Report - Beeston Fuel Depot, Tarporley - March 2017

[paulpowers]

History wise I haven't been able to find anything on this, Even Subbrit doesn't seem to have it listed.

The fuel tanks are similar to the ones at Twemlow green so I assume they are WW2.

On the way out I was greeted by a large stag, it was majestic as fuck stood on top of the fuel tank but darted off when I reached for my camera.

​

 

[tigger]

Constructed 1940-41 by Regent Oil Co. Ltd for use as part of the GPSS system. C2 tanks (the same design as Goostrey/Twemlow though five of them are smaller capacity). The site was cleared of fuel before 1986 and then sold.

There is a good sized herd of Red Deer on there so guess it was one of those stags that you saw.

 

[Lord Oort]

Nice, bit more light would of been good though.

 

[bikebouy]

if its the beeston old railway station one, i worked with a chap who worked at Shell Stanlow, which it connected to via underground pipelines, he said the fuel oil was left there for many years after the war, and when they started pumping it out in the 60,s 70,s all sorts of dead animals got trapped in the filters. There are 2 more underground bunkers one disued behind Chester Zoo and another just down the canal still in use as a bunker depot, all linked by pipelines.

 

[tigger]

if its the beeston old railway station one, i worked with a chap who worked at Shell Stanlow, which it connected to via underground pipelines, he said the fuel oil was left there for many years after the war, and when they started pumping it out in the 60,s 70,s all sorts of dead animals got trapped in the filters. There are 2 more underground bunkers one disued behind Chester Zoo and another just down the canal still in use as a bunker depot, all linked by pipelines.

Interesting idea...how did the dead animals get in? PIGS are still sent down the pipelines ;-)

The site was in use from the 40's to early 80's to store white fuels (in the C2 tanks that PP photohraphed) and two grades of lube oils. As well as the pipeline connections heading north and south the site could both charge and discharge to road and rail tanker. The CLH-PS (formerly GPSS) still runs past the site and on down to Avonmouth.

The Wervin site is the one south of the canal which is disused (it discharged via Backford). There are two just to the north of the canal but all fuel via the GPSS N/S (N) pipeline came via Backford North (which also feeds the B/B (W) pipeline heading east as well as Manchester Jetline).

A fascinating aspect of history that is largely overlooked.

 

[Gaz45]

I lived in Tiverton near the fuel dumps some 30+ years ago, I climbed over the fence and found one of the bricked up entrances had a couple of breeze blocks knocked out. I went home and got a torch and armed up with my air rifle and squeezed through and dropped down onto the body of a dead sheep..... no idea how it would have ever got there.