Former munitions factory at Pembrey Park

Large sand dunes are an ideal place to build an explosives factory. Individual production units , placed between large dunes  could be isolated from each other and in the event that an explosion occurred it would  be directed upwards and not propagate to the rest of the site. One thing that Pembrey Park, Carmarthenshire, Wales, has in abundance is large sand dunes. One is so large that a dry ski slope has been built on it.

An explosives factory appears to have been built on the site amognst  the  Pembrey dunes in 1882. The builders were  The New Explosive Company (based in Suffolk)  but the site  was purchased by their competitors, Nobel's Explosives Company, only 4 years later. After a period of decline WW1 created greater demand and an expanded military explosive factory, was built on the site  by Nobel’s (with  Government approval). The site covered 760 acres. Its main product was TNT used for shell  filling and propellant for shells. During WW1 it produced 15,000  tons of TNT and 20,000 tons of propellant. Some of the buildings between the dunes can still be seen. They are in various states of repair and some have been re-used. During WW1 an explosion at the site killed 6 people.

After the end of World War I, it closed but , with war looming again in July 1938 work started to build a new factory on the site. It opened in December 1939  as one of several Royal Ordnance Factories making  TNT. It also made tetryl , (a product used in the “gain” between the detonator and main charge of a bomb or shell) and  ammonium nitrate. About 3,000 people were employed there in World War II. The WW2 factory was different to the WW1 Factory in that much of the production etc. was done in bespoke, sand covered concrete bunkers. Many are still to be found on site. Some are open, some are sealed up and some have been pressed into service for storage by current owners. During WW2 the site was subject to German air raids but whilst a number of casualties occurred there was no devastating explosion.

After the end of World War II, it continued to manufacture TNT and tetryl for military use; and ammonium nitrate as an agricultural fertiliser. From 1944 onwards, the factory undertook breakdown of surplus ammunition. The TNT was steamed out and then burnt. ROF Pembrey closed in  1964 and in 1965 most of the site was transferred to the Forestry Commission. Much of the site is now occupied by Pembrey Country Park , under the control of Carmarthenshire County Council.

Transport both within the site and out to the wider world is essential for a munitions factory and the site was connected to the Great Western Railway at Pembrey. There were also good dock facilities about 6 miles away at the Llanelli North Dock. Within the site there is still great evidence of both the standard gauge spur and the narrow gauge internal system which served the site. The park now has another, very narrow gauge, railway system run by the Llanelli Model Engineers Society which provides rides to tourists. They actually use one of the WW1 buildings to house their locomotives.

Also within and surrounding  the site are numerous pillboxes etc. dating from WW2 although it is unclear if these were present to defend the factory, the nearby  RAF Pembrey airfield or just part of the general anti invasion defences (certainly there is great evidence of tank traps etc all along the Lougher Estuary). There is also lots of remains of British Ministry of Defence type barbed wire topped perimeter fencing and occasional instances of other types of infrastructure.

Even without the history the park is a delightful place, with lots to do and great access to the fantastic beach. The woodlands to the west  which are  managed for forestry stretch out for miles and provide a tranquil nature reserve where one can wander for hours, occasionally coming across the remnants of two world wars.