Black Powder.

Start. Oxenholme.

Route. Oxenholme - Natland - Hawes Lane - Hawes Wood - Low Park - Nannypie Lane - Force Bridge - Back Lane - Sedgwick - Lancaster Canal - Horse Park - Larkrigg Spring Wood - Larkrigg Hall Bridge - Cracalt - Helm Lane - A65 Burton Road - Oxenholme.

Notes. In 1760 Sedgwick was a small, wide spread rural community, straddling the lane between Natland and Levens, included the hamlet of Lakerigg Mill along the riverside to the west. It was around that time a young Quaker businessman from Kendal, John Wakefield identified land around Lakerigg Mill to be developed into a Gunpowder Works, this would change Sedgwick forever. Without gunpowder and the Wakefield family, there would have been no expansion in the late eighteenth century, no Sedgwick House Estate, no canal or aqueduct, no Back Lane and no Village Hall, Cricket Club or even Crosscrake Church just over the hill. So shall we go see what brought all that wealth to a tiny village.

Rain, sleet and snow welcomed me as I slowly made my way to Natland, from the village Hawes Lane ushered me to the banks of the River Kent, on this occasion I followed the west bank down stream, this is far more interesting then the east bank but first you have to brave the mud in Hawes Wood. After picking my way through boot sucking clay, stepping over fallen trees and striding over a number of becks a stile allowed me to escape into fields, the walking from here was straight forward even on muddy paths. When the path descended to the river a gate allowed access to Low Park, to the left a foot-bridge spans the headrace that once supplied water to power the grinding wheels of the new Sedgwick Gunpowder Works. The complex stretches over half a mile, various buildings spread out over it’s length, as you’d expect for obvious reasons. The path squeezed between the head race and river guided me into Low Park Caravan Site where more buildings associated with black powder production greeted me. After a good wander around I made my way down the access lane, the final building was a saw mill and cooperage.

Wakefield built a tramway running from the gunpowder works to a wharf on the canal to the west side of the Hincaster Tunnel, the raw material for gunpowder manufacture and the finished product were transported by canal to and from said wharf, horse drawn wagons would transport the goods. I started wandering over the tarmac surface of the access road, could this have been the route the horse drawn wagons took. To be honest I had intended to cross the footbridge to Wilson Place, the weather hadn’t improved but the bridge was closed due to storm damage, unfortunate for me, fortunate for you, you get to see more of Wakefield's legacy.

Down the lane I walked to access the road bridge spanning Force Gorge, after crossing said bridge a stile allowed access to a large field, directly to my left a fine set of gate posts the gates still resting on their hinges, this would have been the west entrance to Sedgwick House Estate. I ascended the field Sedgwick House rising above the tree tops to my left, when a kissing gate ejected me into Back Lane I turned left then wandered on to Sedgwick Aqueduct before ascending many steps onto the canal.

The original route of the canal planned to follow what is now the route of the West Coast Main Line, so lucrative was the gunpowder industry it was decided at great expense to tunnel under the hill at Hincaster bringing the canal through Sedgwick. It was the canal that guided me now, out of the village across sheep pastures, through woodland as far as the bridge at Larkrigg Hall. I turned my back on the canal here, joining the bridleway to Cracalt, the tarmac drive from Cracalt in turn guided me under some fine trees depositing me on the road linking Natland to Sedgwick, a stile to my right allowed access to sheep pastures.

Through sheep pastures I walked, stiles aided my crossing of field boundaries, the final stile deposited me in Helm Lane. Up the lane I wandered passed High House Farm under the West Coast Main Line, after a steep climb the lane terminated at the busy A65 Burton Road, to my left visible through persistent drizzle the houses of Oxenholme and warmth of home.

view route map.

home.

Field gate in Hawes Lane, fading into a grey horizon Scout Scar under a light dusting of snow.

The twin arches of Hawes Bridge mark a remarkable change in the pace and depth of the River Kent as it squeezes into the narrows of Natland Gorge.

The River Kent at Low Park.

The headrace carrying water that once powered the grinding wheels of the New Sedgwick Gunpowder Works.

En route through Low Park Wood.

Approaching what may have been the Glaze House, or not. The powder mixture was incorporated into  "mill cake" which in turn was broken down, pressed into hard slate-like sheets of "press cake". This was then "corned" into grains in a corning mill, dusted, glazed and finally dried.

Don't quote me but I think this is what remains of the Powder Press Pump House, or maybe Corning House.

The Incorporating Mills.

Part of the Incorporating Mills, this large wheel pit.

Still looking at the Incorporating Mills, have you noticed how thick the walls are, this was so any explosion went skyward through the roof, and there was a number of them, resulting in a number of deaths.

Another wheel pit to power another row of Incorporating Mills.

The end of the headrace, well not quite.

This is the alternative leat, the water powered the saw mill and cooperage, it also turned a turbine.

Former saw mill, cooperage and workshop complex.

The River Kent at Force Gorge.

What I described as the west entrance to the Sedgwick House Estate.

Sedgwick House built in the Gothic Revival stile for William Henry Wakefield in 1868, the family moved out of the house just before World War II, it then became a school for children with special needs, the school closed in 1987 it is now apartments.

Sedgwick Aqueduct built between 1817-1819 as part of the completion of the Northern Reaches of the canal, one of five on the Lancaster-Kendal Canal. After de-watering in 1955, the aqueduct became derelict, plans were drawn up for demolition to improve the road between Natland and Levens, but it was saved after a hard fought campaign by local residents and canal enthusiasts. It is now owned by the Canal and Rivers Trust. 

To the left many steps climb to the canal.

Approaching Larkrigg Hall Bridge.

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