Powdermill Reservoir

Originally forming part of the Great Sanders Estate, the name is derived from the fact that there was an 18th-century black powder (gunpowder) manufacturer on the site. The mill used to grind the powder was driven by water from a mill pond formed by a dam across the original stream. The mill was the scene of three explosions, before its eventual closure, in which several workers died (one of whom, according to a rather ghoulish contemporary newspaper report, was blown into five, named, pieces). One of the original pair of mill stones may be seen, half buried, at the eastern end of the dam. Prior to its use as a powdermill the site held an iron foundry which pre dated the attempt by the…