Urlay Nook

Urlay Nook
County Durham
The disused Elementis factory at Urlay Nook
Location
Grid reference:	NZ400146
Location:	54°31’34"N, 1°22’59"W
Data
Post town:	Stockton-On-Tees
Postcode:	TS16
Local Government
Council:	Stockton-on-Tees

Urlay Nook is a village in the County Durham, and part of the Egglescliffe parish.

The village is dominated by the site of the former Elementis chromium chemicals plant and the Admiralty Ecology Site, both of which are owned by Elementis, closed in 2011. Urlay Nook contains the Tactical Training Centre for the local police.

Allens West

From the 1940s to the 1990s there was an Ministry of Defence (MOD) base situated at Allens West in Eaglescliffe. After the Second World War the base was Metal Reclamation Unit No 2, and was used to dismantle aircraft that were downed in this and nearby counties.

It then became the Royal Navy Spare Parts Distribution Centre (RNSPDC), and later the Royal Navy Supply Depot (RNSD) Eaglescliffe, until its closure in January 1997 as part of the 'Defence Cost Study'. The storage and distribution functions were transferred to Portsmouth Naval Base, and the procurement function to MOD's site at Abbey Wood, Bristol.

At its height, the depot employed more than 2,000 staff and had a significant influence on the local economy. This later reduced to around 750 just prior to closure in 1997.

Part of the former MOD site is now the Urlay Nook Admiralty ecology park, the rest of the site was sold to a distribution company in 1997.

Aerial photographs show that the site used to have railway sidings and a small runway, though the latter appeared to only be in use as a Relief Landing Round for RAF Thornaby.

A masterplan has been drawn up to build up to 1000 homes, and retail space on the site.

See also

• Aislaby, County Durham
• Preston-on-Tees
• Yarm

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Urlay Nook)