Powdermill Reservoir Claimed

Powdermill Reservoir lies to the east of Sedlescombe, originally formed part of the Great Sanders Estate, the name is derived from the fact that there was an 18th-century black powder (gunpowder) manufacturer on the site. The mill used to grind the powder was driven by water from a mill pond formed by a dam across the original stream. The mill was the scene of three explosions, before its eventual closure, in which several workers died (one of whom, according to a rather ghoulish contemporary newspaper report, was blown into five, named, pieces). One of the original pair of mill stones may be seen half buried, at the eastern end of the dam. Prior to its use as a powdermill the site held an iron foundry which pre-datedthe attempt by the Spanish Armada to invade Britain. The dam is of earth with a concrete slab facing and a puddle clay core and is 370 yards long with a height of 40 feet. The construction of the dam required 170 men working for nearly 40 months and, due to unforeseen difficulties caused by underlying and extruding sandstone strata, the estimated construction costs were exceeded by a considerable margin. A number of the workers employed on the site were of Welsh