Sedgwick 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.[1]
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.
Sedgwick Gunpowder Co
1856 The Sedgwick Gunpowder Company Limited was incorporated.[2]
At the end of World War I, demand for the black powder products 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[3]
1932 Became part of the new ICI (Explosives) with 10 other companies already controlled by ICI[4].