Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Leeds, first opened as a munitions factory in December 1915 and opened as an ROF in January 1936, was one of a number of

Royal Ordnance Factories Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

created at the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early site history and production

First World War

ROF Engineering Factory opened as National Filling Factory No. 1 (

Barnbow Barnbow was a small settlement situated near the city of Leeds in the township and parish of Barwick in Elmet. The site is noted as the location of a munitions factory founded during the First World War. It was officially known as National Filling ...

) in December 1915. Barnbow was Britain's top shell factory between 1914 and 1918, and by the end of the war on 11 November 1918, a total of 566,000 tons of ammunition had been shipped overseas.

Second World War

Conversion to an Engineering ROF

In the late 1930s, war was seen as a possibility, if not likely, and a sizeable rearmament programme began, probably also activated by the concern that a large proportion of the arsenal was becoming obsolete.

Post-war activity

Immediate post-war era

In November 1945 full production began on the uparmoured Centurion Mark II with an order of 800. Munro, Centurion, p. 40 Production lines at Leyland, the

at Leeds and

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, and

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

at Elswick were used. The tank entered service in December 1946 with the

5th Royal Tank Regiment 5th Royal Tank Regiment (5 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army in existence for 52 years, from 1917 until 1969. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as E Battalio ...

. Munro, Centurion, p. 46

Later years

The

Chieftain Tank The FV4201 Chieftain was the primary main battle tank (MBT) of the United Kingdom from the 1960s into 1990s. Introduced in 1967, it was among the most heavily armed MBTs at the time, mounting a 120 mm Royal Ordnance L11 gun, equivalent to t ...

was built for many years at ROF Leeds. The site also built lighter vehicles with aluminium armour, such as the

Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle The FV721 Fox Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled) (CVR(W)) was a 4 × 4 Armored car (military), armoured car manufactured by ROF Leeds, deployed by the British Army as a replacement for the Ferret armoured car, Ferret scout car and the Alv ...

and the

FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor The FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor or C.E.T. is an amphibious specialist armoured vehicle formerly used by the British Army. A tracked, lightly armoured vehicle, with amphibious capability, the CET was used by Royal Engineers in ground preparation ...

. The Challenger was built by the

(ROF). In 1986, ROF Leeds (and the Challenger production line) was acquired by

Vickers Defence Systems Vickers plc was the remainder of Vickers-Armstrongs after the nationalisation of three of its four operating groups: aviation (as a 50% share since 1960 of British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1977), shipbuilding ( Vickers Limited Shipbuilding ...

(later

Alvis Vickers Alvis PLC was a British motor vehicle manufacturer. It was created when United Scientific Holdings plc acquired the Alvis division of the nationalised vehicle manufacturer British Leyland in 1981. United Scientific maintained its own name un ...

Privatisation of Royal Ordnance

On 2 January 1985, ''vesting day'', the twelve ROFs that still remained open, plus the Waltham Abbey South site, RSAF Enfield and three agency factories, became a UK government-owned company: Royal Ordnance plc. Its headquarters was moved to

ROF Chorley ROF Chorley was a UK government-owned munitions filling Royal Ordnance Factory (Filling Factory No. 1). It was planned as a ''permanent'' Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that it, unlike some other similar facilities, would remain o ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

; with its

registered office A registered office is the official address of an incorporated company, association or any other legal entity. Generally it will form part of the public record and is required in most countries where the registered organization or legal entity ...

located in central London. The intention of the government at this stage was to

privatise Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation wh ...

Royal Ordnance as soon as possible through a

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange a ...

flotation. In mid-1985 a target date of July 1986 was set; however, by June 1986 the government announced that flotation would not be possible and that it intended to sell the company privately. The following problems were identified as barriers to a flotation: *The future of ROF Leeds, notably the uncertain future due to over-capacity in UK

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

production. *The future relationship between the

MOD Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US * ...

and the company. *The financial position of the company. *Liabilities regarding a contract with British Aerospace The problems associated with ROF Leeds were solved when Royal Ordnance agreed the sale of the factory and

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

rights of the Challenger tanks to

Vickers plc Vickers plc was the remainder of Vickers-Armstrongs after the nationalisation of three of its four operating groups: aviation (as a 50% share since 1960 of British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1977), shipbuilding ( Vickers Limited Shipbuilding ...

on 4 October 1986, the final agreement was signed on 31 March 1987 valuing ROF Leeds at £15.2 million. Vickers became

and, in 2004, became part of BAE Systems, and the Leeds factory was closed. The relationship with the MOD was resolved by certain guarantees given to the company by the MOD regarding future procurement strategies. The financial position of the company was resolved by a

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

cash injection and the proceeds of the ROF Leeds sale. The liabilities were with regard to a sub-contract for a

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

systems between British Aerospace (BAe) and an MOD research establishment transferred to Royal Ordnance on Incorporation; BAe and the MOD reached agreement in February 1987. Bids for Royal Ordnance plc were invited in October 1986, resulting in six offers. These were eventually reduced to two; one from British Aerospace and one from Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds (GKN). The £188.5 million

GBP Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word '' pound'' is also used to refer to the British currency general ...

BAe offer was accepted, and the sale was completed on 22 April 1987.

Closure

ROF Leeds was closed in 2004 and the land was sold for housing. Following the closure and subsequent demolition of the site, very few physical remnants of the factory remain. The Barnbow Social Club, located on the eastern edge of the former site, is now believed to be the last remaining original building associated with the Barnbow munitions and tank factory. Originally opened in 1951 as a paint store, then a welfare facility for factory workers and their families, the club continues to operate as a community venue. It preserves a direct link to the site's industrial and wartime history and will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2026.

References

Sources

* {{coord, 53, 48, 24.0, N, 1, 26, 02.2, W, display=title Economy of Leeds

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

History of Leeds