Kent Oil Refinery

A cinematic oil portrait of the refinery on Kent’s Isle of Grain.

This portrait-in-oil documentary tells the story of construction of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s famous refinery on Kent’s Isle of Grain. The refinery opened in 1952, transforming local life and landscapes (remaining in operation until 1982). A year later, the film was released; a year after that, Anglo-Iranian re-branded as British Petroleum or BP.

The DATA cooperative of documentary filmmakers (best-known as producers of the National Coal Board’s Mining Review series) had a contract with Anglo-Iranian to shoot ‘coverage’ of the construction over the four years. This resulted in a film called The Island (available on BFI DVD), a poetic study of the relationship between the area and the incoming industry and another, the Tower (available on BFI Player), a straightforward account of planning and building the refinery itself. The third film available here is a compilation from the footage shot for the other two and largely follows the down-to-earth approach of The Tower but with a few of the more lyrical, slightly arty touches of The Island.