The Old Powder Magazine is a historic building in

Arkengarthdale Arkengarthdale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire, England. Running roughly north-west to south-east, it is the valley of the Arkle Beck, and is the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a subsidiary ...

, a village in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, in England. The building was constructed in about 1804, to store

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

used in the nearby C. B. lead mines. Named for Charles Bathurst, in 1800 the local mining rights had been transferred to a company based in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. A large mill was constructed in 1803, along with workshops which still survive, but the powder magazine was constructed in a field a short distance away, in case of explosion. After the closure of the mines and mill, the magazine was used for agriculture. It was

grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in 1966.{{NHLE , desc=Old Powder Magazine , num=1130838 , access-date=23 January 2024 The single-storey hexagonal building is constructed of rubble, with

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

s and a roof of stone slates. On one side is a window, inserted after its use as a magazine ceased, while the other sides have blank windows. The roof has a pyramidal form, and is topped by a finial in the shape of a ball. There is one doorway, with a porch, and was formerly an additional doorway in the opposite side. Inside, the walls and ceiling are plastered.

References

Arkengarthdale Buildings and structures completed in 1804 Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire Gunpowder magazines

See also

References