Royal Ordnance Depot, Weedon

I was so entranced by the glimpse of the long-vanished Weedon station at the end of my Deltic video that I went to see the village today.

The station has long vanished, but there are substantial remains of the Royal Ordnance Depot there and also traces of the railway and canal branches that served it. The village once had a barracks and 'pavilions' that were rumoured to be intended as a place of safety for the Royal Family if Napoleon invaded.

Modern housing development has encroached on the site, but the existence of public roads has the effect of making the far end of the site (where the explosives were once stored) easier to approach.

The first photo shows the gatehouse for the complex. I was pleased to find that its clock still chimes the quarters.