A historic attraction in Epping Forest is getting ready to reopen its doors for the first time in two years at Easter.
The Royal Gunpowder Mills has been closed to the public during the pandemic, but visitors will once again be able to enjoy more than 300 years of intrigue and history on Easter Sunday, April 17.
The Waltham Abbey attraction played an essential part in the UK’s military history, national defence, mining and quarrying, becoming a top-secret research centre for Cold War inventions and rocketry.
A short film detailing the story of these mills sets the scene, before visitors can enjoy an exhibition that explains the site’s past.
Professor Nitrate’s new and exciting outdoor science show about gunpowder, explosives and rockets will grab your attention, while there is also an opportunity to visit the armoury with its selection of more than 300 historic firearms.
Visitors can take a tractor tour around the site to see the press house, the blast walls and the Quinan Drying Stove where scenes from Jude Law’s series The Third Day and the BBC’s Starstruck comedy series were filmed.
People can learn about life at the mills; the people who worked there, and how the police would search the workers for matches before starting their shifts, to uphold safety. You may even be lucky enough to spot the Royal Gunpowder Mills' herd of fallow deer.
Visitors can also take a ride on the narrow gauge Gunpowder Railway to explore the site of special scientific interest further, while hot drinks and light snacks are available at the Gunpowder café.
Tickets cost £10 with £8 concessions for pensioners and under-16s. The price includes the introductory film, main exhibition, rocket vault visit, make and launch your own air powered rocket, Professor Nitrate’s outdoor science show and a choice between a 30-minute tractor tour around the site or a trip on the narrow gauge Gunpowder Railway.
The mills, in Beaulieu Drive, will also be open on Easter Monday, and then each Sunday and selected bank holidays until the end of October.
For more information visit www.royalgunpowdermills.com.
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