Gunpowder Magazine On The Northern Slopes Of Carn Brea

The Gunpowder Magazine on the northern slopes of Carn Brea is an early 19th-century structure built to store explosives, likely for the nearby Carn Brea Mine. Constructed from granite random rubble, the building is partially covered in ivy and currently has no roof. It features a circular design with an internal diameter of 4 meters and walls that are 0.55 meters thick, standing up to 1.9 meters high. The walls are made of mortared, uncoursed granite rubble and are externally rendered with cement. The entrance, which is 0.95 meters wide, faces north.

Although the building first appeared on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map, where it was incorrectly labeled as a chimney, its circular shape is distinctive for this region of Cornwall, as most gunpowder magazines are rectangular. Despite the loss of its roof, the structure remains in relatively good condition and is situated within a historically significant industrial landscape that is part of a designated World Heritage Site.