Chemical Industry

S.A. Cokeries et Houillères d'Anderlues first erected coke ovens in 1904 which were replaced by new ones in 1931. The works produced foundry coke and was one of the smallest and oldest coke by-product plants still operating in Belgium at the time of closure in November 2002. In the background is the headframe of Puits No.6 which was the last of the mines operated by SA Collieries Anderlues and which closed in 1969.

Storage tanks at the AkzoNobel paints plant in Stowmarket.

Opened in 1927 and modernised several times the Hansa cokeworks eventually had 314 ovens producing up to 5,400 tonnes of coke daily for use at local steelworks. After closure in 1992 some of the plant has been retained as a museum. This view shows the pushing side of the ovens.

Opened in 1927 and modernised several times the Hansa cokeworks eventually had 314 ovens producing up to 5,400 tonnes of coke daily for use at local steelworks. After closure in 1992 some of the plant has been retained as a museum. This view shows the pushing side of the ovens.

Ineos Silicas' plant adjacent to the Mersey at Warrington. The company has now merged with PQ Corporation and continues to produce inorganic chemicals at this former Crosfield's site.

A whole fleet of tarboats are tied up here at the yard of Thomas Clayton (Oldbury) Limited on the Titford Canal. Thes boats carried gasworks bye products such as gas tar and ammonia water to Midland Tar Distillers at Oldbury and from the mid 1950s at Four Ashes on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Until the mid 1950s they also brought gas oil from Stanlow on the Manchester Ship Canal. Clayton's canal operations ran down in the 1960s and their yard seen here disappeared under the M5 motorway viaduct after 1966.

Wytch Farm is the location of the largest onshore oil field in Western Europe. The facility was taken over from BP by Perenco in 2011 and pipes oil 91km to Fawley whilst gas is removed by road tanker. In 2002 it was estimated that the field contained reserves of 65.40 million tonnes of oil (479.6 million barrels), 4.73 million tonnes of natural gas liquids and 1.42 billion cubic metres of natural gas that will last until 2020 and 2025 respectively.

BP's Kimmeridge oilwell on the Dorset coastline is the oldest continually producing wellsite in the United Kingdom. It was drilled in 1959 and now produces 80 barrels (12,720) litres of crude oil per day. The oil is stored in the tanks to the left of the image and collected twice a week by road tanker. It is taken to the BP Gathering Station at Wytch Farm near Corfe Castle and thence by pipeline to the terminal near Southampton.

Pumps on wells at Wytch Farm. This is Europe's largest known onshore oilfield in one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the UK. Its operations are on the southern shores of Poole Harbour, Furzey Island, Wareham and at Kimmeridge Bay. Perenco UK Limited took over the operation of the oilfield in December 2011. It is currently producing 19,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (crude oil, liquid petroleum gas and gas).

S.A. Cokeries et Houillères d'Anderlues first erected coke ovens in 1904 which were replaced by new ones in 1931. The works produced foundry coke and was one of the smallest and oldest coke by-product plants still operating in Belgium at the time of closure in November 2002. This section of the remaining buildings once contained the engines for generating electricity used on the works.

S.A. Cokeries et Houillères d'Anderlues first erected coke ovens in 1904 which were replaced by new ones in 1931. The works produced foundry coke and was one of the smallest and oldest coke by-product plants still operating in Belgium at the time of closure in November 2002. The chimney really was tilting, it's not distortion from the lens!

I recently found time to take a stroll over to the Bramhall fuel distribution depot, but it proved to have few photographic opportunities from behind the security fence. I did manage a chat with one of the lorry drivers and was aggressively questioned by a woman in a car that was leaving the premises. She didn't seem able to comprehend that someone might just want to photograph the place out of interest.

The Carling coke works in Forbach, Lorraine, is in the foreground and off to the left. Opened in 1910 it closed in 2009 and is currently being dismantled. The 1,873 MW Emile Huchet power plant behind is operated by EON and comprises 3 coal fired units 115 MW (unit 4), 330 MW (unit 5) and 600 MW (unit 6) and 2 CCGT units (414 MW each for units 7 and 8).

140 hp Crossley gas engine driving a Siemens dynamo generating set at the Brunner Mond soda ash works in Winnington, Northwich c1900.

The Lincolnshire oilfields are exploited by Island Gas Ltd through a large number of wells. This example is in the parish of Grange de Lings, not far from Scampton.

The derelict Ovoline works at Gateshead still advertises the business on the wall facing the Tyne. Fuchs Petrolub AG from Mannheim took over the Ovoline business in 2005.

The coke car at Monckton Cokeworks heads for the quenching tower.

Charging hoppers for loading coal into the ovens at Monckton Cokeworks.