Elterwater Gunpowder Co
Cumbrian gunpowder makers
The gunpowder (blackpowder) industry became established in Cumbria in response to the increasing demand nationally for blasting powder from mines and quarries through the 18th century, taking advantage of local water supplies for powering mills, and timber for making charcoal.
Seven powder manufactories operated in Westmorland and the Furness area of Lancashire at various times between c.1764 and 1936. All produced gunpowder chiefly for the civilian, as opposed to the military, market. The factories were concentrated at:
- Old Sedgwick, New Sedgwick, and Basingill along the banks of the River Kent, 5-6km south of Kendal;
- Gatebeck High and Low Works, about 4km to the south-east of the group above;
- Blackbeck and Lowwood occupy neighbouring valleys close to Haverthwaite;
- Elterwater, an outlier, was located at the foot of Great Langdale.
Elterwater Gunpowder Co
At the end of World War I, demand for their product collapsed catastrophically. The Cumbrian mills' response was to merge with their competitors.
1918 Incorporated into Explosives Trades Ltd as part of the merger of 29 makers of explosives[1] which became ICI
By 1928, ICI had started rationalising its blackpowder production at a single site: Ardeer in Scotland.
1936 Production in Cumbria finally ceased, with Gatebeck the last site to close.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Dec 02, 1918
- [1] Historic England