ICI Oil Works, Billingham - circulator house

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 13 Oct 1990

ICI built a coal to petrol plant at Billingham (known as the Oil Works) in 1935 and this was of great use during WWII. In the post war era it was adapted to produce more mundane chemicals such as detergents and plasticisers. It was decommissioned in the early 1990s and demolished. This building originally contained a row of ten Belliss & Morcom compound steam engines (nearest the camera) direct coupled to Belliss and Morcom gas circulators (in the background)). These were good for up to 685 bhp each. They circulated either hydrogen or a CO/hydrogen mix at 260 bar. When visited, eight were intact, one was scrapped and one was being rebuilt from the bedplate up (never finished). Obviously, permission was needed to enter this plant and photography was another layer of difficulty as no batteries were allowed on site (even wrist watches were checked in to an office away from the plant). The pictures were therefore taken on guessed and bracketed exposures with an SLR that had some mechanical shutter speeds (B was mechanical). This has been scanned, converted to monochrome and manipulated to make it acceptable. One of these engines and two others from the plant were removed to Markham Grange Steam Museum for possible preservation but were ultimately scrapped.

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