Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills facts for kids
The Royal Gunpowder Mills is a historic place in Waltham Abbey, England. For over 300 years, it was a major factory for making gunpowder and other explosives. It was one of only three Royal Gunpowder Mills in the United Kingdom. This site is special because it's the only one that still looks much like it did in the past.
In the mid-1850s, the site started making new types of explosives. These were called "smokeless powder" and were much more advanced. The factory grew bigger, and the older "black powder" became less important. After World War II, it became a research center. Scientists here studied explosives, propellants, and even rocket motors.
Today, the Mills are an important historical site. They are part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The site covers about 0.7 square kilometers (175 acres) of parkland. It has 21 buildings that are very important to history.
Contents
Early Days: Before Gunpowder
The story of making gunpowder at Waltham Abbey began a long time ago. First, there was a mill used by monks to make cloth. This mill was built on a special water channel called the Millhead Stream. Later, in the early 1600s, it became an "Oyle Mill" to make vegetable oils.
During a war with the Dutch in 1665, England needed more gunpowder. So, the oil mill was changed to make gunpowder. Ralph Hudson bought the mill and used a material called saltpetre to make the gunpowder.
The Hudson family sold the mills to William Walton in the late 1600s. The Walton family owned the mills for almost 100 years. William's wife, Philippa Walton, helped the business grow a lot. More buildings were added along the Millhead Stream. This meant materials moved from one building to another as they were processed. The Waltham Abbey Mills were one of the first places to use this kind of factory system in the 1700s. In 1735, a local historian said they were "the largest and compleatest works in Great Britain."
The Government Buys the Mills
In the 1780s, the government worried about getting enough gunpowder. They also wanted to make sure it was good quality and not too expensive. A military leader, Sir William Congreve, suggested the government buy the Waltham Abbey Mills. He wanted to make sure the country had a steady supply. He also wanted the mills to be a place to develop new ways of making gunpowder.
In October 1787, the government bought the mills for £10,000. This started 204 years of government ownership. Sir William Congreve was a very driven person. He helped turn gunpowder making from an old craft into an advanced technology.
A famous engineer, John Rennie the Elder, called the mills "The Old Establishment." This name referred to the time before the government bought them in 1787.
The mills were able to make a lot of gunpowder during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. This helped England win battles, like the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. After these wars, things became quieter. Fewer people worked there, and less gunpowder was made. But new machines and ways of working were still being developed.
The quiet period didn't last. Wars like the Crimean War in 1854 and the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902 created a new need for gunpowder. The mills made gunpowder for guns and for military demolition. The improvements made here also helped private companies. These companies used gunpowder for building, mining, and making railways.
World War I and New Explosives
The World War I (1914-1918) caused a huge demand for gunpowder. A new part of the factory, called the East Flank, was built. It had many mills for making Cordite, a type of smokeless powder. About 3,000 more people were hired, bringing the total to 6,230 workers. Many of these new workers were women from the local area. This was a big change for society at the time.
After World War I, there was another quiet time. People started to worry about future air attacks from Europe. It was decided that gunpowder production would slowly move to safer places in the west of the country. However, the Waltham Abbey site continued to work. It did important research on making TNT and a new explosive called RDX.
World War II and Closure
During World War II, Waltham Abbey was still important for making cordite. For the first two years of the war, it was the only place making RDX. RDX was a key part of torpex, the explosive used in the famous "Bouncing Bomb."
Eventually, all RDX production moved to other factories in England. Cordite production also moved to new factories in Scotland, Wales, and the North East. The Royal Gunpowder Mills finally closed its doors on July 28, 1945.
After the Wars: A Research Center
In 1945, the site reopened as a research center. It was called the Explosives Research and Development Establishment, or ERDE.
In 1977, it changed its name to the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment, Waltham Abbey, or PERME Waltham Abbey. As a research center, it focused on military explosives and rocket propellants. This included both solid and liquid fuels for rockets. They also worked on special uses, like small rockets to change the direction of space vehicles. They even made cartridges to fire ejector seats in aircraft. The rocket work grew to include making rocket motors, like those for the Skylark project.
In 1984, parts of the site were given to a company called Royal Ordnance plc. The North side of the site stayed under government control as a research center. It became part of the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment. After some changes, the research center finally closed in 1991.
The Mills Today: A Heritage Site
A large part of the north site is now a special scientific area. Another part is a protected ancient monument. Visitors can explore exhibits about how gunpowder was made. They can also take a land train tour around the site. In 2016, there was a plan to knock down some old buildings. The plan was to build dorms for a children's activity center. But this idea was stopped after people learned about it in the news.
The Hidden Railway
The site has a special narrow-gauge railway. It's about 640 meters (700 yards) long and has two stations. Sometimes, people call it the Hidden Railway. It used to move materials around the factory.
Gunpowder Park
After the South site was cleaned up, much of the land became Gunpowder Park. This park is about 1 square kilometer (255 acres) and opened in 2004. It's part of the Lee Valley Park. Gunpowder Park is now a place for art, science, and enjoying nature.
Online History Records
After the research center closed, many old records were kept. These records tell the story of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. By 2001, the collection was a bit messy. So, experts started to organize everything. They created computer databases to make a digital catalog.
- You can see these old records online at www.wargm.org.
- The Royal Gunpowder Mills Friends Association helped pay for this online archive.
- The archive is also listed on The National Archives website.
See also
- Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills
- Cordite
- Faversham explosives industry
- Gunpowder
- Gunpowder magazines in England
- TNT
- RDX
- J. E. Gordon
