Report - RNAD Broughton Moor, ex Royal Navy ammo store - March 09

[General Tosser]

An awful lot of Broughton Moor was unused for decades prior to closure. May of the buildings (esp NW area of site) were last used in the 1950's
The use of the site is quite comple once it became a NATO establishment. At oe poit it was leased to the West German Army and sub-let to the USA. Why would the Germans want an arms dump in remote Cumbria? The only place interantional treaties allowed the USA to store chemical weapons in Europe was on German property (no other country).
A RNAD leased to the Germans, sublet to the Americans. Draw your own conclusions, FOI requests reveal nothing.
The ground beneath the RNAD was mined for fireclay as well as coal, lots of the workings are very shallow (esp the West of the site) There is an inclined drift to the North West of the site. Some workings cut below others but there is actually 50 plus shafts of varying depth on the site. Most were relatively small scale workings

 

[Ordnance]

As to Broughton Moor being leased to the West German Army? not heard of that one!

But there used to be a West German Army Tank Training Establishment at Merrion Camp and Castlemartin Ranges in Pembrokeshire. Based on a 1960's reciprocal agreement with the Federal German Govenment allowing German Leopard Tank battalions to use Castlemartin Ranges for live firing. This was due to (wait for it) the British Army using all the range time on German ranges! They left in 1996 and now use Sennelarger Ranges due to us having less tanks in Germany than we used to...

They used to ship in 105mm tank ammo and used space on a British LSL (Landing Ship Logistic) twice a year to change over tanks & equipment.

Funny old world init! We spent years trying to keep them out, then help them bring tanks ashore, less than 15 years later.....

 

[Dempsey]

yeah the krauts used the site to store sea mines there.

 

[horrgakx]

Very interesting. I love any snippets of info like this.
Such a pity there's not a public archive of the (obviously classified) buildings when they were in use.

 

[Dempsey]

Aye its a shame 6 or 8 years ago, the majority of the science block was there, i can't remember why they took it down, mybe they thought it was a target for vandalism.

 

[General Tosser]

Aye its a shame 6 or 8 years ago, the majority of the science block was there, i can't remember why they took it down, mybe they thought it was a target for vandalism.

Word at the time was contamination of one sort or another.
If I remember rightly it was cleared while the place was still kept secure.
There is one magazine building up toward the North West corner that fell down duing the war (with a little accidental help) but can't remember exactly where off the top of my head.
Back in the late 90's early 90's it was very securely guarded, in part because of the attention the place recieved from CND types for a while.
Curiously enough I can remember security lighting in the woods on the northern edge, although it appears that there was never electric up in that area so presumably they had generators up there.
One nice feature you occasionally find in the woods are small toilet blocks with chemical loo's in. The evening trains running up through Seaton were an interesting sight too.

 

[Jasoon]

Had a quick look round the permitter yesterday and by the looks of it the place is being patrolled ,unless it was just a one off.....
Pull up at one of the disused gates and within a few minuets a 4x4 pulled up on the other side of the gate and staid there for a while then it drove off the only markings on the 4x4 where motor-way maintenance.

When we went past the main entrance there where a few cars there and a notice stating that police dogs are being trained there......

 

[True_British_Metal]

Is it true there is still unexploded ordnance left behind?

RNAD Broughton Moor - Wikipedia

 

[Dempsey]

Its likely, 90% likely i would say.

 

[Ordnance]

The area was cleared to level 2 by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (Later Royal logistics Corps) & Royal Engineers as a training exersize with Royal Ordnance EOD Techs between 1992 & 1995 who issued a 'Free From Surface Explosives' Certificate.

Assessment was:

Asbestos - Very High Risk

Chemical Contamination in the Process Building - Medium to High Risk

Ground Contamination - Low to Medium Risk

Known Unexploded Ordnance (meaning complete or in-complete items) Low Risk

Minor Componants - Low to Medium Risk

No former MoD or Royal Ordnance (British Aerospace) site is really 100% risk free.

 

[sworks]

two poachers were caught in here last week!

 

[True_British_Metal]

The area was cleared to level 2 by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (Later Royal logistics Corps) & Royal Engineers as a training exersize with Royal Ordnance EOD Techs between 1992 & 1995 who issued a 'Free From Surface Explosives' Certificate.

Assessment was:

Asbestos - Very High Risk

Chemical Contamination in the Process Building - Medium to High Risk

Ground Contamination - Low to Medium Risk

Known Unexploded Ordnance (meaning complete or in-complete items) Low Risk

Minor Componants - Low to Medium Risk

No former MoD or Royal Ordnance (British Aerospace) site is really 100% risk free.

If the asbestos is at a very high risk, does this mean its totally loaded (everywhere) with it, or is it highly disturbed or both?

 

[horrgakx]

There's probably minimal disturbance of the asbestos, most could be removed in sheets. But we did see where the wind had lifted some roofs up and deposited them on the grass and they'd be quite a hazard. The longer its left the worse it'll become. Most was very very overgrown and finding it all will be the hardest part!

 

[Ordnance]

Same can be said of any complex of its age. Asbestos was used as roofing and walling sheets, and so long as its intact it is OK, and as a heat insulation to steam pipes and lagging. The risks are if you were to try to demolish the place.

 

[footix2]

Id like to explore in this, not sure I want taken down by Police dogs though.