Visit with REEF,
Ive driven past this place literally hundreds of times and apart from the odd few sheep it has never changed.
The RAF fuel depot at Portfield, Chichester was built to store aviation fuel in WW2 for the nearby Tangmere, Westhampnett and Merston Airfields. I'm unsure the exact date when it was operational from but it was highlighted as a target on a Luftwaffe map from 1940. The fuel was brought in by train on a dedicated siding and then taken by road to the airfields. There are four protected rectangular Whessoe Foundry Co. D1 steel tanks, each of 500 ton capacity, as well as a semi buried air raid shelter.
A private company (Wm.Cory Ltd) used the depot after the MOD left, they distributed kerosene, gas oil and derv until the nineties.
The site has recently been used for car boot sales which has meant most of the buildings have been secured.
There have been plans put forward to demolish the site for the new Chichester park and ride scheme
Early plan of the site, the A27 is on the left, the Brighton-Portsmouth main line to the North
]
Office building
Tanker filling building
Air raid shelter (sealed)
Gas tight blast door
Beyond the gates was the junction with the main line
one of the 4 main fuel tanks
Generator building
Pump building, driven by a 4 cylinder petrol engine
This fuel tank was heavily guarded by the security sheep
Ive driven past this place literally hundreds of times and apart from the odd few sheep it has never changed.
The RAF fuel depot at Portfield, Chichester was built to store aviation fuel in WW2 for the nearby Tangmere, Westhampnett and Merston Airfields. I'm unsure the exact date when it was operational from but it was highlighted as a target on a Luftwaffe map from 1940. The fuel was brought in by train on a dedicated siding and then taken by road to the airfields. There are four protected rectangular Whessoe Foundry Co. D1 steel tanks, each of 500 ton capacity, as well as a semi buried air raid shelter.
A private company (Wm.Cory Ltd) used the depot after the MOD left, they distributed kerosene, gas oil and derv until the nineties.
The site has recently been used for car boot sales which has meant most of the buildings have been secured.
There have been plans put forward to demolish the site for the new Chichester park and ride scheme
Early plan of the site, the A27 is on the left, the Brighton-Portsmouth main line to the North
]
Office building
Tanker filling building
Air raid shelter (sealed)
Gas tight blast door
Beyond the gates was the junction with the main line
one of the 4 main fuel tanks
Generator building
Pump building, driven by a 4 cylinder petrol engine
This fuel tank was heavily guarded by the security sheep