A photograph of the Chrome Works (BASF?) at Urlay Nook.
Photograph and details courtesy of Julian Rafferty.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A photograph of the Chrome Works (BASF?) at Urlay Nook.
Photograph and details courtesy of Julian Rafferty.
BASF Chemicals first plant in the UK was when they bought the Monsanto plant at Seals Sands
(I believe)
My Father Farmed opposite Urlay Nook, he lived there for fifty years and we had a Dairy herd who drank out of Nelly Beck, my Dad was always complaining about bright yellow stiff running into the beck, but they never did anything about it.
It was definitely not part of BASF.
Originally privately owned, the business was bought by Harrison and Crosfield (who subsequently changed their name to Elementis plc) from Albright and Wilson in the early 1970s. It was never part of BASF.
Nice to bring back such environmentally friendly and happy memories……..
Urlay Nook spilled stuff into the river well into the 1970s as did many places along the river and up past Yarm. The river was tidal up to Yarm so it was suposed to be alright. Standing on the Stockton Quay watching the tide go out which lowered the river by quite a lot you would see all kinds of unmentionable things left behind to refloat and wander back up the river when the tide changed. Lower down near ICI the river was dead and the outpourings unabated until the big river clean up began. That was the best thing that happened even if it is now a fresh water lake from this side of the Barrage. At least we have a river that children can safely sail on as the river sports develop. If nothing else this has added to Stockton and all places upstream as it changes into the future.
When I was younger this was Associated Chrome Chemicals and their waste pipe spewed a constant stream of yellow liquid into the Tees not far from Yarm.
This was a horrible place to work, my first memory as a young apprentice just out of school at sixteen was of a pipe between two buildings collapsing it transfered hot gas and dust from one to the other. Browns got the job of fabricating a new pipe and fitting it as a rush job, the pipes had to be glass lined which meant sending them away a long job. The Foreman said make it out of much thicker steel to last until we could get a new one glass lined, so the lads worked all night, it was wartime and production was needed and the pipe duly erected and working, one problem; no one kept the measurements? Tommy Dixon and I on his motorcycle took off to measure the job properly. Second problem it stretched between the two buildings quite high and no way we could see to get the tape over. Right the bold Frank with a head for heights would walk the pipe with the end of the tape. Half way over I found half my body inside the pipe being blasted with hot air and dust, I had pushed my arms out and that stopped me going through or into the pipe. Much yelling, someone came on the other roof shouting they were getting a ladder, I was slowly cooking but funnily did not panic. There is only one way out of this and I have to do it, waiting was not an option. With a massive thrust I flew out of the hole onto the top of the pipe and my feet hardly touching ran and leapt for the far roof, a couple of men caught me and ran me down to the tiny Medical room. I was very pink coloured with some blisters but the usual sniff of Salvolatile and a cup of tea followed by the usual you are better off working and away I went. My mate was not happy that I had dropped the end of the tape so we never got the measurement and urgent repairs were put in hand until we got the new pipes made and glass lined. That pipe I walked on had only been up a couple of weeks yet was eaten through and it did even worse things to the men working there, I was glad I did not go too often.
Yes, I remember that outfall Mike. You didn`t bother fishing anywhere near there!
I hope that their discharge licence was subsequently withdrawn!
It was originally called the Eaglescliffe Chemical Company but changed its name to British Chrome and Chemicals in the late 1950s. Shortly afterwards, it became part of the Harrogate-based Associated Chemical Companies Limited. (My late father worked there in various capacities from 1954 until his retirement in 1993.)