In 1936, in view of the increasing likelihood of war with Germany, the British Government decided to build two new Royal Ordnance Factories, including one at Bridgend on the site of what is now Bridgend Industrial Estate.

[3] At its peak, ROF 53 employed some 40,000 people, and was the biggest single factory in Western Europe.

In the late 1960s, two of the former munitions tunnels were redeveloped by the Ministry of Defence on behalf of the Home Office as a nuclear command bunker for South Wales, designated SRHQ 8.2.

Brackla Community Council has recently begun work to gain Nature Reserve status for the local Tremains Wood.

During World War II, the GWR station called Tremains Halt provided service to ROF 53 and afterwards to the trading estate.