Trouble at t’ Gunpowder Mills

A proposal is currently under discussion to lease part of the Royal Gunpowder Mills Museum site to PGL Travel Ltd., a well-known leisure group specialising in activity holidays and summer camps for schoolchildren.

A group of museum volunteers and others closely involved have grave concerns over the potential consequences of such a takeover. They have set up a campaign website at http://www.save-rgm.org/.

We at WAHS are watching this with keen interest. The Royal Gunpowder Mills complex is an important part of our nation’s heritage, crucial in its role in worldwide development - mines, quarries, railways, roads, bridges, canals, dams, reservoirs, docks and ports across the globe have all made use of explosives manufactured at Waltham Abbey.

The complex is a world-class industrial archaeology site with 21 historic buildings enjoying legal protection. Its continuation as a public museum is in the balance, its listed buildings are under threat, and the future prospects of its unique layout are very fragile.

 

Other websites of interest:

RGMM (Wikipedia article)

 

PGL (Wikipedia article)

 

PGL (official website)


 


For more information please Contact WAHS

 

 

 


Copyright Waltham Abbey Historical Society, 2007.