Gunpowder Magazine on the Northern Slopes of Carn Brea
GUNPOWDER MAGAZINE ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF CARN BREA
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1392485
- Date first listed:
- 27-Mar-2008
- List Entry Name:
- Gunpowder Magazine on the Northern Slopes of Carn Brea
- Statutory Address:
- GUNPOWDER MAGAZINE ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF CARN BREA
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1392485
- Date first listed:
- 27-Mar-2008
- List Entry Name:
- Gunpowder Magazine on the Northern Slopes of Carn Brea
- Statutory Address 1:
- GUNPOWDER MAGAZINE ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF CARN BREA
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- GUNPOWDER MAGAZINE ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF CARN BREA
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Carn Brea
- National Grid Reference:
- SW 67950 40909
Reasons for Designation
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.
Details
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
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 490385
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 28-Jun-2026 at 03:54:22.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.