Set in 175 acres of natural parkland and boasting 21 buildings of major historic importance, the site mixes fascinating history, exciting science and beautiful surroundings to produce a magical day out for all. Established in the 17th century and acquired by the Crown in 1787, the Royal Gunpowder Mills has a very important place in both the history of Great Britain and its home town of Waltham Abbey.
Gunpowder, and the explosives and propellants which followed it, provide the form of energy which changed the world by encouraging trade, exploration, mining, and civil engineering, as well as serving the military purposes of conquest and defence.
The Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey have been involved in the production and development of explosives for over 300 years. Gunpowder was the first, and for some centuries the only explosive and propellant. Later the site manufactured guncotton, nitro-glycerine, cordite paste and tetryl, and after World War II the site became a research establishment for non-nuclear explosives and propellants.
The site contains buildings and structures that were used in all these processes. Many of the buildings have been through a series of uses being converted to make new explosives or carry out new functions. Although it makes the history of the site complex, the continual re-use of the buildings allowed many of the earlier buildings to remain. This is one of the reasons why the Royal Gunpowder Mills are so important today.
Gunpowder production began at Waltham Abbey in the mid-1660s on the site of a late medieval fulling mill. The gunpowder mills were privately owned until 1787, when they were purchased by the Crown. From that date the Royal Gunpowder Mills developed into the pre-eminent powder works in Britain and one of the most important in Europe.
The earliest works relied on water power to manufacture gunpowder. The site expanded and developed under the ownership of the Crown from 1787,along the waterways at the south west of the site. Most of the buildings you will see were constructed during the period beginning in the mid-1850s. The site expanded at this time because the Crimean war (1853-56) required large amounts of gunpowder and steam power became available to power the machinery. This was the period when the Italianate incorporating mills were built around Queen Meads.
For safety reasons many of the other buildings were built apart from each other, and those housing the more hazardous processes were surrounded by brick or earth embankments called traverses.
By the end of the 19th century chemical explosives were replacing gunpowder. The incorporating mills and other buildings were converted to produce these new explosives like cordite, and new buildings were constructed. After World War II the site changed again to a research establishment and many of the buildings were converted into laboratories.
