We’re passionate about our explosive history.

Come and explore, learn and enjoy it with us!

School Visits

Published:

Author: Adam Warren

Volunteer

The Royal Gunpowder Mills is reliant on the time, skills, knowledge and hard work given by the team of volunteers. The team works to preserve and share the site and its unique history, for the visitors and for the future.

Published:

Author: Adam Warren

We are closed now for the winter season but we look forward to seeing you in 2022!

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News

  • Springing to Life

    Spring has arrived at the The Royal Gunpowder Mills, as we are getting ready for a Covid safe reopening nature is taking over and bursting with life. Read all about it in our news letter. Read more

  • Lights, Camera, Action! RGM cinema upgrade complete

    We have finally completed our upgrade of the Royal Gunpowder Mills cinema! Made possible by the Heritage Recovery Grant, we are all set with light fixtures and accessible space. Perfect for those looking to hire a theatre or conference space. Read more

  • Behind the scenes: The Reopening of the Mills!

    News update on what the staff and volunteers of the royal gunpowder mills have doing to prepare for their grand reopening. Read more

Our exhibitions

  • 1940s Exhibition

    Feel the forties come to life around you; our special exhibition includes a reconstruction of an air raid shelter, a typical war time General Store & Post Office, and even a toy shop. Read more

  • Women at War

    Over 3000 women worked as 'Munitionettes' at 'The Powder Mills'. The photo gallery is a fascinating display highlighting the varied and crucial roles women played during the war. Read more

  • The Armoury

    Two shots a minute from a musket three hundred years ago, to over fifteen hundred from a WW2 machine gun, the history of firearms is a story of amazing technical development and inventiveness. Come and explore our collection of over 300 historic firearms. Read more

  • Main Exhibition and Film

    Travel back through time and discover 300 years of explosive and top secret history through film, exhibitions and interactive displays. Read more

  • The Rocket Vault

    Tankbusters, rocket motors and anti-aircraft missiles were all on Waltham Abbey's top-secret to-do list. This kind of work gave rise to the Waxwing project: the rocket which first fired British satellites into earth's orbit. Read more