Built on farmland, the factory became a part of a huge hub munitions production to assist with the war effort.
A railway line and station were built to bring workers onto site. At its peak, 17,000 people worked in this very factory (90% female), manufacturing bombs and bullets.
It became one of the largest of its kind, and even had a special visit from Winston Churchill, who was photographed leaving the factory in 1942.
It gained the attention of Lord Haw Haw, a German propaganda radio broadcaster who would transmit messages to Britain from Germany, usually starting with the chilling “Germany calling, Germany calling” introduction. On occasions, he directly mentions the “little angels of Aycliffe” and warned them that their factory would be bombed.
It never did get bombed, but sadly records show there were fatal explosions inside. The Northern Echo reported an explosion in 1945, but was forbidden from mentioning any fatalities. And sadly there were.
As many as 12 women died in this building due to explosives going up.
Today, the building has been converted into an activity centre, ROF59, a nod to its wartime past. That has not stopped many stories being passed down over the years of sightings and strange activity occurring inside.
Things your chance to investigate a building that is allegedly haunted. You will be able to use a wide selection of equipment provided by Spiritus, such as EMF meters, Spirit boxes, laser grids, SLS cameras, REM Pods, thermal imaging cameras, motion detectors, trigger objects and much more.
Please note that the use of Ouija boards is not permitted at this venue.
Refreshments will be available on the night.
📍ROF59, 1 Durham Way S, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 6XN
📅 Saturday 26th July 2025
🕗 21:00 - 01:00
🚘 Free carpark
🎟️ £35pp
You may also like the following events from Spiritus Paranormal:
