ENN110759 - RCHME: Dangerous Energy Project, 1994-1997 (Measured survey)

`Dangerous Energy - the archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture' is the title of a project which set out to study the principal sites associated with military explosives manufacture. The title of the project is usually shortened to `Dangerous Energy'.The project arose directly out of RCHME's recording 1993 of the the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey, Essex carried out in 1993 (TL 30 SE 95 event No.918154). This work highlighted the lack of a historical context for the development of the explosives industry in Britain and the want of any synthetic work on the subject.The project aimed to locate all the principal gunpowder works, and chemical explosives factories which were engaged in the manufacture of explosives for military purposes. A very diverse range of historical sources were used to locate the factories. The chronological range of the project stretched from the introduction of gunpowder in the later middle ages to the manufacture and handling of post-war rocket propellants. The project specifically excluded the development of the mining explosives industry, commercial firework factories, fuse factories and the manufacture of sporting and small arms ammunition. Although in many cases it was difficult to draw a definite line between purely commercial and military production. Where military small arms ammunition factories have been located they have been listed in the published gazetteer and by a MONARCH entry. Similiarly, it was not always possible to make a clear distinction between a Chemical Works and an Explosive Factory, where a particular chemical was either used as raw material in explosives manufacture or where a chemical has a number of uses one of which may be as an explosive.The project archive consists principally of electronic Level 1 and 2 MONARCH records for all sites recorded in England. Lists of factories located in Scotland and Wales have been lodged with their respective Royal Commissions, both of whom hold additional information on the explosives industry.At a minimum level, the archive consists of a Level 1 record which records the former existence of a factory and sufficient locational information to allow national distribution maps to be drawn. To precisely locate the whereabouts of many factories will require further detailed local research. The MONARCH entries will typically identify a site by, type, period and contain a reference to the primary source which was used to identify the site. Where a visit was made to investigate the field remains a Level 2 record has been created to briefly describe the site and its current condition.Due to the poor above ground survival of early gunpowder works the majority of the material for chapter 1 has been drawn from documentary sources. Chapters 2-4 which discuss the development of military gunpowder manufacture have drawn heavily on the detailed recording work carried out at the Royal Gunpowder Factory, Waltham Abbey. This has been supplemented by examples of structural types from other factories which have primarily been recorded by ground photography. The later chapters dealing with the development of chemical explosives also uses Waltham Abbey as their main exemplar, but also illustrates type examples from across the country to develope the discussion. A diverse group of archival sources have also been used, including historic maps, plans, architectural drawings, aerial photographs and contemporary factory photographs both to illustrate destroyed sites and the range of material available for the study of the industry. All ground photography, copies of historic photographs and plans and aerial photography originated by the project is deposited in the NMR. References to additional archive material held by other repositories may either be found by reference to the published book or the relevant MONARCH entry.The book arising from the project is provisionally entitled `Dangerous Energy - the archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture' and is scheduled to be published by English Heritage in late 1997 or early 1998.For further information about the project please contact Wayne Cocroft at RCHME Keele 01782 632118, and after August 1997 RCHME Cambridge 01223 556203.