99:
Swynnerton became operational in stages, from the middle of 1940. The factory was completed in two years, a task which, in peace-time, would have taken five years. It consisted of over 1,700 small buildings, each surrounded by earth banks to contain accidental blasts; if one building was destroyed the adjacent buildings would be unaffected. Five large boiler-houses were built strategically around the perimeter of the site so that, if one or two were bombed, production could still be maintained. Roadways between buildings were of smooth, grit-free asphalt and were called ‘cleanways’ because they had to be kept clean at all times, to avoid any possibility of sparks.
19:
98:
ROF Swynnerton, being a 'filling' factory was the most dangerous of the various types of munitions factories; bomb and shell-casings were filled with highly combustible explosive materials. It was planned that the factory should provide at least some production while construction continued.
158:
During the war the factory worked 24 hours a day and the passenger service to Cold Meece reflected this with nineteen trains a day, Monday to
Saturday, serving the station in time for the shift changes at 5:35 am, 1:35 pm and 8:35 pm. Services ran to and from three main destinations;
154:
After the war ended the factory and station both continued in use until 1958. The factory closed in May 1958 and although the last scheduled train ran in June 1958, the station did not officially close until August 1959. The branch had been lifted by
September 1963.
199:
in 2021, up to 200 Afghans are being housed at
Swynnerton Training Area until permanent accommodation is found for them. Military personnel and their families who supported the British Armed Forces were promised resettlement after Afghanistan was taken over by the
179:. In addition there was one service each way classed as a recreational service for people who lived on the site to get into Stoke. Sunday services comprised two trains each way to Silverdale and Blythe Bridge and three each way to Newchapel and Goldenhill.
150:
The station was for passenger traffic only and no goods facilities were ever provided, all freight movements for the factory were dealt with via the link to the Crewe branch of the West Coast Main Line at
Badnall Wharf.
187:
After the war the site was converted for military training use and became known as
Swynnerton Training Camp. In 2019, proposals were revealed for a 'Garden village' on a small part of the site, to complement the nearby
110:
By mid 1942, ROF Swynnerton had become fully operational and the number of people working at the site had grown to approximately 18,500. To meet the need of getting the factory workers to and from the factory the
91:, as the long-established principal Royal Ordnance Factory, designed the various processes and layout of buildings. The Engineer-in-Chief, appointed to oversee the construction was
102:
In addition to the factory itself, seven residential hostels were built, along with houses and flats, for munitions workers and almost 500 families of specialist staff.
661:
457:
656:
504:
The
Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present
83:, were appointed to supervise construction. Plans were drawn up by A.P.I.Cotterell & Son, Chartered Engineers, on behalf of Gibb. The
164:
160:
64:
384:
34:
406:
516:
488:
617:
586:
432:
143:. The branch line, which was double track throughout, ran for just under 2 miles (3.2 km) from Swynnerton Junction to
116:
605:
559:
76:
172:
168:
140:
95:. Site work was divided into areas under divisional superintendents who were directly responsible to Ash.
132:
75:
Around 1,200 acres (490 ha) were requisitioned, principally from the
Swynnerton and Cotes estates.
144:
18:
458:"Inside the Midlands military base creating a new start for Afghan refugees - Latest From ITV News"
128:
50:
49:. Built between 1939 and 1941, it remained operational until 1958. It was later operated by the
30:
119:(LMS) to construct a station. The site already had an extensive rail network served from the
176:
136:
124:
120:
92:
8:
196:
112:
80:
601:
582:
555:
522:
512:
484:
578:
530:
502:
46:
67:(ARAP) scheme, housing "Afghans who supported the UK mission in Afghanistan."
650:
632:
619:
84:
42:
534:
526:
547:
498:
131:
but the LMS chose to build a new branch line running to the site from the
433:"MoD houses up to 200 brave Afghans in North Staffordshire military camp"
335:
333:
38:
508:
330:
350:
348:
88:
407:"'Garden village' with hundreds of homes could be built near city"
345:
201:
214:
574:
551:
279:
277:
189:
171:
picking up at all stations en route except those between
542:
Christiansen, Rex & Miller, Robert
William (1971).
289:
274:
262:
250:
238:
226:
367:
365:
363:
63:
is one of several UK locations now being used for the
320:
318:
316:
360:
541:
354:
339:
313:
301:
220:
648:
598:The Oxford Companion to British railway history
595:
483:. Leek, Staffordshire: Churnet Valley Books.
596:Simmons, Jack; Biddle, Gordon, eds. (1997).
571:The North Staffordshire Railway in LMS days
481:ROF Swynnerton - Bullets, Bombs & Roses
478:
295:
283:
268:
256:
244:
232:
662:Buildings and structures in Staffordshire
430:
65:Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy
17:
649:
431:Alexander, Rachel (21 February 2024).
404:
105:
568:
371:
324:
307:
497:
117:London, Midland and Scottish Railway
657:Royal Ordnance Factories in England
600:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
13:
405:Parker, Hayley (1 November 2017).
37:, located south of the village of
14:
673:
77:Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners
22:Gates to Swynnerton Training Camp
544:The North Staffordshire Railway
450:
424:
398:
377:
182:
70:
355:Christiansen & Miller 1971
340:Christiansen & Miller 1971
221:Christiansen & Miller 1971
79:, Consultant Engineers to the
1:
385:"The Defence Training Estate"
207:
7:
479:Bebbington, Graham (2018).
133:North Staffordshire Railway
10:
678:
472:
145:Cold Meece railway station
511:: Patrick Stephens Ltd.
161:Newchapel and Goldenhill
61:Swynnerton Training Area
55:Swynnerton Training Camp
554:: David & Charles.
51:Defence Training Estate
33:, more specifically a
31:Royal Ordnance Factory
23:
569:Jeuda, Basil (2010).
21:
121:West Coast Main Line
93:Wilfrid Cracroft Ash
629: /
581:: Lightmoor Press.
437:Stoke on Trent Live
342:, pp. 260–261.
197:Fall of Afghanistan
106:Railway connections
113:Ministry of Supply
81:Ministry of Supply
24:
518:978-1-85260-508-7
490:978-0-99560-398-1
669:
644:
643:
641:
640:
639:
634:
633:52.893°N 2.218°W
630:
627:
626:
625:
622:
611:
592:
588:978 1899889 48 8
565:
538:
507:(1st ed.).
501:(October 1995).
494:
466:
465:
464:. 30 April 2024.
454:
448:
447:
445:
443:
428:
422:
421:
419:
417:
402:
396:
395:
393:
391:
381:
375:
369:
358:
352:
343:
337:
328:
322:
311:
305:
299:
293:
287:
281:
272:
266:
260:
254:
248:
242:
236:
230:
224:
218:
677:
676:
672:
671:
670:
668:
667:
666:
647:
646:
637:
635:
631:
628:
623:
620:
618:
616:
615:
608:
589:
579:Gloucestershire
573:. Vol. 1.
562:
519:
491:
475:
470:
469:
456:
455:
451:
441:
439:
429:
425:
415:
413:
403:
399:
389:
387:
383:
382:
378:
370:
361:
353:
346:
338:
331:
323:
314:
306:
302:
296:Bebbington 2018
294:
290:
284:Bebbington 2018
282:
275:
269:Bebbington 2018
267:
263:
257:Bebbington 2018
255:
251:
245:Bebbington 2018
243:
239:
233:Bebbington 2018
231:
227:
219:
215:
210:
185:
108:
73:
35:filling factory
12:
11:
5:
675:
665:
664:
659:
638:52.893; -2.218
613:
612:
606:
593:
587:
566:
560:
539:
517:
499:Butt, R. V. J.
495:
489:
474:
471:
468:
467:
449:
423:
397:
376:
359:
357:, p. 261.
344:
329:
312:
300:
288:
273:
261:
249:
237:
225:
223:, p. 260.
212:
211:
209:
206:
184:
181:
173:Stoke-on-Trent
107:
104:
72:
69:
47:United Kingdom
27:ROF Swynnerton
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
674:
663:
660:
658:
655:
654:
652:
645:
642:
609:
607:0 1921 1697 5
603:
599:
594:
590:
584:
580:
576:
572:
567:
563:
561:0 7153 5121 4
557:
553:
549:
545:
540:
536:
532:
528:
524:
520:
514:
510:
506:
505:
500:
496:
492:
486:
482:
477:
476:
463:
459:
453:
438:
434:
427:
412:
411:stokesentinel
408:
401:
386:
380:
374:, p. 93.
373:
368:
366:
364:
356:
351:
349:
341:
336:
334:
327:, p. 94.
326:
321:
319:
317:
310:, p. 92.
309:
304:
298:, p. 23.
297:
292:
286:, p. 21.
285:
280:
278:
271:, p. 17.
270:
265:
259:, p. 10.
258:
253:
247:, p. 15.
246:
241:
235:, p. 13.
234:
229:
222:
217:
213:
205:
203:
198:
193:
192:development.
191:
180:
178:
174:
170:
169:Blythe Bridge
166:
162:
156:
152:
148:
146:
142:
141:Norton Bridge
138:
135:line between
134:
130:
126:
122:
118:
114:
103:
100:
96:
94:
90:
86:
85:Royal Arsenal
82:
78:
68:
66:
62:
58:
56:
52:
48:
44:
43:Staffordshire
40:
36:
32:
28:
20:
16:
614:
597:
570:
548:Newton Abbot
543:
503:
480:
461:
452:
440:. Retrieved
436:
426:
414:. Retrieved
410:
400:
388:. Retrieved
379:
303:
291:
264:
252:
240:
228:
216:
194:
186:
183:Post-war use
157:
153:
149:
109:
101:
97:
74:
71:Construction
60:
59:
54:
26:
25:
15:
636: /
651:Categories
621:52°53′35″N
372:Jeuda 2010
325:Jeuda 2010
308:Jeuda 2010
208:References
195:Since the
165:Silverdale
115:asked the
39:Swynnerton
624:2°13′05″W
535:11956311M
509:Sparkford
442:30 August
416:29 August
390:4 October
527:60251199
462:ITV News
129:Stafford
123:between
89:Woolwich
473:Sources
202:Taliban
604:
585:
575:Lydney
558:
533:
525:
515:
487:
29:was a
552:Devon
177:Stone
137:Stone
125:Crewe
53:, as
602:ISBN
583:ISBN
556:ISBN
523:OCLC
513:ISBN
485:ISBN
444:2024
418:2019
392:2016
175:and
167:and
139:and
127:and
190:HS2
41:in
653::
577:,
550:,
546:.
531:OL
529:.
521:.
460:.
435:.
409:.
362:^
347:^
332:^
315:^
276:^
204:.
163:,
147:.
87:,
57:.
45:,
610:.
591:.
564:.
537:.
493:.
446:.
420:.
394:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
