Roslin Gunpowder Mill

These ruined incorporating mill buildings once formed part of Roslin Gunpowder Mills, which produced explosives for 150 years. Here heavy runner stones, powered by a waterwheel, would have rolled over the gunpowder, crushing and mixing its ingredients. The facility was established in 1804 and was located in the steep valley of the River North Esk. Many of the buildings were recessed into the banks of this wooded glen in order to prevent a chain reaction in the event of an explosion in one of the sheds. When it closed in 1954, the site, run by ICI Nobel, was one of only two remaining gunpowder factories in the UK. The mills supplied the mining and quarrying industries and also manufactured munitions used in a number of wars, including the Napoleonic, Crimean, Boer and First and Second World Wars. When production came to an end, the site was acquired by the Forestry Commission. In the 1970s it passed into the hands of Midlothian Council. At that time many of the buildings were demolished due to concerns over their safety. The site is now part of Roslin Glen Country Park.