The Corringham Light Railway was a line built in 1899, opened in 1901, as part of access to the Kynochs munitions factory on the site of what is now Coryton. It went from the London Fenchurch/Tilbury/Southend line at Thames Haven down to Corringham and Kynochtown to allow for transport to and from the munitions site…
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The refinery c.2014 (BTP) and 2016 (Slayaaaa) prior to the demolition of its many towers The refinery was built over Coryton village (Kynochtown) and Kynoch’s munitions factory (the site of which still remains just north of the refinery – see here). The explosives factory operated from the late 1890s up until 1919 serving through the…
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We visited these structural remains in 2018 and 2020 . The first visit consisted of an initial exploration with photography to identify if these remains existed following prior research. The second visit consisted of a return to film them (video below), joined by Exploring with Em & Stu. Amazingly, we are perhaps the first to…
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After setting off from the explosives site at Coryton, we headed on a trek across the marshes towards the town of Fobbing. We were searching for a ‘Starfish’ site – one of a few that survive today. In January 1940, Britain’s decoy programme began and was designed to distract aircraft to sites that had supposedly…
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Fisons Plc was a British pharmaceutical, scientific instruments and horticultural chemicals company established by Edward Packard in 1843. In 1863 he was joined in business by his son, also named Edward, who was developing the business and rationalising the UK’s fertiliser industry. The business was incorporated in 1895 under the name of Edward Packard and Company Limited. In 1919 the company…
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We visited Oozedam Farm in January of 2018, on a trek across Fobbing Marshes which saw us head from the farm to discover a lost explosives factory, bomb craters and much more. Starting here, we knew that there was a pillbox on the old farm and possibly even the remains of a Spigot Mortar or…
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Pictured above are a set of eerie wooden sculptures of the rebels at Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Essex. Whilst the park does not in fact have any direct connection to the revolt, only its proximity to Fobbing, these sculptures commemorate the 1381 events that happened in the wider area. The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381…
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The Shell Haven Oil Refinery existed behind the Coryton refinery that dominates the skyline of the surrounding area, which ceased oil production in 2012. It closed in 1999 having been operating since 1916. Prior to this, the area of Shell Haven was scraped by Kynoch’s Munitions Factory which stood near the site of Coryton village…
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DP (Dubai Ports) World began to construct a huge shipping container port over the site of the Shell Haven oil refinery in around roughly 2010, first opening in November 2013 although with most of the site remaining under continual construction. When the refinery land was first remedied for construction of the port, works involved covering…
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Coryton was home to an explosives factory in the turn of the 20th Century which you can read about and see the remains of in our in-depth article here. Kynochtown was the name given to the village for employees. The factory was built by the well-known ammunition firm ‘Kynoch’ in 1895 and it opened two…
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