Powder Mills

I met up with my pal John at Warren House In on Dartmoor. It's the second highest pub in England (it was 3rd until the Cat and Fiddle Inn in the Peak District closed) and has had a fire burning continuously since it was built in 1845.

We had a good meal and a pint and then carried on past Postbridge to the old Gunpowder Mills. The Mills were built in 1844 and were set in this remote spot to reduce the risk of accidents and there are various ruins spread over the area so if one 'went up' it wouldn't set another off. The blackpowder was used in blasting the quarries and mines in the area. Following the invention of dynamite in 1867 and the development of gelignite and cordite the demand for blackpowder fell drastically. It also coincided with the decline in tin and copper mining and led to the closure of the powder mills in 1897.


lt was a nice evening but we may have arrived a little late for the best  of the light. My main blip is an aerial image and the extra is a normal shot. There was a huge bull in the field we had to pass through and he was with a cow with a young calf. He was distant enough when we came through but when we came back he was on the path. I'm sure he was probably a very mild-mannered chap but we decided to take a route behind a fence to return. Better safe than sorry!