Ardeer nitroglycerine factory

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Ardeer nitroglycerine factory
Women mixing dynamite at Nobel's Ardeer Factory in 1897.jpg
Women mixing dynamite at the factory in 1897
North Ayrshire UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Ardeer nitroglycerine factory
Ardeer nitroglycerine factory
Built1871
LocationArdeer peninsula, Stevenston, Scotland
Coordinates 55°37′17″N4°43′25″W / 55.62149°N 4.72352°W / 55.62149; -4.72352
IndustryDynamite and explosives
Employees13000
Area2000+ acres
Owner(s) Alfred Nobel
Defunct1990s

Ardeer nitroglycerine factory was an explosives factory, located on the Ardeer Peninsula, Ardeer North Ayrshire, Scotland that was built by Alfred Bernhard Nobel and operated from 1871 [1] to the 1990's. [2]

Contents

Formation

In 1863 and 1864, Alfred Nobel was awarded UK patents on the use of nitroglycerine as an explosive. [3] On 13 February 1866, [4] when Nobel came to Britain to promote the use of his main product, nitroglycerine and search for finances for a new manufacturing plant, the explosive already had a bad reputation with the British government. [1] This was amply illustrated the following month on 3 April 1866, when the SS European, a 1700-ton steamship carrying 70 crates of nitroglycerin, spontaneously blew up in Colón, Panama, killing 50 sailors (sources vary) and destroying the ship, [5] one of many accidents. The most important market for the nitroglycerine explosive was in Wales, where it was being regularly used. However, the UK government had continual misgivings about the product believing it was too dangerous to use and transport. Finally they decided on 11 August 1969 to ban it's use, production and sale in the UK. [6] In the interim, Nobel had developed a new composite explosive that he called Dynamite and demonstrated its use in several experiments while on his visit, in Surrey. [4] On 12 February 1869, a patent for Dynamite was finally awarded by the British government. [3]

Nobel was unable to secure funding from investors in England for his new factory, but finally came to an agreement in 1871 with Glasgow businessman John Downie, at the time, the General Manager of the Glasgow shipbuilding firm the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, [7] for a new business "The British Dynamite Company". [8] and investment for new factory.

Peninsula

The tip of Ardeer Peninsula Tip of Ardeer Peninsula.jpg
The tip of Ardeer Peninsula

Nobel choose the location of his new factory himself [1] at Ardeer peninsula, located between Irvine and the parish of Stevenston in North Ayrshire. Nobel bought 100acres of land on the peninsula from the Earl of Eglinton and began constructing the explosives factory. [9] The first brick laid in 1871 was supervised by Nobel and his colleague, the Swedish chemist Alarik Liedbeck  [ sv ]. [1]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Schuck & Sohlman 1929, p. 263.
  2. ↑ Dolan & Oglethorpe 1996, p. 10.
  3. 1 2 Schuck & Sohlman 1929, p. 114.
  4. 1 2 Schuck & Sohlman 1929, p. 115.
  5. ↑ Pauli 1942, p. 93.
  6. ↑ Schuck & Sohlman 1929, p. 116.
  7. ↑ Dolan 1998.
  8. ↑ Schuck & Sohlman 1929, pp. 118–119.
  9. ↑ Gittings & Munro.

Bibliography

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