This fascinating aerial photograph taken in 1986 gives an indication as to the scale of the ROF factory in Blackburn.

The Royal Ordnance Factory opened in 1937 and after the outbreak of the Second World War over 5,000 people across the site at Lower Darwen - mainly women - were employed to produce fuses and detonators.

During the war, the site off Roman Road was a target for enemy planes, so it was covered in special camouflage paint, designed to reflect the landscape and make the buildings invisible to pilots in the sky. There was even a pillbox, where machine gunners would have been scrambled if a lucky Luftwaffe crew managed to pinpoint it – as well as a lookout post.

The factory closed in 2002 and the site is now a housing development. Did you work at ROF? We'd love to see your photos and hear your memories. Leave a comment