Monument Number 1540697 |
| Hob Uid: 1540697 | |
Location :
Medway
Isle of Grain
|
| Grid Ref : TQ8687774004 |
| Summary : The early 20th century Admiralty oil fuel station on the south coast of the Isle of Grain can be seen on aerial photographs taken in 1946. The site consisted of 40 oil tanks, associated buildings and jetties within a site over 800m in length facing the river Medway. The station was enclosed by an embankment and beyond this a channel and fence. Embankments also subdivided the oil tanks into small groups. The station appears to comprise of two areas with 19 storage tanks to the west and 21 to the east. All the tanks are cylindrical and of the same diameter but those in the east were more closely spaced than those in the west. There were a number of buildings on the site including two groups of buildings that were each associated with a jetty. This station represents the Royal Navy's decision to switch from coal to oil as a fuel for the fleet. Its location on Hoo rather than within docks where coal yards for refuelling were traditionally located may in part reflect the lack of, or expense of, land in these locations. Land prices on Hoo may have been cheaper but crucially this area provided access to the Medway where its channel was significantly deeper than that available further upstream in the vicinity of Chatham. This site appears to have been incorporated into the post-Second World War BP refinery on the Isle of Grain which closed in 1982 and has since been demolished. It was mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. |
More information : The early 20th century Admiralty oil fuel station on the south coast of the Isle of Grain can be seen on aerial photographs taken in 1946. The site consisted of 40 oil tanks, associated buildings and jetties within a site over 800m in length facing the river Medway. The station was enclosed by an embankment and beyond this a channel and fence. Embankments also subdivided the oil tanks into small groups. The station appears to comprise of two areas with 19 storage tanks to the west and 21 to the east. All the tanks are cylindrical and of the same diameter but those in the east were more closely spaced than those in the west. There were a number of buildings associated with this site including a group to the east around TQ 8712 7392 and another between the two groups of oil tanks at TQ 8685 7396. Both of these groups were each associated with two jetties. This station represents the Royal Navy's decision to switch from coal to oil as a fuel for the fleet. Its location on Hoo rather than within docks where coal yards for refuelling were traditionally located may in part reflect the lack of, or expense of, land in these locations. Land prices on Hoo may have been cheaper but crucially this area provided access to the Medway where its channel was significantly deeper than that available further upstream in the vicinity of Chatham.
Ordnance Survey maps show that at a date between 1897 and 1908 parts of Wells's Marshes had been purchased by the War Department. The 1908 map shows groups of buildings positioned by the sea wall and enclosed by embankments and a widened water channel. The majority of this arrangement had been demolished before the 1946 photographs were taken. The aerial photographs also show two structures in the bay at TQ 8657 7394 and TQ 8657 7392 which were also shown on the 1908 map and may have been associated with this naval station. If any oil tanks were present by 1908, none have been depicted by the Ordnance Survey. None are depicted on the 1931 map either but this does show that the southern end of Salt Fleet and an associated channel have been filled-in suggesting that the western group of oil tanks were in place by this date. This site appears to have been incorporated into the post-Second World War BP refinery on the Isle of Grain which closed in 1982 and has since been demolished. It was mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project.(1-4) |