Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Dorset - November 2012.

It's amazing what you'll find in the woods and this place is certainly up there! Within a few minutes of leaving the car, look over there... and it just didn't stop from that moment! Whilst this place has been done to death i thought I'd share our day anyway - we didn't cover the whole site, it's huge, nevertheless, good day.

'The Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath, (RNCF), was set up at Holton Heath, Dorset in World War I to manufacture Cordite for the Royal Navy. It was reactivated in World War II to manufacture gun propellants for the Admiralty and its output was supplemented by the Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent. After the end of World War II, the explosive manufacturing areas of the site were closed down and some areas of the site reopened as an Admiralty Research Establishment.'


One of the many air raid shelters littered within the woodland.




The light 'at the end of the tunnel', is an escape hatch, slowly being filled with leaves.



Looped wall.



The boiler house.



Any ideas?



Control trench QP1.









One of several tunnels, at 'Nitroglycerin Hill'.











The railway would've aided a variety of supplies and explosives around the site.



Part of the pump house, adjacent the large reservoir.



Steps, leading to nowhere... now!

Nice mixture. Thank you

Nice, interesting looking place that.

Nice to see it clean and not chaved!Great photos thanks for sharing.

very nice, thanks for sharing

great place

You say it's been done to death, but I've never heard of it - so thank you kindly for posting!