# Occidental Oil Refinery, Canvey Island, Essex



## BTP Liam (Dec 30, 2011)

I and a friend have been fascinated by the remains of an old oil refinery built in the 1970s by the company Occidental, but had to remove most of the structures in 1978 when protest got too high. We've been to this location a number of times, and it is a massive network of old roads. Most of the remains are just concrete, although there are other structures. One is a mile-long metal jetty designed to get oil from ships to the mainland. There was also a massive chimney until 1997, which was knocked down by Fred Dibnah himself. The concrete remains are usually stockpiles although include building foundations and and piping containers e.t.c.

Here are more detailed reports and pics on the refinery (in 3 parts) and jetty:

http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2011/12/30/occidental-refinery-visit-3/

http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2011/11/05/occidental-explorers-return-occidental-site-visit-2/

http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2011/10/18/delving-deeper-into-the-occidental-refinery-visit-1/

http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2011/09...ten-million-pound-abandoned-jetty-but-we-can/


----------



## godzilla73 (Dec 31, 2011)

Nice - I'd like a gander up the top of that tower. BTW, do they still show the evacuation routes on the road signs out of Canvey? I am going back thirty years or so, but there used to be a set of symbols on them that showed people which way to go if the island was flooded. Just a reminisce....
Godzy


----------



## krela (Dec 31, 2011)

Very nice, thanks!


----------



## BTP Liam (Dec 31, 2011)

Thanks krela! 

Godzilla, I don't think so although I'll keep an eye out. The rvp sign seen here is, like I say on the website, from the old refinery and the emergency bridge shown there (the 1st link) is probably only incase of a refinery disaster, not a flood. This is due to it all dating to the refinery's time, and most of the evacuation route being part of the refinery, although I could be wrong.

They do still have a few of the old flood/bombing sirens though, and I think there is an old metal box which used to conatin a phone incase of flood emergency.


----------



## kevsy21 (Dec 31, 2011)

Looks an interesting place,well done.


----------



## BTP Liam (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks - this covers about a qurter to a third of the island, yet is pretty much unbeknownst to the residents!


----------



## night crawler (Jan 4, 2012)

Did not have a long life there did it and now looks like a bit of a wilderness.


----------



## sYnc_below (Jan 5, 2012)

Thanks - More Canvey Island stuff is needed on here......very underrepresented place


----------



## BTP Liam (Jan 31, 2012)

Yes tocsin!
Night crawler, you're right, they built it in about 2 years but never saw use, now it's just concrete covering about 1/4 of the island in amongst aload of bushes!


----------

