Bath’s forgotten industry.

Wanted to go a little further this morning and down to the site – straddling the Lam Brook – where four Bristol businessmen set up a gun powder mill back in the early 18th century.

You can read the whole story – Bath’s Forgotten Gunpowder History: The Powder Mills at Woolley in the 18th Century by Brenda J.Buchanan – via http://historyofbath.org/images/BathHistory/Vol%2010%20-%2005.%20Buchanan%20-%20Bath%27s%20Forgotten%20Gunpowder%20History%20-%20The%20Powder%20Mills%20at%20Woolley%20in%20the%20Eighteenth%20Century.pdf

It’s quite shocking to hear how gunpowder was used to barter for slaves amongst the chiefs on the West African coast but the Woolley Powder Mills are a forgotten Bath industry.

Apart from my obsession with telegraph and power-line carrying poles, l love the idea of a lane which ends with a bend – leaving you guessing what is to come next in this rural and sunny idyll

.

Again, l cannot stress how lucky l am to have this on my doorstep and hope some of the images will bring pleasure to people who cannot get out to see such nature – for whatever reason.