Leigh Gunpowder Mills
After decades of neglect, the site of the gunpowder mills at Leigh, near Tonbridge, is to receive some care and attention, aided by a grant of nearly £20,000 won through the enthusiasm of a local group. The Local Heritage Initiative (a now-discontinued award of the Heritage Lottery Fund), have given the money to Leigh Historical Society to investigate, conserve and interpret this fascinating place.
The mills were started in 1811 by two wealthy local families, the Burtons and the Children. Humphry Davy, leading scientist of the early 19th century, was a friend, and he experimented with the manufacture of gunpowder with members of the families. The mills were sited on land that they owned adjacent to a disused flour mill, since a millstream off the River Medway already existed to serve this. A new canal was also dug out from the Medway to the mills.
Over the next 40 years the mills expanded greatly; by 1851 they were employing 16 men, 5 boys and 4 women, all of whom had homes built near to the works. The hamlet of Powder Mills comprised 15 cottages and appears to have fiercely maintained its own identity – there are tales of the Powder Mills gang battling with their counterparts from Leigh, despite being educated together at Leigh School!
In 1859 the mills were sold to Curtis & Harvey, whose annual profit reached between £2000 to £3000, a sizeable sum. Over the next 50 years this firm acquired over 100 mills, and further dramatic expansion of their business took place during the First World War. This was the heyday of Leigh mills, and a site map of this period, some 5 foot long and 2 foot wide, shows 91 buildings, including 2 firing ranges, and 20 individual mills. By this time the mills were being modernised and water power was phased out. Nearly a mile of narrow gauge railway, with hand-pushed carts, ran around the site. After the stage in the production process where the goods became volatile and dangerous, they were transported around the site by barges on the waterways.
As with other gunpowder mills in the south-east, in 1934, by which time ICI owned the site, the works were moved to Scotland. This was partly because of the looming threat of hostilities. ICI then razed most of the site and dragged away the machinery to make it into a wilderness, so much of the structures only exist at ground-level.
The foundations are still in place throughout, however, and Leigh Historical Society have identified 2 mills that are worthy of restoration so that future visitors can appreciate how they once operated. The Society aims to make a record of the historical information, tied in with an archaeological report. Would you like to help with any of this work over the coming winter and spring? If you are interested please contact Chris Rowley, Chairman, Leigh Historical Society, Oak Cottage, The Green, Leigh, near Tonbridge, TN11 8Ql, telephone 01732 833176.
ABOVE: Two views of the Powder Mills, soon to be investigated thanks to the aid of the recent grant.