W. H. Wakefield and Co
of Gatebeck Gunpowder Mills, near Kendal, Cumbria; also at Lowwood Mills, near Ulverston.
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.
W. H. Wakefield and Co
1764 Company established.
1913 "For 40 years he has been connected with the firm of W. H. Wakefield ind Co., gunpowder manufacturers, Gatebeck, of which he is now managing director. Col. Weston is one of the best known and ..."[2]
1914 Explosives manufacturers. [3]
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[4]
1926 "As head of the firm of W. H. Wakefield and Co., established by his uncle, explosives manufacturers, Sir John Weston was engaged in the work for fifty years"[5]
1932 Formation of ICI (Explosives) which would include 11 companies controlled by ICI including W. H. Wakefield and Co[6].
1936 Gatebeck was the last Cumbrian producer to close.