Powder Mills – Dartmoor

Situated just outside of Princetown on Dartmoor, the Powdermills Pottery is one of the many places on the moor with a rich and interesting history.

The powdermills were built around 1844, to produce gunpowder or ‘black powder’, for both the military and the local granite quarries such as Foggintor, Swell tor and Merrievale and tin mines in the local area.

The remains of the original powdermills are now listed by the Department of the environment as sites of special or architectural interest.

Remains of the flues and water wheel housings are well spread around the area, this being due the volatile nature of the product being manufactured!
Local leats were used to power the water wheels for the manufacturing process.

Public footpaths within the site will take the keen walker to two bridges in one direction, or the magical Wistman’s wood in another.

For the photographer, the site offers an abundance of textures, colours and ruins, that make Dartmoor the fascinating place it is.