Sedgwick Gunpowder Works

Incorporating Mills at Sedgwick Gunpowder Works, Sedgwick, Cumbria.
The Wakefields of Sedgwick House built the first of the gunpowder mills by the River Kent in 1764. The river offered plenty of fast-flowing water and there were local sources of wood for the charcoal. The good communications with the west coast for the imported saltpetre and sulphur were also an important consideration. Charcoal, saltpetre and sulphur were mixed together in the incorporating mills to make the gunpowder. These works in Low Park Wood at Sedgwick operated from 1857 - 1935.