After spending the end of last month around ancient castles we found ourselves exploring some slightly more recent history on Saturday. Our destination was Pembrey country park which is today a haven for recreation with large grassy fields, expansive forestry and even a dry ski slope. Back in 1886 however you’d have been wise to steer well clear of the area as a dynamite factory occupied some 155 acres of the present day park. With the arrival of WW1 a shortage of shells for the war effort was becoming a serious concern so in 1914 a TNT and propellant factory was also constructed, the first such purpose built facility in the UK. In all 15,000 tonnes of TNT and 20,000 tonnes of propellant were produced before the site was decommissioned. In 1938 however construction started on a new munitions factory which again provided an important supply of TNT throughout WW2 and beyond until its eventual closure in 1964.
The buildings where over three thousand people once toiled are long gone, swept away as part of the regeneration of this once heavily fortified coastline, but there are still many signs that hint towards those darker times. Principle amongst these are the huge earth covered concrete bunkers that sit surrounded by blast embankments near the forestry. These were used to safely store munitions prior to being loaded onto the sites internal railway system, the rails of which can still be seen set into concrete on the bunker floors.
Each bunker follows a similar design with a main tunnel for the railway off which several storage rooms reside. A couple of these are small enough to suggest that they may have been offices, but most are cavernous spaces well protected from any aerial bombardment. Whenever I explore old military installations its always the details I like to focus on as they are what really bring to life the fact that these rotting concrete structures are part of the reason we have our freedom today. Fuse boxes, phone interchanges, light switches, wiring conduits and door frames all help to tell the human story of those that worked there.
Graffiti, both old and modern, adorn many of the walls but unfortunately much of it is just mindless vandalism. Every now and again though you do stumble across a piece that shows real intelligence and skill from the artist such as the example below. For those in doubt the message is political in nature and expresses displeasure at the way in which a lot of our famous British names are now under German ownership.
As you walk deeper into the park further signs of prior use continue to peak through the forest floor, usually in the form of rail lines that must have proved difficult to reclaim. Pillboxes are also dotted around, their once open views now obscured by maturing trees. Of particular interest to me was the brick built example below with concrete peep holes, a pillbox construction method that I have not seen used all that often.
Despite these man made intrusions nature has done an exceptionally good job of reclaiming the land but the bunkers still prove to be a magnet for those of us curious about their history. It’s probably not a surprise that there are several ghost sightings associated with them, and after having taken shelter in one during a particularly heavy rainstorm I can confirm that you are never quite at ease in their presence.
11 Comments
TexWisGirl · March 6, 2012 at 8:01 pm
an interesting, historical place. i like that last brick bunker. the graffiti was well done, too.
Bob Bushell · March 6, 2012 at 8:49 pm
What a pleasant to live in, good for the homeless.
theconstantwalker · March 6, 2012 at 10:07 pm
A wonderful post Adam… many thanks for sharing this facinating place.
Sondra · March 7, 2012 at 12:37 am
I have heard that it doesnt take Mother nature long to reclaim what is rightfully hers…I imagine there are some ghosts roaming around such a place…History is the best teacher!!
Martha Z · March 7, 2012 at 4:49 am
We recently visited a part of Golden Gate Park near San Francisco that had some similar fortifications. These structures, built to withstand bombardment, stand as a testament to man's warlike nature.
Adam Tilt · March 22, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Thanks all for your comments. Glad you found this little foray into some of my local history interesting.
SerenLuxe · May 9, 2012 at 12:00 am
We were just exploring the bunkers on Sunday! I grew up in Pembrey & generations of my family before. My Greatgrandmother ran the local grocers & drapery store in Pembrey during the First World War & my Grandfather during the Second so would have met many of those working in the munitions factory. I found exploring the bunkers both eerie & comforting…knowing that the activity was for our benefit for our freedom as you said…but also seeing the flaking remains of the actual Kakhi paint on the walls…if only it could talk…& the wooden edging on the platforms..just how many boots stepped on there?!! Fascinating!!
SerenLuxe · May 9, 2012 at 12:06 am
We were just exploring the bunkers on Sunday! I grew up in Pembrey & generations of my family before. My Greatgrandmother ran the local grocers & drapery store in Pembrey during the First World War & my Grandfather during the Second so would have met many of those working in the munitions factory. I found exploring the bunkers both eerie & comforting…knowing that the activity was for our benefit for our freedom as you said…but also seeing the flaking remains of the actual Kakhi paint on the walls…if only it could talk…& the wooden edging on the platforms..just how many boots stepped on there?!! Fascinating!!
Unknown · June 17, 2016 at 6:09 pm
nice post
Unknown · August 18, 2016 at 12:40 pm
back around 1969/70 I worked for a firm called Wescol steel construction as an apprentice motor mechanic, at the time Wescol was digging up the cast iron pipes and gunmetal valves for scrap, myself and a head mechanic would be flown down from leeds and Bradford airport in a light aircraft and land on the beech, a man would come out and put coloured barrels on the beech which would let the pilot know where the soft sand was, we would stay a week at a time till the job was done, its hard to remember but there was rows of empty red brick houses we would stay in one while we was down, I can being told that there was about 5sq miles there was roads around the site I remember coming to like a square and on the left was a large red brick building all locked up and at the time unused which I was told was the hospital near the centre of the site was a large mound which
was its own reservoir it had its own water supply a lot of buildings had been knocked down but some that was left where being used by small businesses the factory must of been like a small self contained town, one of the roads took you to the beech which on certain days was open to the public but parts of it apparently was used by the navy as a firing range, happy days
Unknown · July 17, 2018 at 11:10 pm
I visited bunkers this weekend and they looked disgusting full of rubbish and neglected. They're not pretty anyway but takeaway boxes and broken fences should be cleared.