Eakring
Encyclopedia
Eakring is a village in the Newark and Sherwood
district in Nottinghamshire
.
roads between Ollerton
and Southwell
. Dukes Wood to the south is situated on the top of an escarpment
, giving good views over the Trent valley to the east and towards Southwell
to the south. Clouds formed by the Cottam Power Station
are often seen on clear days to the north-east. A steep hill descends into the village from the south, on which the road passes a large residential training centre for National Grid plc
.
Road. The Robin Hood Way
passes through the village.
Eakring Mill was a five-storey brick tower windmill
, built some time after 1840 . The sails were removed in 1912 and the mill was derelict by 1936. It was converted to a house c. 1995. A windmill was shown on a map of 1832, located in Mill Hill Field, where two footpaths cross and another windmill shown north of Eakring Brail Wood .
The Reverend William Mompesson
, the vicar of Eyam
during the Plague in 1666, moved to the village in 1670, living there for 39 years, and is buried in the churchyard. The parish church is dedicated to St. Andrew. The grade II* listed structure was constructed in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and was restored in the early 1880s, when the seating was also replaced. It contains a font bearing the date 1674, and a plaque commemorating the fitting of the tower clock in 1887.
. Using geological data from colliery workings, geologists calculated that an anticline
was situated under Eakring. A nearby borehole at Kelham had produced oil. Drilling to levels between 7463ft and 7468ft had found significant quantities of oil - which turned to be particularly significant when the Second World War and the U-Boat campaign
started.
and Kelham Hills. The oil had a specific gravity
of 0.86 - which is high grade
oil. The UK typically had oil reserves of 5 Moilbbl, which were under strength. In March 1943, production began at around 100 wells, being coordinated by Philip Southwell, a petroleum engineer from the D'Arcy Oil Company who had liaised with Lloyd Noble, president of Noble Drilling Corporation in Oklahoma
. Throughout the operation, the location of the oil field was kept secret. American
oil workers lived in the Anglican monastery at Kelham Hall. In total, the oil field produced around 3.5 Moilbbl of oil throughout the war. In contrast, the Germans had to rely on synthetic oil
, manufacture of which largely ceased during 1944 as a result of Allied bombing raids leading to the rapid capitulation of the Luftwaffe
. By 1964, the wells had produced 47 Moilbbl.
Newark and Sherwood
Newark and Sherwood is a local government district of eastern Nottinghamshire, England. The district is predominantly rural, with some large forestry plantations, and the towns of Newark-on-Trent, Southwell and Ollerton....
district in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
Geography
It is situated between the A617 and the A616A616 road
The A616 is a road which links Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, to the M1 motorway at Junction 30, then reappears at Junction 35A and goes on to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire....
roads between Ollerton
Ollerton
Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....
and Southwell
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
. Dukes Wood to the south is situated on the top of an escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, giving good views over the Trent valley to the east and towards Southwell
Southwell
Southwell may mean the following towns in England:* Southwell, Dorset* Southwell, Nottinghamshire**Southwell Minster, historic cathedral**Southwell Racecourse, horse racing venue located near Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire...
to the south. Clouds formed by the Cottam Power Station
Cottam Power Station
The Cottam power stations are a pair of power stations, located on the River Trent at Cottam near Retford in Nottinghamshire. The largest of the two is a coal-fired power station, which was commissioned in 1969 by the Central Electricity Generating Board, and has a generating capacity of 1,970...
are often seen on clear days to the north-east. A steep hill descends into the village from the south, on which the road passes a large residential training centre for National Grid plc
National Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
.
History
The village pub is the Savile Arms on BilsthorpeBilsthorpe
Bilsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,076. It is about five miles south of Ollerton, and near the junction of the A614 and A617....
Road. The Robin Hood Way
Robin Hood Way
The Robin Hood Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the Midlands of England in the United Kingdom.-The route:The Robin Hood way commemorates the famous folklore figure Robin Hood and starts from Nottingham Castle running to Edwinstowe....
passes through the village.
Eakring Mill was a five-storey brick tower windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
, built some time after 1840 . The sails were removed in 1912 and the mill was derelict by 1936. It was converted to a house c. 1995. A windmill was shown on a map of 1832, located in Mill Hill Field, where two footpaths cross and another windmill shown north of Eakring Brail Wood .
The Reverend William Mompesson
Reverend William Mompesson
William Mompesson was an historically important clergyman, whose decisive action when his Derbyshire parish, Eyam, became infected with the plague in the 17th century averted more widespread catastrophe....
, the vicar of Eyam
Eyam
Eyam is a small village in Derbyshire, England. The village is best known for being the "plague village" that chose to isolate itself when the plague was discovered there in August 1665, rather than let the infection spread...
during the Plague in 1666, moved to the village in 1670, living there for 39 years, and is buried in the churchyard. The parish church is dedicated to St. Andrew. The grade II* listed structure was constructed in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and was restored in the early 1880s, when the seating was also replaced. It contains a font bearing the date 1674, and a plaque commemorating the fitting of the tower clock in 1887.
Geological survey
In the late 1930's oil exploration was undertaken by the D'Arcy Exploration Co Ltd, part of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company LtdAnglo-Persian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was founded in 1908 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Iran. It was the first company to extract petroleum from the Middle East...
. Using geological data from colliery workings, geologists calculated that an anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
was situated under Eakring. A nearby borehole at Kelham had produced oil. Drilling to levels between 7463ft and 7468ft had found significant quantities of oil - which turned to be particularly significant when the Second World War and the U-Boat campaign
Mediterranean U-boat Campaign
The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign lasted approximately from September 21, 1941 to May 1944 during World War II. The Italians had failed to neutralise Malta as a British base and Axis supply convoys to north Africa suffered severe losses as a result. This in turn threatened Axis armies' ability to...
started.
Drilling
Wells also produced oil at CauntonCaunton
Caunton is a village in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire on the A616, six miles north-west of Newark-on-Trent in the NG23 postcode....
and Kelham Hills. The oil had a specific gravity
Specific gravity
Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance. Apparent specific gravity is the ratio of the weight of a volume of the substance to the weight of an equal volume of the reference substance. The reference substance is nearly always water for...
of 0.86 - which is high grade
API gravity
The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks...
oil. The UK typically had oil reserves of 5 Moilbbl, which were under strength. In March 1943, production began at around 100 wells, being coordinated by Philip Southwell, a petroleum engineer from the D'Arcy Oil Company who had liaised with Lloyd Noble, president of Noble Drilling Corporation in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Throughout the operation, the location of the oil field was kept secret. American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
oil workers lived in the Anglican monastery at Kelham Hall. In total, the oil field produced around 3.5 Moilbbl of oil throughout the war. In contrast, the Germans had to rely on synthetic oil
Synthetic oil
Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made . Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials...
, manufacture of which largely ceased during 1944 as a result of Allied bombing raids leading to the rapid capitulation of the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. By 1964, the wells had produced 47 Moilbbl.
External links
Dukes Wood and the oilfield
- Sherwood Forest's Secret Oil
- The 'best kept secret' of the War
- Brief history with map of Eakring oilfield
- Map of Dukes Wood