Ardeer, Ici Works, Nobel's Explosives, Detonator Department, Fusehead Production

Pricing Change

New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.

Explosives Factory (19th Century) - (20th Century)

Site Name Ardeer, Ici Works, Nobel's Explosives, Detonator Department, Fusehead Production

Classification Explosives Factory (19th Century) - (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Nobel's Explosives Factory

Canmore ID 89360

Site Number NS23NE 1.01

NGR NS 294 399

NGR Description Centred NS 294 399

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/89360

Digital Images

DP 040252

Oblique aerial view centred on the S section of the Ardeer Works, taken from the NE.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography Digital

18/3/2008

DP 040253

Oblique aerial view centred on the S section of the Ardeer Works, taken from the NE.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography Digital

18/3/2008

DP 040271

Oblique aerial view centred on the remains of the detonator department, taken from the SSE.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography Digital

18/3/2008

SC 505333

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on the Misk Gelatines works.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 1684568

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on magazines, with double-base propellants (centre) and detonators beyond.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 2532212

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of feed end of coating machine Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532217

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of soldering machine No.3, which adds filament wire to the fuseheads whilst still in the comb Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532222

Building D15 (NS 2940 3994): Detail of Brenda Cain operating one of two dipping frames, on which racks of fusehead combs are dipped in sequences of dip mixtures to make up the required fusehead compound. The different dips are colour-coded, and the fusehead (which now resembles a match head) is protected by outer layers to prevent accidental combustion. Note that the dips are prepared in aluminium pans in building D13, which in part resembles a kitchen, and which requires the use of solvents Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532225

Building D16 (2938 3991): View of autotester machine, which both cuts the fusehead from the the combs and tests them. The military requires that the fuseheads are manually tested, an expensive and time-consuming process. They also require the dipping process to shape carefully the 'bulbs' of the fuseheads Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

DP 040270

Oblique aerial view centred on the remains of the detonator department, taken from the S.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography Digital

18/3/2008

SC 1684569

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on magazines and silicones works.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 2532219

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of one of two dipping frames, on which racks of fusehead combs are dipped in sequences of dip mixture to make up the required fusehead compound. The different dips are colour-coded, and the fusehead is protected by outer layers to prevent accidental combustion Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532223

Building D15 (NS 2940 3994): General interior view showing four rows of drying baths, in which racks of dipped fusehead combs are dried Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 1684571

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view from S, with shore magazines in foreground and the chemicals, workshops and detonators beyond (left)

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 1684581

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on the Misk Gelatines works.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 1684585

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on the fusehead production factory and sulphur house

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 1684586

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view, centred on the sulphur house and the fusehead production factory.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 2532220

Building D15 (NS 2940 3994): Detail of one of two dipping frames, on which racks of fusehead combs are dipped in sequences of dip mixture to make up the required fusehead compound. The different dips are colour-coded, and the fusehead is protected by outer layers to prevent accidental combustion Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532224

Building D15 (NS 2940 3994): General interior view showing four rows of drying baths, in which racks of dipped fusehead combs are dried Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532213

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of feed end of coating machine Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532215

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of comb stamping machine, which stamps combs out of lamintaed board. The smaller machine on the right is the comb-end trimmer Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532218

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of Lai Howie at examination bench, checking fusehead combs before next production stage Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532216

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of rebate machine No.3 which adds the necessary grooves to the fuseheads whilst still on the comb Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532214

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of bonding press, with Malcolm Greaves displaying thedifferent elements of the board making up the fusehead combs Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 505332

Ardeer, Nobel's Explosives Factory, oblique aerial view.

View full details

RCAHMS Aerial Photography

4/9/1995

SC 2532221

Building D14 (NS 2941 3998): Detail of Brenda Cain operating one of two dipping frames, on which racks of fusehead combs are dipped in sequences of dip mixtures to make up the required fusehead compound. The different dips are colour-coded, and the fusehead (which now resembles a match head) is protected by outer layers to prevent accidental combustion. Note that the dips are prepared in aluminium pans in building D13, which in part resembles a kitchen, and which requires the use of solvents Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

SC 2532226

Building D16 (2938 3991): View of fusehead grading machine (No.3) Photosurvey 27 August 1995

View full details

Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

27/8/1995

Collections

Administrative Areas

Council North Ayrshire
Parish Stevenston
Former Region Strathclyde
Former District Cunninghame
Former County Ayrshire

Archaeology Notes

NS23NE 1.01 centred 285 396

Explosives Factory (Detonator Department, Fusehead Production).

(Undated) information in NMRS.

The detonator department/factory area covers a large area - see also Canmore ID 89062, Site Number NS24SE 47.08.

Activities

Publication Account (28 January 2021)

This factory manufactured detonators. The detonator was the most important of Alfred Nobel’s inventions (early 1860s) and is the trigger essential for a safe and controlled initiation of the explosive. A detonator is a small device consisting of a metal tube containing a small quantity of primary explosive, which is initiated by a ‘spit’ of flame. This flame can be provided by means of a Blackpowder Safety Fuse or an electronically fired, match-like fuse-head. Conventional Delay Detonators were, as of the 1990s, being augmented by a new generation of highly accurate electronically operated Delay Detonators for some applications.

Detonators were originally manufactured at Westquarter near Falkirk from 1876. Westquarter was eventually closed in the 1930s and the manufacturing of detonators transferred to Ardeer. Alfred Nobel also opened another detonator factory at Redding Muir near Falkirk. Both Westquarter and Redding Muir closed before the the Second World War.

J E Dolan and MK Oglethorpe 1996; 'Nobel’s Factory Transference,’ Linlithgowshire Gazette, Friday 22 December 1933 [https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001907/19331222/011/0003: accessed 28/01/2021].

References

MyCanmore Image Contributions

Contribute an Image

MyCanmore Text Contributions

Contribute Text