# Kennell Vale Gunpowder Works



## BikinGlynn (Oct 11, 2019)

We dont do tourist spots on here right? Well u best ban me now cos heres one I bloody loved!

I was down South for a holiday & noticed this place so thought Id have a quick look & it was one of the most idyllic places Iv visited.
Helped partly by the mid week explore which meant I had the place to myself & some relatively decent weather left me not wanting to leave.
If it makes it slightly more plausible the trail round the back of the water mills was fenced off "under repair" but with a complete disregarded for any rules I risked all & walked this anyway! 

Kennell vale is a nature reserve. I didnt see any nature tbh, (but did get to photograph a dipper a mile upstream) & contains the remains of what was originally nearly 50 buildings!
The history I find quite interesting so have copied it in some detail below.

Whilst it might seem strange to locate a gunpowder factory in woodland in the middle of nowhere the site was quite carefully chosen. The fast flowing River Kennall provided a source of power as it cascades down the valley. This was diverted into leats which in turn powered waterwheels. Obviously steam power, with its need to burn coal would not have been a good idea in a gunpowder mill.

There were other reasons the site was chosen; not only where the gunpowder mills set in woodland, but the company planted many trees. These were positioned between the various mill buildings so as to help absorb the force of a potential explosion.

The site was also ideally placed at the time, firstly for safety reasons it was quite remote, but also as it was close to many of Cornwall's most productive mines. At this time nearby Gwennap was described as the "richest square mile anywhere on Earth". As the majority of the gunpowder was destined for use in the mines this made perfect sense.

The process of making gunpowder was quite complex, partly owing to the potentially huge dangers involved. A large part of making gunpowder was taking the three key ingredients; saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur, and grinding them down to a fine powder. This would then be compressed. Simple as it sounds there were about ten steps in the process all of which were carried out in different buildings.

The buildings remaining include the Corning House, Mixing House, Packing House, Change House and most notably, several of the Incorporating Mills. These were where the mixed products of the gunpowder were further ground and mixed. This stage was so potentially dangerous that less than 20Kg (50lbs) of powder was allowed in the same house at any one time.

Further safety features of the mills were incredibly thick walls but very light roofs, the idea being an explosion would be forced upwards rather than all around. The bearings of the machinery were made of copper, not steel, so as to reduce the amount of heat produced. The workers even wore special woollen suits.

But even with all these safety precautions in place accidents did happen. One such accident happened in May 1838 when five mills blew up one after another. Reports from the time say that part of one roof was found a mile away. Amazingly only one person was killed, although it apparently he left a wife and ten children.

In another explosion a few years later a worker by the name of John Martin was literally blown apart. His head was found around a quarter of a mile away and his other body parts were strewn across the site.

Oh did I mention I liked it here? for that reason there is quite a few pics, I hope u like it as much as I did & it inspires some of you to pay it a visit.

One of the 4 remaining water wheel mills that remain


9O5A3632 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr

The "main" building area on the South side


9O5A3611 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3609 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3618 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3628 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr


Some sort of generator house?


9O5A3624 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3652 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3642 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3640 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr


The old quarry supplying the works


9O5A3627 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr


The minimal but enchanting remains of the watermills


9O5A3663 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3658 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3661 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3669 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3684 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3685 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3688 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr

The Pentrough still directing water to where the wheels were


9O5A3677 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr



9O5A3680 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr


Go on then just one more unnecessary water shot!


9O5A3657 by Bikin Glynn, on Flickr

Thanks For Looking


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## smiler (Oct 11, 2019)

Interesting place, I enjoyed it Thanks


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## HughieD (Oct 12, 2019)

Really like this. Reminds me of Tansley mills near Matlock. Good work mate...


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## BikinGlynn (Oct 12, 2019)

smiler said:


> Interesting place, I enjoyed it Thanks



Thanks Smiler, as u prob guessed I loved being there!


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## BikinGlynn (Oct 12, 2019)

HughieD said:


> Really like this. Reminds me of Tansley mills near Matlock. Good work mate...



Knew this would be right up your street ;-)


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## RedX_unleashed (Oct 12, 2019)

Beautiful spot, excellently captured.


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## Curious Craig (Nov 25, 2019)

Some stunning shots mate, but unfortunately you missed most of this places best hidden features, off the track. Mines, tunnels, caves, more buildings in better states. Put this on your list again and spend more time there


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 26, 2019)

Curious Craig said:


> Some stunning shots mate, but unfortunately you missed most of this places best hidden features, off the track. Mines, tunnels, caves, more buildings in better states. Put this on your list again and spend more time there



oh wow ill do some research if i go down there again ;-)


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## Dirus_Strictus (Nov 27, 2019)

Very nice set of images. Nature has beautified the site nicely, it was very stark when I first saw this place in the '60's. Just one point; trees are a very poor absorber of explosive force, when compared with the upward dissipation of the force by the strong masonry structures. Their main use would be in the provision of good quality charcoal, of which vast amounts would have been harvested from the surrounding woodlands. The job of 'Charcoal Burner' was a skilled job and it took experience to get the heat and depth of the burn just right, so that maximum yield of charcoal was produced.


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## Darklldo (Jan 8, 2021)

Lovely photos. I particularly like the first one. Yes, maybe the water sets it off? 
It sounds like a place you could spend hours wandering around and photographing. 
More photos one day please?


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## Darklldo (Jan 8, 2021)

Darklldo said:


> Lovely photos. I particularly like the first one. Yes, maybe the water sets it off?
> It sounds like a place you could spend hours wandering around and photographing.
> More photos one day please?


Oh bother! Sorry


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## night crawler (Jan 8, 2021)

Awesome place to see. I walked around Chillworth and was taken back with what was there


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