1940s Exhibition

Explore wartime life with reconstructions from the 1940s. Experience the sights and sounds of wartime Britain as you step inside an air raid shelter and browse in a 1940s general store.

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See you at Easter!

We're re-opening Easter 2022. We'll be open Sundays and Bank Holidays until October. More opening details to follow...
Our Trustees
Schools Programme
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.

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.
The Armoury

From two shots a minute from a three hundred year old musket to over fifteen hundred shots a minute from a WW2 machine gun, discover how firearms changed over the centuries by visiting our collection of over 300 historic firearms.
Main Exhibition and Film

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

Admission Prices

Find out more about costs for each event.
See you soon!

The Royal Gunpowder Mills is now closed for the winter but we look forward to seeing you at Easter 2022!
How to get here

Find out more about where we're located and how to get here by all types of transport.
Virtual Tours

Until you can visit us again in person this summer, please enjoy a selection of resources to help you explore our site from the comfort of home.
See you at Easter!

We're re-opening Easter 2022. We'll be open Sundays and Bank Holidays until October. More opening details to follow...
Jobs
Professor Nitrate's Mad Lab

There's so much fun to be had in Professor Nitrate's Mad Lab
Our Purpose

The purpose of the charity is to preserve, manage, research, conserve and display for the benefit of the general public and of the nation at large the historical and archaeological heritage of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey in the form of ancient monuments, listed buildings and the natural aspect features and bird, animal, tree and plant life.
Visitor Map
The Armoury

From two shots a minute from a three hundred year old musket to over fifteen hundred shots a minute from a WW2 machine gun, discover how firearms changed over the centuries by visiting our collection of over 300 historic firearms.

Royal Gunpowder Mills Digital Archive

After the closure of ERDE, the archive material inherited passed through a number of hands and storage locations before opening to the public as an online database. Read more

RGM Historic Book Reprint Series

The Historic Reprint Series are Facsimilie reprints of books having historical relevance to the development and manufacture of gunpowder at the Royal Gunpowder Mills. Read more

RGM Book Series

Books about the history of the Royal Gunpowder Mills written by Archive Volunteers. Read more

Coronavirus Survival Appeal The Royal Gunpowder Mills is currently closed due to Covid and as a result, we have lost our essential visitor incomes and face a serious funding gap. Please donate to help continue our Charity’s work. We very much look forward to welcoming visitors back on site this summer. Read more

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