Meeting with Neil and Mike

Went down to Kendal on Tuesday to hook up with Neil and Mike at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust HQ. Rain was coming down in buckets as I left Penrith and it just got worse as I drove south; but well worth the trip. Neil and Mike are both really nice guys and as we chatted over a cup of tea I soon realised how very 'committed to the cause' they both are.

Mike knows more about Junipers than Santa knows about Christmas and I was given a great insight into the Uplands for Junipers Project. (Link here)

I picked up more material to get me started on my research and came away with a bunch of   great ideas.

I think I may have to initially blanket bomb the Cumbrian Press to see if there is anyone out there who remembers the Gunpowder Mills in Cumbria, which apparently were around until as late as 1935! That would mean a 20 year old worker would now be into their late 90's, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility given the longevity of the Cumbrians! I might even trace someone who can remember their dad or mum talking about it. I plan to visit churches, town halls, schools, company records and anywhere else that could give me clues to these questions.

How much Gunpowder was produced in Cumbria?

How prolific were the Junipers back then?

How well managed was Juniper as a crop?

How many of the existing Juniper stands are from that era?

How much did we export or import of Juniper and/or gunpowder?

Mike gave me a great book written by Ronald Mein and Richard Sanderson called 'The Leven Valley'- 'a secret past'. I must contact Ronald to see if he can expand or give any other leads on the Low Wood Gunpowder Mills 1798-1935. There's a great article in the book which explains the process used to make gunpowder (don't try it at home). The 3 ingredients are sulphur, saltpetre and charcoal. The sulphur came from Mount Vesuvius, the saltpetre from India or Chile but the charcoal was made locally out of either birch, alder or juniper, the latter giving the best quality powder. I'll write up the whole process when I'm a bit further down the line, but already this is becoming a very, very intriguing journey.