Kennall Vale field trip 15/8/2006.
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The evening field trip was led by Kevin Baker. It was held in the Nature Reserve and World Heritage site of Kennall Vale, Ponsanooth, once home of a gunpowder industry. |
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The walk started from the Ponsnooth school where Kevin pointed out to the group a millstone which had been recovered from the reserve and repositioned here as a monument. |
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The gunpowder factory started production about 1812 and was
a great success. The factory was expanded in 1844 and by 1860 was employing
about 50 men. The invention of gelignite and dynamite in the 1880s made the
closure of Kennall Vale gunpowder works inevitable and it finally closed
about 1914. As water was the main driving force to the machinery in the gunpowder works, there were many leats visible. Kevin discussed with the group where he thought they had once flowed. |
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The leats
supplied water to an over shot water wheel in the centre of each pair of
mills. Vertical mill stones were housed in each mill building, either side of the water wheel. |
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After the gunpowder mill had stopped production, one mill house was modified to work a compressor. This provided compressed air to serve the air tools in a quarry within the vale. Some of the drive gears can still be seen in the mill house.
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It is thought that this river once worked thirty nine water wheels over a distance of five miles from its source, to the sea . D. Blight, chairman of C.B.M.S. thanking K. Baker for the very informative evening walk, which 41 people attended.
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