ROF Bridgwater

It was designed as an Explosive ROF to produce RDX, a new experimental high-explosive developed at the RGPF Waltham Abbey.

During World War II before the National Grid was fully developed, it was connected to two independent power stations, Portishead (now demolished) and Shepton Mallet.

The site was guarded until shortly after privatisation by the MoD Police, which had its barracks and canteen opposite the main gates.

The factory was connected to the Great Western Railway (GWR) by a private, 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard-gauge branch line and sidings with its own locomotive.

This was used both for supplies, such as acid in tanker wagons from ICI and coal for the power station, and for distribution of the finished product.

Like all ROFs at the time, the factory was a production factory: formulation of explosives, propellants and munitions was carried out at separate government-owned research and development establishments such as the Research Department, initially at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich and then Fort Halstead; and at PERME Waltham Abbey, later transferred to RARDE Fort Halstead.

[6][7] In February 2024, Tata Group confirmed it would invest £4 billion to create a battery factory, built by Agratas, on the Gravity site.