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At the start of the 20th Century, oil companies are growing rapidly. But to transport oil to the people who need it most, they need to refine oil closer to where it’s needed. The site of an ancient Abbey in North West England became the ideal place for Shell to build a refining outpost near the River Mersey.

As demand for oil grows, so does the refinery, becoming a vast petrochemical plant – the biggest in Europe - that dominates the skyline, landscape and the lives of people working there and living around it.

The new gleaming, magic black gold processed here is used to fight wars, fuel the growing demand for cars, and build the roads to drive them on.

The profits from the production of oil products would come at the perfect moment to help repay the debt that Britain was in after the second world war, and lead to an era of prosperity for those working at the refinery.

In this episode, you will hear from people who can weave together the varied stories of Shell, oil itself, and the industrial history of corner of North West England, and how these separate narratives combined for the construction of Stanlow Oil Refinery.

Writer and Producer - George Powell
Senior Producer – Louise Clarke
Editor – Tara McDermott
Technical Producer – Craig Boardman
Artwork – Ellie Walmsley
Music – Joshua Leary
Black Gold is a Long Form Audio production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds Audio Lab
Commissioning Editor – Khaliq Meer