Home > Beyond Scotland > Wales and vicinity > Padeswood - minor oil works

Padeswood - unidentified minor works

Location	Various sites,
Former parish and county	Parish of Buckley, Flint
Current local authority area	Flintshire
Opened	pre-1868
Closed	post-1868
Ownership history	Various
Current status of site	All within Padeswood golf club

The first edition (c.1869) OS map show an "Oil Works" (presumably Padeswood Oil Works) and Mold Valley Oil Works immediately adjoining Padeswood Station. Slightly to the south various buildings are marked which might represent the retort benches of further small-scale oil works;

• A group of three buildings labelled "Chemical Works" (53.150761, -3.082038)
• Three long structures, in various shapes, immediately east of the mineral railway to Leeswood Vale (53.150342, -3.082989)
• Two long structures on the west side of the mineral railway close to the Grand Stand public house. (53.150296, -3.084203)

The 1868 Slater's trade directory lists (in addition to the Padeswood and Mold Valley works), the following oil manufacturers located at Padeswood:

• Birkbeck G.H. (crude, refined & lubricating), Padeswood
• Ness, Griffiths & Jones (crude) Padeswood
• Page & Co. (crude), Padeswood

It remains unclear which of these firms (if any) relate to these various premises. A sales notice of 1871 (see below) indicated that the firm of Joseph Turner & Co., the proprietors of Queensferry Oil Works, had also operated oil works at Padeswood.

Maps

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

• (1) 6" OS map c.1869, showing Padeswood and Mold Valley oil works, and to the south of these perhaps up to three additional works, one of which is labelled "chemical works"
• (2) 6" OS map c.1898 follow clearance of the sites
• (3) Google earth image c.2006

Recent Images

• (1) Area to the north of the former Grand Stand public house.
• (2) Stile and pathway towards site of Mold Valley and other oil works - an area subsequently worked for gravel.
• (3) View towards "Railway Cottages", the trees behind marking the possible site of an oil works.

References

At another small works in the immediate vicinity (of the Padeswood Oil Works), Messrs Ness and Griffiths are carrying on a coal oil distillation. Mr Ness is good enough to dispute the £4 per ton profit, and advices that he will supply the ten tons a week which these works produce at £2 per ton profit.

From Rylands Iron Trade Circular, reprinted in The Wrexham Advertiser, 6th January 1866. See full text.

PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.- BIRKBECK George Henry and James Francis Braidwood, mineral oil refiners, Padeswood, in Mold, 22d Aug.

Perry's Bankrupt Gazette - 21st September 1867

Joseph Turner, of Queens Ferry is giving up the Oil Business at Padeswood to sale by auction on Monday September 11th commencing at 11 o'clock am to the minute. The whole of costly and modern plant and machinery including retorts, condensers, revolvers, and necessary appliances, horizontal steam engine, 3ft stroke with Cornish Boiler and fittings, separators, pipes and receiving tanks, large brick covered tanks with lids and separator, large cast-iron stove etc.

The Wrexham Adveriser, 2nd September 1871