Cory is a recycling and
waste management company based in London. Originally founded as William Cory & Son in 1896, the company has operated vessels on the
River Thames for more than 125 years, transporting a range of commodities and materials including coal, oil, aggregates and waste. Ships from Cory's fleet supported Britain's war efforts in both world wars, with 30 ships being lost during the conflicts. From the 1980s onwards, the business has become increasingly focused on waste management.
Locations and operations
Cory's site footprint spans the length of the
Thames from
Wandsworth in the west to
Gravesend in the east.[1] The company operates:
A fleet of five tugs and more than 50 barges transporting waste on the river.[1] Cory's river-based infrastructure for transporting waste is unique in the UK and removes 100,000 truck movements from the roads every year.[1] Cory maintains and repairs these vessels, as well as third-party vessels, at sites in
Charlton and
Gravesend.[1]
An incinerator bottom ash (IBA) transfer station at the
Port of Tilbury.[1]
Riverside 1, one of the UK's largest
energy from waste (EfW) facilities, in
Belvedere,
London Borough of Bexley. The facility processed 782,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste in 2021, diverting it from landfill and saving 133,000 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.[2] In the process, 532 GWh of baseload electricity was generated and 170,000 tonnes of ash were turned into aggregate for construction.[1]
In 2020, Cory received planning permission to build another EfW facility adjacent to the existing one in
Belvedere.[3]
The company is also developing a district heat network with
Vattenfall.[16]
History
Coal and refuse
The company was founded in
London in 1896 as William Cory and Son Ltd.[17] Cory was formed from the merger of eight companies in the coal trade and had a comprehensive business in transporting and supplying five million tonnes of coal per year to trade and domestic customers in London.[17] Cory had a fleet of 2,500 railway wagons and also operated
lighters on the
River Thames.[17] Rather than operate its lighters unladen on their return journeys from delivering coal, Cory used them to carry refuse from London to be dumped in the marshlands of Essex and Kent.[17]
After the turn of the 20th century, Cory started to provide
social housing for some of its workforce.[18]
Cory ships had brown upper works above hull level.[19] The funnel was black with a broad white band, and a large black diamond on the white band.[19][20] The
house flag was red with a large white or cream diamond in the middle.[20]
In 1902 S.P. Austin & Co. built the 1,191 GRT
collier SS Caenwood for the company.[22] On 21 November 1905 she ran aground and was wrecked in the North Sea off the North Landing of
Flamborough Head.[22]
In 1896 Cory bought the 867 GRT coaster SS F.T. Barry, which
Backhouse and Dixon of
Middlesbrough had built in 1872.[23] On 23 June 1906 she was involved in a collision in the North Sea with SS Tynesider, was beached on Gunfleet Sands off
Clacton-on-Sea and became a total loss.[23]
In 1896 Cory bought the 1,053 GRT coaster SS Nellie Wise, which Denton Gray & Co of
West Hartlepool had built in 1873.[24] On 8 January 1908 while en route from London to the
River Tyne she ran aground on Blackhall Rocks 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) northwest of Hartlepool.[24] She was refloated but sold for scrap.[24]
In 1909 S.P. Austin & Co. built the 2,660 GRT
coaster SS William Cory for the company.[25] She ran aground at
Pendeen in
Cornwall and was wrecked in September 1910.[25]
First World War
In
World War I Cory mobilised as D Company, 6th Battalion of The Buffs (commonly known as Cory's Unit) and many died fighting in
France.[26] It also mobilised its boats in support of the war effort, losing 17 ships during the war:
SS Deptford was a 1,208 GRT collier built by Blyth Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in 1912.[27] She was a
flatiron, meaning that she had a low-profile superstructure, hinged funnel and hinged or telescopic mast to pass under low bridges on the
River Thames upriver form the
Pool of London.[27] On 24 February 1915 she was en route from
Granton to
Chatham carrying coal for naval bunkering when she was sunk by a
mine in the
Scarborough minefield that the German cruiser
SMS Kolberg had laid during the
raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 15 December 1914.[27] One crew member was lost.[27]
SS Hadley was a 1,777 GRT coaster built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1901.[28] On 27 December 1915 she was en route from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne to London when a mine laid by the German minelaying submarine
SM UC-3 sank her in the north sea three miles (5 km) from the Shipwash
lightship, which is southwest of
Orford Ness.[28] All her crew were saved.[28]
SS Denewood was a 1,221 GRT coaster built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1905.[29] On 26 May 1916 she was carrying coal from the River Tyne to London when she was sunk in the North Sea by a mine off
Sizewell.[29] All her crew were saved.[29]
SS Brentwood was a 1,192 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1904.[30] On 12 January 1917 she was sunk in the North Sea by a mine laid by the German minelaying submarine
SM UC-63.[30] She sank off
Saltwick Nab near
Whitby with the loss of her
second mate and a fireman (stoker).[30] SS Togston rescued the survivors and landed them at Sunderland.[30]
SS Hurstwood was a 1,229 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1906.[31] On 5 February 1917 she was steaming from London to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in ballast when the German submarine
SM UB-34 torpedoed and sank her off Whitby.[31] The
chief engineer and a fireman (stoker) were killed in the explosion and two men were seriously injured.[31] 11 survivors got away in a boat and were rescued by the
armed trawler HMS Swallow but one of the injured, a donkeyman, died of his injuries.[31]
SS Harberton was a 1,443 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1894 for J.& C. Harrison of London.[32] On 29 March 1917 she left Blyth for London laden with coal.[32] Neither she nor her master and 15 crew were seen again.[32] She is presumed to have been either torpedoed by an enemy submarine or sunk by an enemy mine.[32] Her date of loss is recorded as 30 March but this is conjectural and her wreck has not yet been found.[32]
SS Sir Francis was a 1,991 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1910.[33] On 7 June 1917 she was steaming northwards to the River Tyne when the German submarine
SM UB-21[34] sank her with two torpedoes[33] off
Cloughton. Her master and nine crew were lost, SS Dryade and the Cory ship SS Vernon (see below) rescued 12 survivors, and the latter landed all the survivors at
South Shields.[33]
SS Vernon was a 982-ton coaster built by John Blumer & Co. of Sunderland in 1878.[35][36] On 7 June 1917 she took part in the rescue of survivors from the Cory collier SS Sir Francis[33] (see above). On 31 August 1917 in the
North Sea off
Spurn, the German submarine
SM UB-30 torpedoed and sank Vernon and one of her crew was lost.[35][36]
SS Hockwold was a 1,492 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1911.[37] On 8 September 1917 she in the western approaches to the
English Channel when she was involved in a collision with SS Intent southwest of
The Lizard and sank with the loss of 10 men[37] including her master.[38]Intent rescued two survivors and recovered the body of the master.[38]
SS Harrow was a 1,777 GRT coaster built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1900.[39] On the evening of 8 September 1917 she was in the North Sea steaming from Granton to London with a cargo of coal as part of a convoy. A few miles northwest of North Cheek of
Robin Hood's Bay the German submarine
SM UB-41 torpedoed her, killing the
first mate and a gunner and sinking her.[39] One of the convoy's armed trawler escorts rescued her remaining crew and transferred them to a motor launch that landed them at Whitby.[39]
SS Ocean was a 1,442 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. for Lambert Bros. Ltd. of London in 1894 and Cory had subsequently bought from her first owners.[40] On 23 November 1917 the German submarine SM UB-21 torpedoed and sank her in the North Sea off
Saltburn-by-the-Sea.[40] All her complement of 17 crew and two gunners were saved.[40]
SS Highgate was a 1,780 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1899.[41] On 7 December 1917 she was carrying 2,380 tons of coal from the River Tyne to London when the
German Type UB III submarineSM UB-75 torpedoed and sank her about 2.5 miles (4 km) off the South Cheek of Robin Hood's Bay.[41] All 20 crew were rescued by a motor patrol boat and landed at Whitby.[41]
SS The Buffs was a 3,431 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1917,[42] so named to mark Cory's connection with the regiment. However, in 1920 Cory's renamed the ship SS Corland.[42] She survived the First World War but was sunk in the Second World War (See below).
SS Corsham was a 2,797 GRT cargo ship newly built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1918.[43] On 8 March 1918 she was steaming from London to the
River Tyne when the German submarine
SM UB-40 torpedoed and sank her in the North Sea off
Loftus.[43] 12 reached her lifeboat and five were saved from the water by motor patrol boats, but nine men were lost, mostly from
hypothermia or drowning.[43]
SS Crayford was a 1,209 GRT collier built by Blyth Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in 1911.[44] On 13 March 1918 she was crossing the North Sea from
Methil in Scotland to Christiania (now
Oslo) in Norway with a cargo of coke when the German submarine
SM U-46 torpedoed and sank her about 110 miles (180 km) off
Skudesnes[44] with the loss of the chief engineer.[45]
SS Lady Cory-Wright was a 2,516 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1906.[46] The War Department requisitioned her for the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary in August 1914 as the mine carrier
RFA Lady Cory-Wright.[47] On 26 March 1918 she was steaming from
Plymouth to Malta with a cargo of mines[47] when the German submarine
SM UC-17 torpedoed and sank her about 12 miles (19 km) or 14 miles (23 km) off The Lizard with the loss of 39 lives.[46] Only one crew member survived.[48]
During the war Cory bought R. and J.H. Rea, which both expanded its tug, barge and
coastalcollier fleets but also gave Cory a presence in the
ports of Bristol and
Southampton.[18] After the war Cory expanded further; buying the Mercantile Lighterage Company in 1920, followed by Mellonie and Goulder of Ipswich and several other companies in 1928.[18]
Second World War
In the Second World War fuel supplies were vital to the war effort.[49] Cory colliers sailed in coastal convoys and 13 of them were lost.[49]
SS Corbrae was a 1,788 GRT coaster launched in 1935 by the
Burntisland Shipbuilding Company of
Fife.[50] The War Department requisitioned her into the
Royal Navy[50] as the minesweeper HMS Corbrae. After her naval service she was returned to Cory, who in 1948 sold her to new owners who renamed her Kinburn.[50] Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. built a new MV Corbrae for Cory in 1952.[50]
SS Corburn was a 1,786 GRT coaster and Corbrae's
sister ship, also launched in 1935 by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Co.[50] The War Department requisitioned her into the
Royal Navy[50] as the minesweeper HMS Corburn. On 21 May 1940 a mine sank Corburn in the English Channel off
Le Havre.
SS Corhaven was a 991 GRT coaster built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1933.[51] On 26 July 1940 she was in a convoy in the
Straits of Dover that was attacked by
Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombers.[51] Five ships including Corhaven were sunk and five more were damaged.[51]
SS Corbrook was a 1,729 GRT collier built by
Cowpen Drydock and Shipbuilding of
Northumberland in 1929.[52] She was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off
Cromer on 9 September 1940.[52]
SS Corheath was a 1,096 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1936.[53] On 24 January 1941 she was off the coast of
Kent en route from
Portsmouth to
Blyth when she was sunk by a mine with the loss of three lives.[53]
SS Corduff was a 2,345 GRT coaster built by Swan Hunter in 1923.[54] On 7 March 1941 the
torpedo boatS-28 attacked and sank her in the North Sea off
Mundesley.[54]
SS Cordene was a 2,345 GRT coaster built by Swan Hunter in 1924[55] and the sister ship of SS Corduff. On 9 August 1941 enemy aircraft attacked and sank her in the North Sea off
Mundesley.[55]
SS Corfield was a 1,791 GRT coaster built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1937.[50] She was commissioned into the
Royal Navy[50] as the minesweeper HMS Corfield.[56] On 8 September 1941 she was sunk in the North Sea by a mine off
Saltfleet.[56]
SS Corhampton was a 2,495 GRT collier built by S.P. Austin & Co. in 1933.[57] On 15 November 1941 she was en route from
Hartlepool to
Rochester when German aircraft bombed her in the North Sea about 26 nautical miles (48 km) off
Spurn.[57] She sank the following day.[57]
SS Cormarsh was a 2,848 GRT collier built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1939.[50][58] On 29 November 1941 she was sunk in the North Sea by a mine off
Blakeney Point.[58] Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. launched a replacement Cormarsh in 1943.[50]
SS Cormead was a 2,848 GRT collier built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1939,[50] the sister ship of SS Cormarsh. On Christmas Day 1941 Cormead was sunk in the North Sea by a mine off
Hopton-on-Sea.[59]
SS Corland, formerly SS The Buffs, was bombed and sunk at anchor in the North Sea off Spurn by enemy aircraft on 5 February 1942.[42]
SS Cormount was a 2,841 GRT collier built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1936.[50] On 13 November 1943 she was damaged in the North Sea by a mine off
Aldeburgh.[61] She was taken in tow but sank before reaching safety.[61]
Cory since 1945
The Second World War was not the end of Cory's losses at sea.
Swan Hunter built the 2,373 GRT collier SS Hopecrest in 1918.[62] Cory bought her from her original owners in 1919 and renamed her SS Corcrest.[62] On 24 June 1949 she struck a submerged object, ran aground and was wrecked off the mouth of the
River Deben in
Suffolk.[62]
S.P. Austin & Co built the 2,374 GRT collier SS Corchester in 1927.[63] On 19 February 1956 she was en route from London to Hartlepool in rough sea, a blizzard and no visibility off the
Haisboro' Light.[63] The 6,986
Ellerman Lines cargo ship City of Sidney sliced Corchester in two through no. 1 hold and sank her.[63] Eight of Corchester's crew were lost, of whom six had been in her
forecastle accommodation.[63] Survivors were rescued by another Cory ship, SS Cormull.[63]
After the war, Cory began mining the stone needed for aggregates to rebuild parts of
London and putting them on empty
barges.[26] The holes left in the ground became
landfills in
Erith and
East Tilbury.[26] This was the start of Cory's transition from moving fuel to transporting waste and building materials.
During the post-war period, Cory also began transporting fuel oil as well as coal following the introduction of the
Clean Air Act in 1956.[26] By the 1950s Cory was transporting and supplying fuel oil as well as coal.[49] In 1956 Cory started to develop a fleet of barges designed specifically to carry refuse rather than coal.[18] Cory had its own barge-building yard, which produced more than 400 such vessels between 1962 and 1972.[49] Oil-fired central heating grew in popularity such that by 1972 Cory was supplying 216 million imperial gallons (980 megalitres) per year to domestic customers.[49]
In the 1960s and 1970s William Cory was operating general and refrigerated road haulage out of Palmers Wharf,
Deptford. The colours were white with the black lozenge. Later on it was taken over by Ocean and renamed McGregor Cory Cargo Services and the vehicles became red. They gradually got involved with the emerging container traffic and worked for OCL who were taking over refrigerated imports from New Zealand and Australia. As containers were mostly arriving in Tilbury docks, MCCS moved to Thurrock and Barking, Essex. This was the final end of the link with Deptford.
In 1972
Ocean Group plc bought Cory,[49] which then acquired Surridge, which owned
Mucking Marshes Landfill, then the second-largest landfill site in the UK. In 1979 Cory bought Thames and General Lighterage, making Cory the largest waste carrier on the Thames.[49] In the 1980s Cory withdrew from coal and oil distribution to concentrate on waste transport and disposal.[64] In 1981 two Cory group companies were merged to form Cory Waste Management.[64][26] It won a tender to transport and dispose of half a million tonnes of waste a year for the
Greater London Council.[26] This saw the launch of the containerised waste transportation business that operates today.[26] Cory Environmental Municipal Services Ltd was formed in 1989 and the two companies were merged as Cory Environmental in 1990.[64] At this stage,
London was producing 29 million tonnes of waste per year and disposing only 400,000 tonnes of it within its own boundaries.[26] By the late 1990s,
Mucking landfill site was receiving 1.5 million tonnes of
London's waste.[26]
In 2010,
Mucking stopped receiving
London's waste and was later reclaimed for community and environmental use to create the Thurrock Thameside Nature Discovery Park.[26]
In 2012, Cory Environmental was awarded an eight-year contract to provide the waste collection services throughout the county of Cornwall, and opened the Riverside 1
energy from waste (EfW) facility, one of the UK's largest EfW facilities, in Belvedere, Kent.[26] In 2020, Cory secured planning permission to develop the Riverside Energy Park.
In June 2015, it was announced that
Biffa had bought the Cory waste collection business, Cory Environmental Municipal Services Limited, for £13.5 million. In 2016, the company was rebranded as Cory Riverside Energy. In 2017, the business completed a major restructure and refinance, having sold its collections, waste brokerage and landfill businesses,[26] and in 2021 it was rebranded simply as Cory.[66]
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