Rotherwas Then And Now - Walking Through History
We hope you’ve come to this page as you’re enjoying a walk around Rotherwas. In 2025, thanks to funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. We wanted the people who live, work, walk, cycle and run around Rotherwas now to find out a bit more about the past of the area. If you’d like to find out more, just contact us at Rotherwas@hotmail.com
Rotherwas Together
Canary Bridge
Originally named the Greenway bridge, this 100-metre-long suspension pedestrian and cycle bridge connects the city centre to Rotherwas Industrial Estate. The bridge originally opened in December 2013, funded by Sustrans and Herefordshire Council. It was renamed on 15 August 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. The name remembers the women munitions workers who were affected by the chemicals used in the explosives which caused their skin and hair to turn yellow, leading to health issues and even death. There was a previous footbridge across the river nearby to the Canary Bridge. Easy ways had to be found to transport the many workers from Hereford City centre to work in the munitions during the First World War. Attached to the railway bridge, a wooden footbridge crossed the River Wye for workers who walked to and from the factory. Prior to that, a ferry was used to take workers across the river at Bartonsham, but as the factory grew and more workers were needed, this method of transport was insufficient.
The Shell Store
You are currently standing by the route of the main railway line which ran through the munitions factory site. It was at the junction of the Welsh Marches Line and the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway, with special trains for workers being run to the factory stations, Rotherwas Junction and Rotherwas South. There were two platforms at Rotherwas Junction, one for the up and one for the down line, with a footbridge connecting them. (Link to photo of workers on bridge). Within the factory complex there were an additional 27 miles (43 km) of railway lines connecting different buildings. As Rotherwas acted as a filling factory, empty shells were brought in by train, where they were unloaded, cleaned, dried, and then transported by rail to designated “houses” to be filled. The rails within the munition factory were taken out after the Second World War. The railway line from Hereford to Ross on Wye finally closed on 2 November 1964 as part of Dr Beeching’s cuts to the national network.
The Shell Store Entrance
The Shell Store was built in the First World War and used again as an ordnance storage building during the Second World War. At the time of its construction the shell store was the largest single span building in Europe. The building was derelict for many years, but a major redevelopment project saw commercial space created within the existing building footprint, retaining much of the original factory including its steel roof structure. The redevelopment of the building has created more than 4,000 square metres of employment space, with room for new and growing businesses to set up and expand alongside the NMITE campus. The project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Herefordshire Council and a loan from the Marches LEP’s Marches Investment Fund. The building is open to visitors on weekdays, and The Munitions Café is open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. You can see the original floor surface with shell casing marks, look at photographs of munitions workers, and learn more about the history of the building.
https://www.theshellstore.co.uk/
https://coffeecartcompany.co.uk/coffee-cart-locations/the-munitions-cafe/
The Rotherwas Angel
The Rotherwas Angel was officially unveiled at its new permanent home by former ROF Rotherwas munitions worker Nancy Billings and the Mayor of Hereford Jacqui Carwardine on Saturday 9 March 2024. The sculpture was commissioned by Hereford City Council in 2019 and created by students from Hereford College of Arts. Before moving to Rotherwas, the sculpture stood in Hereford's Skate Park for a year. It was then donated to Rotherwas Together but Covid-19 delayed plans for a permanent home. The sculpture was stored at the Hereford Archives and Records Centre before being put in place in March 2024. Standing 2m tall, on a 1.2m concrete base, the Angel is made from panels of pierced sheet steel, with a triangular structure. The front panel has the figure of a woman dressed in a munitions factory uniform, and the two rear panels create the effect of wings. The plaque on the base records The Rotherwas Angel as being “in memory of all who worked at the Rotherwas Munitions Factory”, and thanks the various supporters for their generosity.
HR4k
The extant ROF buildings are now dispersed among modern commercial buildings, and many are separated from their setting and original context. However, this is an excellent survival from the Second World War. Built of brick with a flat concrete roof supported on steel columns, metal windows and a raised two storey central section above the main entrance, it was probably a workshop served by the internal site railway. Nearby is one of the ponds which was made from a gravel extraction pit during the construction work for the refurbishment of the site in the 1930s. Water from this pond was pumped out to use for the munitions factory fire hose system. The building is now home to HR4K, a business which builds on the ethos of the SAS, supporting veterans, with regular events and a coffee shop. All are welcome
The Thorn Lighting Building
The administration building was erected during the First World War and was designed by Frank Baines (1877-1933). Much of his work involved the conservation and preservation of old buildings, on which he had a worldwide reputation, including Tintern Abbey, but he also designed buildings related to the war effort. Baines was knighted for his service to architecture in 1918 and became chief architect at the Office of Works between 1920 to 1927. The construction is of small 2” bricks, and the cupola serves no function apart from being a decorative feature. The building also acted as the pay office for the munitions workers, where they collected their weekly wages. After the Second World War it was used as business premises, eventually becoming the headquarters of Thorn Lighting for a number of years. It was subsequently bought and refurbished by Pontrilas Developments after Thorn closed their Hereford factory in 1999.
Rotherwas Women Sculpture
Standing here you get a sense of the scale of redevelopment of Rotherwas after the Second World War. An area of over 30 acres was almost totally devastated by the Hereford Incident on 30 May 1944. After the war many buildings were sold off, removed, and much of the site cleared, with a number of historic structures being demolished in the process. The granting of Enterprise Zone status for Rotherwas in 2011 meant conservation of the remaining historic buildings needed to be taken into consideration. Today, the significance of Rotherwas to the history of Herefordshire and its wider role as a major munitions factory during both world wars is recognised by Skylon Park who are managing the Enterprise Zone. Historic buildings are being preserved and repurposed, and the opportunity for visitors to Rotherwas to explore the site are being encouraged. For example, looking across the roundabout you will see Vincent Carey Road, named in recognition of St Vincent de Lisle Carey (1913-1993), who was a process worker at the factory and risked his own life saving others during the Hereford Incident in May 1944. He received the George Medal. The black granite sculpture is one of a series by Bruce Williams, entitled ‘Rotherwas Women’.
Thanks to TRP for their support: https://trpsealing.com/
https://skylonpark.co.uk/
Tom Head - Ramsden Road
Looking round, it is difficult to imagine how different the view is today to that in late spring 1944. On 30 May a huge explosion took place which destroyed most of the buildings in this part of the Rotherwas munitions site. Known as the ‘Hereford Incident’, it was caused by a bomb was found to be smoking after being filled but not yet sealed in Unit 6. The majority of the workforce were evacuated and a number of brave men tried to damp down the bomb before it finally exploded at 6pm. Two more explosions occurred, with the first being felt over six miles away, shattering windows as far away as Whitecross Road in Hereford. It took a month to deal with the remaining ordnance to make it safe. Three men were killed, and many others were injured. The acts of bravery by firemen and munitions workers were recognised with gallantry awards and commendations, but the news of this was kept secret until later in the Second World War because of security concerns. Much of the site was left vacant with nothing done to replace the buildings which were destroyed, with workers being transferred to other factories. After the war ended the munitions factory finally closed on 29 September 1945.
Chapel Road
Chapel Road is named in recognition of Rotherwas Chapel, the Roman Catholic place of worship of the Bodenham Family who lived at Rotherwas House. The house was sold off in 1912, its contents auctioned in 1913, and eventually the Ministry of Munitions took over the building as part of the factory development in 1916. It became a barracks for the munitions factory, then a military prison before being demolished in 1926 after falling into disrepair. When Rotherwas House was demolished, the chapel was fortunately saved, despite being also stripped of some contents and memorials and being used as a potato store in the late 1920s. It was taken into Ministry of Works guardianship in 1928 and is now in the care of English Heritage. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and Mass is held each year on 15th August to commemorate the dedication. It is a 16th century building with earlier origins and was enlarged and restored in 1868 by Edward Welby Pugin for Roger Bodenham. Access to visit the interior of the chapel can be gained using a key available from Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/rotherwas-chapel/
Warehouse 701
This building is at the north-eastern end of the Rotherwas factory site. It was an Army Ordnance Department shell store and retains its Ministry of Munitions First World War number in its modern incarnation as Warehouse 701. Such buildings were spaced well apart to reduce damage if there was an explosion. There were six such structures on this part of the site, with railway tracks linking each to the Hereford to Ross line. Warehouse 701 is one of two intact surviving buildings, the rest being demolished and replaced by modern industrial units. When inside, look up to see the windows on the northern aspect of the building’s roof. The windows were installed this way to avoid strong southern light falling on shells being stored there. If you look down, the floor has lots of overlapping circular marks from where shell casings settled into the original asphalt surface on warm days. Warehouse 701 is open seven days a week, selling salvaged, reclaimed and new items, with a café and a display about the history of Rotherwas.
https://www.warehouse701.co.uk/