ABOVE: Workers of English Oilfieds Ltd at Stechey, where they were at the centre of a hive of industry - and a west Norfolk oil rush
Norfolk’s boom and bust rush for ‘black gold’ Located a few miles south of King’s Lynn, Setchey is a quiet and peaceful village, but as Alison Gifford explains it was the rapidlydeveloping centre of the country’s search for oil during the 1920s
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ou might think the idea of finding an oil well in a Norfolk back garden is a rather unlikely one, but in 1918 ‘black gold’ was discovered in the village of Setchey (known locally as ‘Setch’) just outside King’s Lynn. The Kimmeridge oil shales at Setchey were first found when the Puny Drain was cut, and the race for oil began. In fact, the Setchey Oil Works were planned as “the largest retorting, condensing, and refining plant in England.” At the time there was deep concern in the British government following the First World War about dependence on foreign oil imports from the Middle East and the USA KLmagazine July 2020
which could have cost the allies victory over Germany because the Royal Navy had moved from coal to oil before the war, mistakenly confident in continuing foreign oil supplies. The Royal Navy was the main user of oil at this time - and while coal was still preferred by industry, ships, lorries and tanks for the war effort all needed oil. After the war the race was well and truly on to find and produce British oil. Setchey could well be described as THE original fracking site, but crucially it lacked the modern technology needed to extract the oil from the shale. English Oilfields Ltd was launched in 1918 to progress the project, which was fronted by the charismatic William Forbes-Leslie who’d been involved
in mining in South Africa and quickly established himself as a national leading authority on oil shales. ForbesLeslie was appointed as managing director and the company’s principal spokesman, proving to be a persuasive orator - and his presentations to shareholders were often met by applause. The company was successful in raising capital and soon began construction of works, mines and a railway. In the space of 18 months, normallytranquil Setchey was transformed into a noisy, bustling hive of industry with a canteen and its own football team. The local pubs were packed with lodgers, and anyone who wanted a job turned 83