interesting with that perforated wall. Someone wanted plenty of ventilation.

Nicola
03-04-2011, 08:03 PM
Yeah - I never really thought about it - there was a couple of buildings like that all near each other....

Pyroninja
04-04-2011, 10:39 PM
Never knew about this one!!! Those exact same buildings are found down at the ICI explosives plant in Stevenson, did you stop off there when visiting sunniest Ayrshire?

coops
05-04-2011, 08:59 AM
Good stuff Nic

SaltGeorge
05-04-2011, 09:38 AM
There's quite a bit of information on this site on Scotland's Places (http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=76279). One of the photo captions suggests that the colandar building might be an acetone recovery house.

Nicola
05-04-2011, 11:06 AM
Never knew about this one!!! Those exact same buildings are found down at the ICI explosives plant in Stevenson, did you stop off there when visiting sunniest Ayrshire?

I originally come from Dumfries so it was just a quick toot along the road for me!