Royal Gunpowder Magazine, Purfleet
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Royal Gunpowder Magazine, Purfleet by Richard Rogerson as part of the Geograph project.
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Royal Gunpowder Magazine, Purfleet
Image: © Richard Rogerson Taken: 15 Apr 2019
Magazine No.5 of what was once the Royal Magazine for Gunpowder situated on the banks of the River Thames. Constructed in 1759-65 to the designs of James Gabriel Montresor, Royal Engineer, the five magazines and Proof House were used to test, store and supply gunpowder to the army and navy. Each magazine was capable of holding up to 10,400 barrels of gunpowder. The magazine was essentially a substantial brick-built shed, windowless, with copper-lined doors and sand-filled roof voids – all designed to prevent (or mitigate the effects of) an explosion. Four of the five magazines were demolished in 1973 to make way for housing, while No.5 was used as a storage facility by the council. It now houses the Purfleet Heritage & Military Centre.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.484339
Longitude
0.229195