ROF Bishopton
Entrance gates
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| Built | 1937 |
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| Location | Bishopton, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°54′04″N 4°30′15″W / 55.9010°N 4.50429°WCoordinates: 55°54′04″N 4°30′15″W / 55.9010°N 4.50429°W |
| Industry | Defence |
| Products | Munitions |
| Employees | 20,000+ (approx) |
| Area | 2350 acres (890 acres within perimeter fence) |
| Defunct | 2002 |
The Royal Ordnance Factory was a WW2 Ministry of Supply Explosive Factory. It is sited adjacent to the village of Bishopton in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The factory was built to manufacture the propellant cordite for the British Army and the Royal Air Force. It also later produced cordite for the Royal Navy. The Ministry of Works were responsible for the site. It was the biggest munitions factory the MOD had, with up to 20,000 workers.
The explosives factory opened between December 1940 and April 1941. It was one of three propellant factories built for the MOD. The others were ROF Wrexham and ROF Ranskill. Manufacturing survived on parts of the Bishopton site until 2002. The site is now owned by BAE Systems, who in conjunction with Redrow Homes, have submitted locally controversial proposals to use the site for building new housing. This development is now underway and is known as Dargavel Village.
The site was built on farm land acquired by compulsory purchase order. Over 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of land from up to seven farms was used to accommodate the factory. The land included the Grade B listed Dargavel House and its grounds, the house still survives within the site boundary; as well as several former farm houses and public roads that were absorbed into the ROF site. The southern end of the site included land occupied by the former National Filling Factory (a WW1 munitions factory).
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Wikipedia