Gatehouse And Office At Sedgwick Powder Works

The gatehouse and office at Sedgwick Powder Works were built in the mid-19th century and have undergone minor alterations in the 20th century. The structure is made of random rubble limestone with squared quoins and ashlar dressings, featuring a rendered north gable and ridge chimneys, topped with a Westmorland slate roof laid to diminishing courses.

The front (east) elevation is two storeys high and consists of three bays. The ground floor has four windows with shallow segmentally arched heads; three of these windows are glazing bar sashes with six over six panes, while the southernmost window has undivided sashes. There are two glazing bar sashes on the first floor. The south gable has a slated hipped roof over an open porch at the right-hand corner, which encloses the main entrance featuring a panelled door. Plain railings lead up to the entrance. The north gable has a single glazing bar sash and an inserted door with an overlight. The rear elevation includes a lower two-storeyed wing at the south end and a single-storey wing at the centre.

The gatehouse and office were part of the Sedgwick Powder Works, which is noted as the most complete 19th-century gunpowder manufacturing site in Cumbria and an important centre for the industry. The manufacturing process was dangerous, leading to dispersed workshops and drying areas often separated by blast banks. However, administrative buildings, stores, and workshops could be grouped together, as seen here. The preservation of such a complete site, showcasing both manufacturing processes and support activities like cooperage and site security, is quite rare.