The Development of the Chilworth Gunpowder Works, Surrey, from the Mid-19th Century

Abstract

This paper describes the results of the recent archaeological survey of the Chilworth gunpowder works carried out by English Heritage. Although there has been intensive documentary research into the earlier history of the works, the later development of the factory is comparatively little known. Its transformation in the late 19th century from a family-owned concern to a limited company, with strong international links, reflects important themes not only in the development of explosives manufacture but also for other late-Victorian industries that were dependent on capital investment and technological innovation. A surprising postscript to the history of the factory was the reuse of many of its buildings by a small community known as 'Tin Town' and its later use as part of a Second World War anti-invasion stop line.