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Cambrian Oil Works

Location	Pen-y-ffordd, Hope Station, 53.145940,-3.042519,
Former parish and county	Parish of Hope, Flintshire
Current local authority area	Flintshire
Opened	Prior to 1869
Closed	between 1898 and 1909
Number of retorts	not known
Ownership history	Wilcocks & Piercy
Current status of site	Rough grazing

The first edition O.S. map, surveyed in 1869, show a range of structures labelled "Hope Oil Works" on either side of the L&NWR Mold branch, immediately east of Hope Station. As outlined on the Hope Oil Works page, there appear to have been at least four separate oil concerns operating on the site.

All works north of the railway appear to have been cleared c.1870, leaving only the works on the south of the railway, which continued to be labelled "Hope Oil Works" on subsequent OS maps, and other documentation. From 1871, or earlier, the works were owned by Peter Wilcocks, (or the partnership of Wilcocks & Piercy), listed in the 1880 Salter's trade directory at "The Royal Cambrian Grease and Oil Works, Hope Station". Other sources also refer to the site as "Cambrian Oil Works", which continued in operation until c.1900, but was cleared before 1909 when the site was surveyed for third edition OS map.

The 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901 census lists Peter Wilcock (born c.1835) of Cambrian House, Pen-y-ffordd as "oil manufacturer". His address in the 1901 census is shown as Hope station oil works

The 1865 Coal Commission report lists the Cambrian Oil Company as operating an oil works in Hope station, however this company appears to have been short-lived and few other reference to it have been found. It seems possible however that the site of the Cambrian Oil Co.'s works became Wilcock & Piercy's Cambrian Oil Works.

It should be note that "Cambrian Oil" brand burning oil was produced by the Saltney (St David's) works of the Mineral Oil Co and subsequently the Flintshire Cannel & Oil Co. Ltd. from the early 1860's. There may therefore have been occasions when the Saltney works were referred to as the Cambrian oil works,

Maps

Ordnance Survey maps reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland.

• (1) 6" OS map c.1869 shows oil works to the north and south of the railway, with a common label
• (2) 6" OS map c.1898 shows only the southern site (The Cambrian Oil Works), but labeled "Hope Oil Works"
• (3) 6" OS map c.1909 following clearance of the works site
• (4) Google Earth image c.2006

Recent Images

• (1) View towards oil works site; just beyond the hedge
• (2) cottages (associated with the oil works?)

References

THE DIAMOND JUBILEE. Preparations are being made to light a huge bonfire on Hope Mountain, and Mr. Peter Wilcock, Cambrian Oil Works, Peny-fford, has promised a few barrels of tar for this purpose.

The Cheshire Observer, 15th May 1897