English Oilfields Limited

[Edwardian]

Over on my layout topic we have fallen into a discussion of the abortive Norfolk shale oil boom,  c.1916-20. 

 

It is a fascinating story.  Impelled by the plausible, but perhaps delusional, Dr Forbes-Leslie, a considerable investment was made in sinking two shafts and an open cast mine (first and possibly only mining licence granted in Norfolk), and a retort works for extracting the oil for the shale at Setch, near West Winch, about 5 miles south of King's Lynn.

 

The company concerned was English Oilfields Limited.

 

The works was served by a standard gauge spur from the GE Lynn-Hunstanton line.  Records indicate that EOL owned about 20 wagons, and a photograph of the plant at Setch appears clearly to show an engine shed.

 

I am told that the IRS county book for Norfolk might well identify EOL's loco(s), but I do not have access to this.

 

If anyone has any information about EOL motive power, or, indeed, its wagon fleet, I would be very grateful for some pointers.

 

Thank you for reading.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Edwardian

[Guius]

Vaguely remember a TV documentary about this enterprise, from memory he was producing light oil products. Think he started off in Scotland but went bust.

 

Best

 

Guy

[DOCJACOB]

Worth a squint at scottishshale.co.uk 

 

While concentrates on the obvious from the name it does touch on other shale oil fields in UK

[Dava]

Delusional is probably apt. Maps of UK onshore oil reserves can be found here and there is nothing in Norfolk:

https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/data-centre/interactive-maps-and-tools/

 

The clue is in the geology.

 

The U.K. Oil extraction in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire from WW1 to the present day is quite well documented with some use of rail haulage.

http://www.derbyshireheritage.co.uk/Menu/Industries/hardstoft_oilwell.php The Graden Centre in Tibshelf will even sell you a souvenir phial!

 

'There will be blood'? I think not.

 

Dava

[5050]

There was a magazine article about this site a few years ago, possibly in Bylines?

[john new]

There was a magazine article about this site a few years ago, possibly in Bylines?

Shale oil workings also in Dorset at Kimmeridge (successful if small scale) and Portesham (unsuccessful).

[sigtech]

Hello Edwardian,

I live in a modern (1980 built) bungalow in West Winch, and our deeds state that the previous owner of the land  (before the house builder bought it), was English Oilfields Ltd.

The site of the works is about a quarter of a mile south of here, on the junction of Garage lane with the A10 at Setchey (pronounced "Setch" by the locals).The junction of the line with the GER was two miles to the West, the line passing through a 90 degree curve to  join at Clarke's Drove crossing on the GER line to Kings Lynn. There was a signalbox here, the book says it survived to the early 60's. With three loop sidings and a trailing crossover between  the main lines - the connection (according to the maps in the book dated 1928) was a facing one in the up main. much of the old trackbed is now a farm track.

The book contains b+w photos, including one showing the companies open wagons and a fireless loco that was used, and several paragraphs of useful info along with a track layout.. It was published by Middleton Press 2002, and titled "Ely to Kings Lynn"  written by Richard Adderson and Graham Kenworthy.  isbn:1 901706 53 2

Regards

(SIGTECH)

Steve.

[tractionman]

Was it somewhere here

 

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14.804124931692948&lat=52.6992&lon=0.4044&layers=10&b=1

 

All the best,

 

Keith

[sigtech]

Was it somewhere here

 

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14.804124931692948&lat=52.6992&lon=0.4044&layers=10&b=1

 

All the best,

 

Keith

Yes, that's it, Clarke's Drove Siding. The access road off the left of the A10 alongside Hill Farm is now Garage Lane , and the site was on the north side of it ,occupying the land up towards Fen End Farm ,-  chy will be the 160 foot high chimney, which is where the aerial view of the site on RMWEB was taken from. 

[Edwardian]

Thank you, all.

 

There is quite a lot online about the EOL venture, to which I had been kindly directed by the regular contributors on my layout topic.  It is a fascinating story. 

 

Quite a lot of which is, indeed, told on the excellent Museum of the Scottish Shale Industry Website:

 

On English Oilfields Ltd: https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/GazBeyond/BSEnglandShale/BSES_Companies/EnglishOilfieldsLtd.html

 

On the sites at Setchey: https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/GazBeyond/BSEnglandShale/BSES_Works/SetchOilWorks.html

 

On the egregious Forbes-Leslie: https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/GazBeyond/BSEngineers/BSEN_People/ForbesLeslieWilliam.html

 

There is also information and photographs on the King's Lynn forum - http://www.kingslynn-forums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1738&sid=976e9ec34be4831c110ca69212547d23  - and an article here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251730073_The_Norfolk_oil-shale_rush_1916-1921

 

All of which, as I say, the good people on the Castle Aching topic came up with.  They are always identifying fascinating subjects.  I may live long enough to incorporate some on my layout, but they make fascinating discussions in their own right.  I have learnt a very great deal.

 

The essence of the tale is that, buoyed up by the false optimism of the plausible, but probably delusional if not outright dishonest, Dr Forbes-Leslie, considerable investment was made in 2 mine shafts, an opencast mine, a retort works and narrow gauge and standard gauge lines etc.

 

It was all for nothing because the high sulphur content of the shale oil made it commercially useless.

 

Where I have not, so far, found anything is in relation to the railway equipment used by EOL.

 

Shale oil workings also in Dorset at Kimmeridge (successful if small scale) and Portesham (unsuccessful).

 

The comparison is well made, because, apparently, Setchey lies on the same band of "Kimmeridge clays" that were exploited in Dorset.

 

 

Hello Edwardian,

I live in a modern (1980 built) bungalow in West Winch, and our deeds state that the previous owner of the land  (before the house builder bought it), was English Oilfields Ltd.

The site of the works is about a quarter of a mile south of here, on the junction of Garage lane with the A10 at Setchey (pronounced "Setch" by the locals).The junction of the line with the GER was two miles to the West, the line passing through a 90 degree curve to  join at Clarke's Drove crossing on the GER line to Kings Lynn. There was a signalbox here, the book says it survived to the early 60's. With three loop sidings and a trailing crossover between  the main lines - the connection (according to the maps in the book dated 1928) was a facing one in the up main. much of the old trackbed is now a farm track.

The book contains b+w photos, including one showing the companies open wagons and a fireless loco that was used, and several paragraphs of useful info along with a track layout.. It was published by Middleton Press 2002, and titled "Ely to Kings Lynn"  written by Richard Adderson and Graham Kenworthy.  isbn:1 901706 53 2

Regards

(SIGTECH)

Steve.

 

Aha, one of the few Middleton volumes for the area that I do not seem to have!

 

It sounds as if this is the essential information that I lack, so particular thanks for that.

 

I did hear somewhere that the engine shed was still extant, is that so?

[sigtech]

Good afternoon Edwardian,

 

 There is a building near the corner of Garage Lane which has a sign above its entrance saying  'The Engine Shed' . It is alongside other commercial premises - the site next to it sells used cars , Many of the buildings around here on this industrial estate are made from/ clad in corrugated iron and may be some of the buildings used when the site was opened (1921) . I do not know if it is indeed the original building - the building in your aerial view at the end of the first track on the l.h.s. is supposed to be the engine shed, but this is nowhere near the present building, unless it has been moved (and modified) since then....

 

Are you any distance from West Winch? - you are welcome to borrow the book for some time if it will be of use to you, and you could combine the trip with a 'field visit' to the actual site....

If you wish I will go in a day or two and see if I can turn up any useful information, by asking some questions around the site.

Regards

Steve.

(SIGTECH).

Edited July 5, 2017 by sigtech

[Edwardian]

Good afternoon Edwardian,

 

 There is a building near the corner of Garage Lane which has a sign above its entrance saying  'The Engine Shed' . It is alongside other commercial premises - the site next to it sells used cars , Many of the buildings around here on this industrial estate are made from/ clad in corrugated iron and may be some of the buildings used when the site was opened (1921) . I do not know if it is indeed the original building - the building in your aerial view at the end of the first track on the l.h.s. is supposed to be the engine shed, but this is nowhere near the present building, unless it has been moved (and modified) since then....

 

Are you any distance from West Winch? - you are welcome to borrow the book for some time if it will be of use to you, and you could combine the trip with a 'field visit' to the actual site....

If you wish I will go in a day or two and see if I can turn up any useful information, by asking some questions around the site.

Regards

Steve.

(SIGTECH).

 

Steve,

 

That is kind of you, many thanks. Alas, I used to live in the North Cambridgeshire Fens, within easy striking distance, but am now in County Durham!

 

The current thought is to suppose the deposits, which were known about, IIRC, since the 1880s, were exploited a little earlier in order to allow a fictional version of the EOL to feature on my freelance layout set in West Norfolk.

 

At the very least I'd like a drop-side wagon or few containing 42 gallon wooden oil barrels, probably lettered for "Norfolk Oilfields Limited".  It should raise the odd eyebrow at least!  

 

But, it would be great to have a bolt-on (literally) micro featuring pit head or retort works.  

 

If you do pass by the site and happen to pick up anything useful, I would be glad to hear, but please do not put yourself to any trouble on my account. 

 

Best wishes,

 

James

Edited July 5, 2017 by Edwardian

[Edwardian]

Steve,

 

A detail of the picture to which I think you referred, kindly supplied by another RMWebber, showing the EOL drop-side wagons. 

[uax6]

Radar,

 

The engine shed is indeed the building with the engine shed board on it now.

 

Looking here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Setchey,+King's+Lynn/@52.7007269,0.4177961,279m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47d8207309364ec5:0x7e1442e5305924d1!8m2!3d52.702089!4d0.420312 its easy to see the remains of the site (beers of Europe and the scrub area above upto the road) but its difficult to see if there are any remains of brickwork of the retorts or a dip where the gravel was dug out. The engine shed is the building with the rusty roof to the right of Beers of Europe.

 

I find that the 1950's map in the link is interesting as it shows that the two shafts that EOL dug were still existent when the base map for that addition was published (anywhere between '38 and '50) which I find surprising, as I would have thought that they would have been filled in by then...

 

Andy G

[uax6]

I've just remembered that some time back (probably 15 years or more now) that Clarkes drove sidings was used for scrapping coaches in the early nationalisation period. Timber body coaches were bought, and when delivered to the sidings they would be burnt where they stood. The remaining metal was then cut and sold for scrap....

 

Andy G