Description

CARN BREA

1535/0/10053 Gunpowder Magazine on the northern slo
27-MAR-08 pes of Carn Brea

II
Gunpowder magazine. early C19

MATERIALS: granite random rubble.

DESCRIPTION: This partially ivy clad unroofed building comprises a circular gunpowder magazine with an internal diameter of 4m. The 0.55m wide wall which stands up to 1.9m high is constructed of mortared, uncoursed granite rubble, externally rendered with cement. The 0.95m wide entrance faces north.

HISTORY: Nothing specific is known of the history of this building beyond its first appearance on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map, where it is mistakenly described as a chimney. However, its proximity to the productive C19 Carn Brea Mine suggests that it was built to store explosives used in that mine.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Despite loss of its roof, this gunpowder magazine at Carn Brea survives relatively well. It is unusual for its circular plan which is characteristic of this part of Cornwall rather than taking the more usual rectangular form. Most signifcantly, it sits within an internationally important historic industrial landscape recognised through its designation as a World Heritage Site and is part of the mining complex within that landscape.

NGR:- SW6795040909

Reasons for Listing

Despite loss of its roof, this gunpowder magazine at Carn Brea survives relatively well. It is unusual for its circular plan which is characteristic of this part of Cornwall rather than taking the more usual rectangular form. Most significantly, it sits within an internationally important historic industrial landscape recognised through its designation as a World Heritage Site and is part of the mining complex within that landscape. Given its unusual form and its context within the Cornish mining landscape it merits listing at Grade II.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671702

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback