Gunpowder Magazine on Berwick's Ramparts
Gunpowder Magazine, The Walls, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1JG
Previous storage arrangements in the flankers of the Brass Bastion proved unsatisfactory during preparations for an expected attack by the Jacobite forces in 1745 when most of the gunpowder was discovered to be damp and unusable. The new Magazine incorporated features designed to ensure protection against damp and potential explosion. It is built of local sandstone and is surrounded by a high wall. The walls of the vaulted, windowless structure are reinforced by eight heavy buttresses, intended to direct the explosion safely upwards. There are ventilators above the entrance steps that allow air to circulate, protecting the powder from damp. The building has a double-skinned roof and the main internal safety feature is the total absence of iron to avoid any possibility of a spark igniting the gunpowder. Among the interesting internal features are the original wooden racks.
Timings & Tours
- Friday 13 September:
- 1300-1600
- Saturday 14 September:
- 1100-1600
- Sunday 15 September:
- 1100-1600
Location & directions
Gunpowder Magazine, The Walls, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1JG
- Directions:
- If you're walking along the Walls from the Barracks to the river, look out for the bunting on the doorway on the building before the Lions House.
- Contact on day:
- Berwick HODS Team
- Telephone number:
- +447365800503
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
There are a couple of steps up to the Magazine
Additional information
There are a number of other English Heritage sites nearby including the Barracks, Coxon's Tower, , New Tower and Cumberland Bastion
