Kimmeridge Oil Field

Wytch Farm is on the southern shore of Poole Harbour and about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) northeast of the oil well.

The second well Broadbench 2, later renamed Kimmeridge 1, was drilled in 1959 and both oil and gas were discovered.

[3] The well has been operating this long because it is tapped into a network of connected reserves, however the yield is decreasing.

The oil is transported by tanker to Wytch Farm, from where it is piped to the storage tanks at Hamble-le-Rice on Southampton Water before being shipped to the main refinery.

[4] The nodding donkey has a high wire-mesh fence around it but it can be viewed clearly from all sides.