Old Sedgwick Gunpowder Mill
Just upstream from the stepping stones and ford on the River Kent at Sedgwick, was the hamlet of Lakerigg with a well-established Corn Mill, powered by a short leat, fed by Lakerigg Weir (which was located near where the current footbridge is). There was also a drying kiln, tithe barn and several dwelling houses, some with land. Wakefield and his partners identified that the fast-flowing river and existing mill could provide power to the works, a good supply of timber for charcoal, barrels and crates was available locally and the wooded terraced river bank, would not only offer protection from flooding but would keep the mill safely away from the local population, in the event of explosions (which were to happen all too frequently). |
How was Gunpowder made? Black powder, thought to have originated in China before the 10th century, was a mixture of saltpetre (top), sulphur (middle) and charcoal (bottom) usually in the proportion of 75:15:10. The saltpetre supplied oxygen, the sulphur caused combustion at a relatively low temperature and charcoal provided the fuel. Saltpetre was imported from India, Chile and Germany and sulphur from Italy and Sicily, originally through the local port of Milnthorpe. Charcoal was made from local woodlands initially, using juniper, silver birch and alder. The traditional method of charcoal burning did not result in a clean enough product for gunpowder and so the mill's charcoal was burnt in specially built retorts. The general production process involved many stages: the saltpetre and sulphur were refined and then along with the charcoal were pulverised, mixed and weighed. The mixture was "incorporated" by grinding and crushing them into a mixture known as "mill cake" which in turn was broken down, pressed into hard slate-like sheets of "press cake". This was then "corned" into grains in a corning mill, dusted, glazed and finally dried. The range of powders made was a wide one; quarries and iron mines used coarse powders, which were slow burning and did not shatter rock into small fragments, whereas the finer powders were used for sporting and military purposes. |
In 1803, the northern extension of the Lancaster canal had reached Tewitfield, north of Carnforth. The influential Wakefields lobbied hard to ensure that the final leg of the canal which would terminate in Kendal, was re-routed so it could serve their Gunpowder works. Rather than follow the route later adopted by the west coast railway line, it was diverted through the village of Sedgwick. This was only made possible by the construction of diversion loop requiring Hincaster Tunnel and Sedgwick Aqueduct to be built. It would have been a costly alteration and shows the significant influence of the Wakefields. Construction of the northernmost section commenced in 1813 and the canal finally opened in 1820. A wharf on the east side of the canal on the edge of the village served the Mill, bringing in raw materialsand carrying away the finished product.
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Maps showing canal routes
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In 1854, the Sizergh Estate tried unsuccessfully to sell the site of the former Mill and surrounding fields - less of course the "ransom" strip retained by the Wakefields..
The details of the sale show what was left of the site. Also note the original Wakefield Home Sedgwick House and the Village School they provided for the village. |
By 1856, Henry Bainbridge was granted a license to reopen the Gunpowder Works, on condition that he re-routed the footpath through the works and built a new steam house in Mill Field. There is a detailed map of his plans known as “the Bainbridge Map” which reveals much about the site, but the plan was never realised - possibly because of the Wakefields ransom strip or the inability of such a small site to compete with newer, larger mills nearby.
The first Ordnance Survey of the area made in 1857, shows only a few buildings remained at Old Sedgwick - several on the Wakefield owned ransome strip and a pair of cottages in Millfield. It seems likely that the Stricklands demolished many disused buildings -including Lakerigg Mill- to make the site more attractive to future buyers.
After 1860, new technologies rendered the old “blackpowder” almost obsolete but traditional manufacture continued at Gatebeck and New Sedgwick until 1935 by which time most evidence of Old Sedgwick had long faded. However, if you look closely, you can still spot the legacy of Sedgwick's gunpowder era.
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In 1857, A new company The Sedgwick Gunpowder Company Ltd was established by the Strickland Estate and built the "New Sedgwick Gunpowder Works" on the opposite side and just upstream of the river, at Low Park Wood, where the Caravan Site is today. It would employ many Sedgwick residents who would cross the river to go to work. For more history about this Mill see the historic England survey report. |
Meanwhile at Basingill, the incorporating mills remained in use, serving the Gatebeck works, until 1935. Many of the original features survive today making it one of the better preserved late 18th to early 20th century gunpowder works in northern England. Many of the structural components still survive, including remains of all the incorporating mills and a charge house, together with virtually all of the water management system which powered the waterwheels.
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Sedgwick Village
Cumbria LA8 0JW |
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