Gunpowder Magazine, The Walls, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1JG
A purpose built ammunition store constructed in 1749 to provide safe storage of explosives required by the military garrison at the Barracks.
Previous storage arrangements in the flankers of the Brass Bastion proved unsatisfactory during preparations for an expected attack by the Jacobite forces in 1745, when most of the gunpowder was discovered to be damp and unusable. The new Magazine incorporated features designed to ensure protection against damp and potential explosion. It is built of local sandstone and is surrounded by a high wall. The walls of the vaulted, windowless structure are re-enforced by eight heavy buttresses, intended to direct explosion safely upwards. There are ventilators above the entrance steps that allow air to circulate, protecting the powder from damp. The building has a double skinned roof and the main internal safety feature is the total absence of iron to avoid any possibility of a spark igniting the gunpowder. Among the interesting internal features are the original wooden racks.
Event Times
Friday 17 September: 12:00 - 16:00
Saturday 18 September: 11:00 - 15:00
Sunday 19 September: 12:00 - 16:00
Booking Details
No booking required
COVID-19 Considerations
This event will run in line with local & national government guidelines at the time of the festival.
Additional Information
Contact for the day: Berwick HODS Team - 07966323231
www.heritageopendays.org.uk
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/berwick-upon-tweed-castle-and-ramparts/
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Near the Lions House on the Elizabethan Ramparts
Organised by
Berwick Heritage Open Days and English Heritage
