Local history

Nottinghamshire isn't the first place you'd think of when it comes to Britain's energy needs but the UK's first commercial oil well was actually drilled at Eakring, between Newark and Ollerton, in 1939.

It was still producing in 1964 by which time it had supplied 47 million barrels of oil.

The Dukes Wood / Eakring operation was also instrumental in the discovery of oil and gas in the North Sea. Many people who worked there were employed on the first oil rig built in the mid-1960s. Some even died in Britain's first North Sea oil disaster.

Kevin Topham in the Dukes Wood oil museum

Nottinghamshire oil

Kevin Topham started his career at BP's research station at Eakring when the company was still known as Anglo Iranian. This was in the 1950s and Kevin's had an association with the oil industry ever since. Today he's curator of the Dukes Wood oil museum.

1965 was a key year for Eakring oil. By that time drilling had finished (although production continued until 1989). However, in the same year the so called 'dash for gas' intensified.

"All the trained up drilling crews from Eakring were transferred to the North Sea project," says Kevin.

"That was the priority because the country was in dire need of money. North Sea gas and oil changed all this."

In October that year the first North Sea gas was struck followed by an oil strike in the Forties field off Aberdeen in Scotland.

The Sea Gem oil rig in the North Sea

Eakring heritage

Eakring was the test bed for drilling rigs that went to the North Sea. Indeed, Kevin, from Edingley near Southwell, and his colleagues did a dummy run with a drilling rig at Eakring.

They built a 200 foot derrick (the framework over the oil well) in Dukes Wood. This would eventually become the Sea Gem, Britain's first oil rig.

It was no surprise the men from Notts were transferred when Sea Gem was installed in the North Sea as they had the expertise in pipe work, drilling and engineering.

Disaster strikes

Kevin's pride of being associated with Britain's first foray into North Sea gas and oil is tempered by the horror that was to befall the Sea Gem.

He was on the oil rig on 27 December 1965 when disaster struck.

The Sea Gem was supported by 10 steel legs but two of these gave way as it was being prepared to move to a new location and then the whole rig tilted sideways and sunk.

Another view of the Sea Gem oil rig

"There was a large crack and the rig went over to 45 degrees. Two of the legs under the helicopter deck had collapsed," recalls Kevin.

The collapse was due to metal fatigue. At the time it was chaotic. The radio operator had been killed immediately so there was no chance to send a mayday.

"We were left with a choice," says Kevin. "Go on the helicopter deck and hope for rescue or jump into the sea."

Kevin jumped and survived by getting in to a make-shift dinghy, despite being buffeted by 20 foot waves. He was eventually rescued by a cargo steamer.

"I often think about the 13 men we lost there."

Still oil in Notts

Kevin reckons there's untapped oil reserves in Nottinghamshire. Because everyone was transferred to the North Sea the job was never finished in the county. He says drilling's still taking place today in Sherwood Forest as the search continues.

He also says it's wrong to say Britain's oil supplies are drying up.

"There's one new find a week in the North Sea. They're now going down 22,000 feet off Aberdeen. That's a long way to fetch oil out.

"It's far from finished ... and the oil companies are still pumping millions of pounds into it."