mystery site in northants

[jon-...@jnbawden.freeserve.co.uk]

Anybody got information on the site just outside of Arthingworth,near Market
Harborough

spotted it whilst sitting in a lay-by,under closer investigation it appears
to be lots of small bunkers,and could be an old ammunition/weapons store

it's right next to the old northampton - Market Harborough railway line and
appears to have had it's own rail sideings

(by the way the old rail line is now a footpath and has some superb tunnels
to walk through)

If you have any info,let me know

Jon B

[Jeremy Folkes]

From the approximate location, this is most likely to be the Kelmarsh fuel
depot, part of the GPSS - Government Pipeline and Storage System, run by the
OPA (a non-departmental agency of the MOD, set up after the British National
Oil Corporation bit the dust). According to published maps, this is on a
spur which runs from the main network at Sandy, via Chelveston, to Kelmarsh.
The giveaway would be markers for the pipeline running in from the south
east, with a legend such as "S/C/K" and a distance, and/or yellow/black
striped aerial inspection markers on white post, and/or white what-look-like
"styles".

No idea if that site is still operational, the GPSS is now primarily used
for aircraft fuel (military and civil), but that site could still be used
for storage I suppose. If the site is still in use, you'd probably see
signs for SGE, the company who actually manage the network for the OPA.
They are hardly hives of activity at the best of times, however, so it may
be difficult to tell!

Having its own sidings is not unexpected, from the days long ago when the
GPSS would have been used to supply fuel for "land" use.

Sorry that there's not a more exciting explanation.

<jon-...@jnbawden.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8njedm$u2q$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...

[Jeremy]

[majik...@cix.compulink.co.uk]

In article <8njedm$u2q$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>,
jon-...@jnbawden.freeserve.co.uk () wrote:

> Anybody got information on the site just outside of Arthingworth,near
> Market Harborough

I was up there myself on Saturday morning taking a few pictures (big red
motorcycle). It's part of the national fuel/chemical pipeline. Looks like
pretty much most of that hillside is honeycombed with storage tanks and
pumping houses.

Cheers
Gary

[majik...@cix.compulink.co.uk]

In article <8nm87h$g9i$1...@plutonium.compulink.co.uk>,
nos...@folkes.nospam.net (Jeremy Folkes) wrote:

> The giveaway would be markers for the pipeline running in from the south
> east, with a legend such as "S/C/K" and a distance, and/or yellow/black
> striped aerial inspection markers on white post, and/or white
> what-look-like
> "styles".

Serco seem to be servicing the site at the moment, but the black/yellow
pipeline markers are indeed in evidence on local hedgerows.

Gary

[Jeremy]

<majik...@cix.compulink.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8npnci$bku$1...@plutonium.compulink.co.uk...

> Serco seem to be servicing the site at the moment, but the black/yellow
> pipeline markers are indeed in evidence on local hedgerows.

SGE = Serco Gulf Engineering, 50% or so owned by Serco.

I know of at least one site which I'm sure isn't active (Gresham Common) but
where the markers look very near, which is encouraging from a
public/environmental safety viewpoint, but means that it's not a good
indication of whether it's still in use proper. Fully decommissioning
pipelines is an expensive business!

Fascinating subject....

Jeremy

[Jeremy]

For "near" read "new", and this might make more sense. Jeremy

Jeremy <nos...@nospam.folkes.net> wrote in message
news:8o3i52$k20$1...@plutonium.compulink.co.uk...

[john_wo...@my-deja.com]

For some years I have been gathering information on Armed Forces
Storage Depots and Ministry of Supply Depots and factories in the UK in
World war 2 - I have traced some 2000 plus so far, and am now starting
on fuel supplies.

Could anyone please point me to the published maps of the Government
Pipeline and Storage System?

I have a note that Kelmarsh was being used by the RAF as a Petrol
Distribution Depot by 14/12/42, and that there was an RAF siding on the
site in 1956.

John Woods

In article <8nm87h$g9i$1...@plutonium.compulink.co.uk>,

"Jeremy Folkes" <nos...@folkes.nospam.net> wrote:
> From the approximate location, this is most likely to be the Kelmarsh
fuel
> depot, part of the GPSS - Government Pipeline and Storage System, run
by the
> OPA (a non-departmental agency of the MOD, set up after the British
National

> Oil Corporation bit the dust). According to published maps .....

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Mike Blanche]

In article <8pi67s$mt8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>, the Rt Hon john_woods5017@my-
deja.com, Member of Parliament for uk.rec.subterranea made the following
policy announcement...

> Could anyone please point me to the published maps of the Government
> Pipeline and Storage System?

www.bpa.co.uk

Alternatively just look for large blockades of trucks, and join the dots
between them. :-)

mike

[john_wo...@my-deja.com]

Mike:

Thanks for the Government Pipeline and Storage System site

>
>
> Alternatively just look for large blockades of trucks, and join the
dots
> between them. :-)
>

No good, can't reach the tanker blocks from here - London is circled by
stationary wagons - all we need is Sitting Bull camping at South Mimms
Services

John

[Richard Lamont]

In article <MPG.142739306...@auth.news.easynet.co.uk>,

The BPA pipelines and the GPSS are (AIUI) two separate but
interconnected networks, and GPSS carries aviation fuel only.

--

Richard Lamont
ric...@stonix.demon.co.uk

[Jim Hawthorne]

>
> Could anyone please point me to the published maps of the Government
> Pipeline and Storage System?

According to Duncan Campbell, the central nucleus & control point for the
old PLUTO system was an underground facility located under a small airfield
in central Berkshire, called RAF Aldermaston. Somehow, for reasons that have
yet to be explained to me, it has been moved away from there!

As for the newer NATO system, perhaps a careful look in your County
Reference Library under specialised atlases of the UK Isles for railways,
oil & gas lines, will give you what you are looking for. You will not be the
first at that sort of thing, many a young fresh Eastern Bloc spy, would cut
their teeth being sent out to do this sort of "boy scout" stuff!

Yours,

Jim.

[M.J.Powell]

In article <8qhumk$4qb$1...@plutonium.compulink.co.uk>, Jeremy
<nos...@nospam.folkes.net> writes
>
><john_wo...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
>news:8pi67s$mt8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...

>
>> Could anyone please point me to the published maps of the Government
>> Pipeline and Storage System?
>

>Although not totally accurate, there is a paper map published by the
>Petroleum
>Economist, entitled something like Energy Map of the UK or Oil and Gas Map
>of the UK, which handily shows the major oil, gas and chemical pipelines
>throughout the UK and Eire. This is colour coded by usage, and one
>particular colour is reserved for government pipelines. They are on the
>Web....
>
>Of course, real anoracks wouldn't stoop to such cheating as using a map like
>this..... I think it's over £100 a copy, aimed at the professional
>marketplace, but
>reference libraries may have it, that's where I first came across it.
>
>I'm not sure how long been publishing it, I'd have thought in the
>Cold War days it would have been considered inappropriate, given the
>censorship of OS maps etc. However, given the difficulty in hiding an oil
>depot,
>maybe someone took a common sense approach.

A good map was published in Saturday's Daily Telegraph.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell

[majik...@cix.compulink.co.uk]

I've just uploaded a few pictures of the site at Kelmarsh to my web
pages, if anyone's interested. The URL is
http://www.cix.co.uk/~majikthise/kelmarsh.htm

Cheers
Gary