Reflecting on VE Day – A Special Part of Birchwood Park’s Past

Last Thursday marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and it’s a moment that holds particular meaning for us here at Birchwood Park.

Before it became the thriving business community we know today, Birchwood Park was the site of ROF Risley, one of the UK’s largest Royal Ordnance Factories. Hidden away behind natural mist and flat terrain, it played a critical role in the war effort producing munitions and assembling groundbreaking innovations like the Grand Slam bomb – one of the largest bombs ever built in the UK.

Thousands of people came from across Britain and Ireland to work here. Among them were many women, who took on skilled engineering and technical roles at a time when such opportunities were rare. Their work was not only crucial to wartime production but laid the foundations for the culture of innovation and collaboration that still exists on the Park today.

From military-grade engineering to the modern-day businesses shaping the future of nuclear, environmental, and tech sectors – the legacy of ROF Risley lives on in the people and progress that make Birchwood Park what it is.

As we reflect on VE Day, we remember the determination, resilience and ingenuity that defined this site’s history, and continue to inspire the community we’re proud to be part of today.

If you have a story about Birchwood Park’s past that you would like to share with us – we want to hear it! Please email Lianne with any memories: ldempsey@birchwoodpark.co.uk