Welcome

The Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills Site (WARGM/the Mills/the site) is one of the world’s most important industrial archaeological sites, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM). Extending to 175 acres, it contains 20 listed buildings and was for 300 years Britain’s main explosives factory, before becoming a secret research facility during the Cold War.

The purpose of the charity is to preserve, manage, research, conserve and display for the benefit of the general public and of the nation at large the historical, archaeological and natural heritage of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. 

When the site was de-commissioned by the Ministry of Defense, responsibility was passed to a newly established charity, the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills Charitable Foundation (the Foundation). Since 2001 the site has operated as a visitor attraction managed by the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills Company (the OpCo) a charity which operates under a 99-year lease and Management Agreement from the Foundation.

As a visitor attraction, the stories it tells extend beyond the manufacture and use of explosives into the development of workers rights, the role of women in industry, the history of structural engineering, design and innovation. It tells the stories through static displays, interactivity, events and educational programmes. The 175 acre site is partly accessible to visitors who can enjoy both the natural and historic environment.