It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.
Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 57 SE 128 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Charcoal and saltpetre works associated with gunpowder works, Darenth Road, Dartford |
|---|
Summary
The site of a group of buildings, part of a belt of industrial sites located E and W of the Darenth Road on the W bank of the river Darent valley. Formed part of the gunpowder works complex. Two further buildings belonging to the same property, were located immediately opposite and described as a barn and yard.
| Grid Reference: | TQ 5510 7285 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TQ57SE |
|---|
| Parish: | DARTFORD, DARTFORD, KENT |
|---|
Monument Types
- CHARCOAL WORKS (CHARCOAL PRODUCTION SITE, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- CHEMICAL WORKS (CHEMICAL WORKS, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- GUNPOWDER WORKS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Full description
If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.
The site of a group of buildings, part of a belt of industrial sites located E and W of the Darenth Road on the W bank of the river Darent valley. Formed part of the gunpowder works complex. Two further buildings belonging to the same property, were located immediately opposite and described as a barn and yard. (1)
Excavations in 1999, ahead of a housing development, revealed the remains of a number of industrial buildings within the chalk pit. These included two limekilns (one flare, one draw), an underground chamber, a pipeline and possible pumphouse, two multiperiod buildings containing kilns as well as six other buildings. Historical source show that the site to have been used as a saltpetre and charcoal works for the gunpowder industry, in the late 18th and 19th century, and later for the production of smokeless powder/guncotton, gas mantles in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Finally it was used as a general purpose foundry. All buildings now demolished. (2)
<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1994 Jan, A2/A282 Dartford - Historic Environmental Assessment (Unpublished document). SWX6767.
<2> Archaeology South-East, 1999, Archaeological Investigations at the Foundry Site, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12354.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Unpublished document: Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 1994 Jan. A2/A282 Dartford - Historic Environmental Assessment. |
| <2> | Unpublished document: Archaeology South-East. 1999. Archaeological Investigations at the Foundry Site, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent. |
Related thematic articles
