Curtis and Harvey Explosive Factory

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Malenis

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Sep 21, 2015
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Location
Canvey Island
This site has intrigued me after looking at the groundworks on Google Earth....just shells of buildings but still an interesting place to have a mooch around. There was a nasty rain cloud approaching so didn't get to all the buildings I had wanted to :-(

"A late 19th-century gunpowder storage facility, replaced by an early 20th-century Chemical Explosives Factory which closed during the 1920s. Extensive earthworks and a number of buildings relating to the factory survive.
During WWII its site is said to have been used as bombing decoy."


23667656674_3dd6951d93_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24269740716_39ef7dc162_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-49 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24295898515_3045b40d98_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-48 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000295990_a3a3a1078a_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-47 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928056689_30c42be6a4_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-46 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928062899_ab8fb1cc13_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-45 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928067499_30545fecca_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-44 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928071899_ad71fca9b2_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-43 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23669097803_b3d8616f2d_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-42 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928083049_e5dc59607b_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-41 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23669108563_549aa1bf18_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-40 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000336040_a7b0c3f0b1_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-39 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24269798736_37104d5dc2_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-38 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000349540_44138326d8_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-37 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000355460_2594faa8d1_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-36 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24187777392_f3b3fea627_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-35 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24213450411_fcb936b315_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-34 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23669149393_48911e0aba_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-33 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23669155413_f55c4325c2_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-32 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23667760354_22c6d6e08e_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-31 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928144699_6283564b2a_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-30 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24296008615_6a88e8725e_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-28 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23667783564_47592ca7fc_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-27 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000412630_c283258823_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-26 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24187835832_f84babbf7a_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-25 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928184299_872fcf367d_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-24 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23667814254_78d4cfd484_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-22 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24213526901_9029566e87_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-21 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24187866342_4cae2c7157_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-20 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24269913226_0bbe8bd26e_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-19 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24213548111_b56dd57533_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-18 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24296077735_abc4fa37e3_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-17 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000474670_0069d32ce5_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-16 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24269937846_1354a233dd_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-15 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24269943156_6aea4b80b6_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-14 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000491430_619f692507_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-13 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23669276093_d11f30e3fc_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-12 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000503570_ca60eb022d_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-11 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23667885514_e42aebf084_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-10 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23667894104_37598fb91a_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-9 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24296131515_0c2c9b7652_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-8 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24213611521_8c42892699_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-7 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000531370_0c997bc2ad_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-6 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24296147685_331dae3396_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-5 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24000544080_1a39d762e0_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-4 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
24270009746_4206acfd6a_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-3 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
23928314319_81ea214198_k.jpgCurtis & Harvey's Explosives Factory-2 by Malenis Photography, on Flickr
 
Now that's interesting. A lot of buildings with a few questions attached to them. Especially the semi-circular building, I can only assume you can put a field gun there, the one with a chimney remaining possibly admin, and I noticed a pair of railway tracks. Its a pity you didn't look on the side of the rail for a date and the railway company name. Thanks for posting.
 
Hugh Jorgan;318588 A lot of buildings with a few questions attached to them. Especially the semi-circular building said:
As the shock waves from quite minor thunder storms have been known to cause individual nitro-glycerine production cells to detonate, the positioning of any artillery piece near this and similar sites was a definite NO! The circular nitrating cells came about because of a very early theory (soon proven!) that cylindrical structures will withstand internal explosions better than square or rectangular structures, even when supported by earth bunds. If there was a BANG, one wanted it to all go skywards. All archived operating procedures for this and other explosive works would indicate that Rail Company responsibility ended at the works gate - if the rail is marked, it will most likely be with the name of the rolling mill producing said rail as the explosive producer will have had their contractors purchase and lay all internal track work.

Although this site is vast,Anybody who knows and understands the chemistry involved will soon work out that what we have here is just a production 'line'. However, because of the quantity of into-glycerine involved production cells had to be small enough to prevent the whole site exploding should one detonate.

These are some of the best photographs I have seen of this place - they really give you the impression of the scale of this place. Nice one!
 
Great post Dirus, another thing that always strikes me about nitroglycerin production and gunpowder production for that matter is just how often things did go bang. It wasn't a theoretical possibility, it happened a LOT, hence the extreme precautions to prevent major catastrophes and limit it to small sections with few deaths, that would allow production to keep rolling.
 
As the shock waves from quite minor thunder storms have been known to cause individual nitro-glycerine production cells to detonate, the positioning of any artillery piece near this and similar sites was a definite NO! The circular nitrating cells came about because of a very early theory (soon proven!) that cylindrical structures will withstand internal explosions better than square or rectangular structures, even when supported by earth bunds. If there was a BANG, one wanted it to all go skywards. All archived operating procedures for this and other explosive works would indicate that Rail Company responsibility ended at the works gate - if the rail is marked, it will most likely be with the name of the rolling mill producing said rail as the explosive producer will have had their contractors purchase and lay all internal track work.

Although this site is vast,Anybody who knows and understands the chemistry involved will soon work out that what we have here is just a production 'line'. However, because of the quantity of into-glycerine involved production cells had to be small enough to prevent the whole site exploding should one detonate.

These are some of the best photographs I have seen of this place - they really give you the impression of the scale of this place. Nice one!

Great bit of info :) & thanks for the compliment
 
I count myself lucky to have been born when I was - it has allowed me to indulge in certain hobbies before the State Law Makers, Police and other parties put a stop to some interesting, then legal pursuits. Looking through my old reloading and shooting records it seems that I am probably the only person here who has used Curtis and Harvey Black Powder. In the 70's and 80's, as more and more of the old gunsmiths closed down due to loss of custom, one occasionally found the odd tin or so of propellant listed in the clearance auction. My then local gunsmith was also a very good friend and it appears that I loaded up some C & H powder that he had obtained, into cartridges for a rare double barrelled game rifle. How any firearm propellant performs is all down to particle/grain size, this is particularly true for black powders and C & H produced one of the smoothest shooting powders I have ever come across. The modern equivalent produced by the ICI Nobel concern at that time was not a patch on the old stuff. It could be that the ever increasing safety demands in this industry, made the production of really uniform sized powder too hazardous for production to continue in that way.

Going back to my early working days with BRB, I used to test railway detonators - Fog Signals - for compliance to contract and function. These things, a small round metal container with a lead strap or tinplate holder were placed on the rail head by hand (lead strap versions) or machine ( tinplate holder) as signal warnings in fog or warnings of obstructions. Internally they contained a quantity of very course Black Powder and a circular anvil holding five percussion caps. One tested the caps individually and weighed the quantity of powder present, before igniting the heap with a small spark. A quite crude device that has saved many a life, even in the 'automatic' age.
 
I count myself lucky to have been born when I was - it has allowed me to indulge in certain hobbies before the State Law Makers, Police and other parties put a stop to some interesting, then legal pursuits. Looking through my old reloading and shooting records it seems that I am probably the only person here who has used Curtis and Harvey Black Powder. In the 70's and 80's, as more and more of the old gunsmiths closed down due to loss of custom, one occasionally found the odd tin or so of propellant listed in the clearance auction. My then local gunsmith was also a very good friend and it appears that I loaded up some C & H powder that he had obtained, into cartridges for a rare double barrelled game rifle. How any firearm propellant performs is all down to particle/grain size, this is particularly true for black powders and C & H produced one of the smoothest shooting powders I have ever come across. The modern equivalent produced by the ICI Nobel concern at that time was not a patch on the old stuff. It could be that the ever increasing safety demands in this industry, made the production of really uniform sized powder too hazardous for production to continue in that way.

Going back to my early working days with BRB, I used to test railway detonators - Fog Signals - for compliance to contract and function. These things, a small round metal container with a lead strap or tinplate holder were placed on the rail head by hand (lead strap versions) or machine ( tinplate holder) as signal warnings in fog or warnings of obstructions. Internally they contained a quantity of very course Black Powder and a circular anvil holding five percussion caps. One tested the caps individually and weighed the quantity of powder present, before igniting the heap with a small spark. A quite crude device that has saved many a life, even in the 'automatic' age.

Thank you I always wondered what was in a fog signal I had assumed that they contained some form of fulminate or azide never realised that they were black powder!

Malenis Great set of pics thanks for posting!
 
I went there a few times in the Autumn, thing that struck me about the place was the amount of dead animals just laying around, a horse and quite a few sheep.
 
I went there a few times in the Autumn, thing that struck me about the place was the amount of dead animals just laying around, a horse and quite a few sheep.

Sadly not such an uncommon occurrence on out of the way common land or abandoned places like this. Not that there is any excuse; but finding sheep is somewhat understandable, as an ill sheep once it's down, can be a bugger to spot. The turning out of an old/ill horse to save vet's bills (if that's what happened) is indefensible, but rather all too common in this so called country of animal lovers! However; coming from a farming background I fully understand how difficult it can be to find missing animals.
 

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