When I was growing up, the annual celebration of the drawing and quartering of Guy Fawkes on November 5th was almost as important as Christmas. As I have only recently returned to England I don't know, as yet, whether the day is still as much anticipated by young children these days as it was in my own.

However, whether this is the case or not, it is interesting to note that Faversham has an important association, either directly or indirectly with "The Gunpowder Plot" in that it was at one time one of the most important areas in England for the production of Gunpowder.

Faversham has long been associated with the production of Gunpowder and it is claimed that this local industry thrived in this area prior to the reign of Elizabeth I. Saltpetre and Sulphur had to be imported and Faversham Creek, a busy area many years ago was ideal for ships to bring in these raw materials. At the same time, Kent with its iron industry was also a large producer of charcoal, the third main requirement for the manufacture of Gunpowder. In addition to these factors, the stream that fed into Faversham creek could also provide the water power that apparently was required to assist in the grinding and mixing of the three ingredients.

One of the privately owned factories at Faversham was acquired by the Government in 1760 to become the very first Royal Gunpowder Factory. The fact that this was a traditional local industry is attested to by the Indenture document that appears on this site.

Although there were obvious hazards involved in this industry, there must have been many others, including the medical problems associated with long-term contact with Saltpetre that must have made life miserable at times for many of the workers in this industry. Although this is mainly an assumption on my part although I can remember my Grandmother saying that you could tell the girls that worked in munition factories during WW1 by the yellow colouring of their skin. I do know that this subject has recently been covered in several T.V. documentaries. In addition to possible medical problems, there are many explosions of varying degrees recorded as having caused many deaths in the area over the years. It seems that Faversham was also the first place to produce "Guncotton" which is more powerful than Gunpowder and consequently, when production started in 1847, there was an even higher rate of fatalities as a result of accidents and bigger and better explosions.

There is apparently one remaining Gunpowder mill at Faversham which has been restored as a museum and is the only remaining mill in England. I hope to visit there one day soon and hopefully, following that visit I shall be able to provide further information and perhaps pictures.