Oil Retort House

The Oil Retort House, built around 1924, is a Grade II listed structure located in Kilve Pill. This building is made of red brick in an irregular bond and features cast iron elements. It has a roughly square plan, measuring about four metres high and 2.15 by 2.45 metres square. The flat roof is divided by a recessed string course with an inset cast iron bar on the east front, and it has a corbelled projection below on all sides. The walls have irregularly placed square ventilation holes, mostly located on the east and west fronts. There is a segmental-headed loading opening on the west front at ground floor level, with a cut-off pipe above it, and an angled segmental-headed opening on the north front above a low external stepped plinth that is partially damaged. The building is topped by a cast iron chimney with a flange attached on the west side, which is believed to have been used to carry away and condense vapours, standing about five metres high.

In 1916, it was discovered that the shale beds along the North Somerset coast were rich in oil, leading Dr. Forbes-Leslie to establish the Shaline Company in 1924 to exploit these resources. This retort house is thought to be the first structure built for the conversion of shale to oil in the area, but the company struggled to raise sufficient capital, and this building is now all that remains of the anticipated Somerset oil boom. It is listed primarily for its historical significance.