Ponsanooth - the village that was the gunpowder capital of Cornwall

It's easy to drive through Ponsanooth and forget about the hidden woods tucked away on the outskirts of the village, where men once undertook the dangerous - and sometimes deadly - business of manufacturing gunpowder. However, tales of ghostly remnants of long passed tragedies haunting Kennall Vale have been shared many times, so I visited the area to hear all about the village from those who live next door to the eerie nature reserve.

The Kennall Vale gunpowder works were originally set up in the picturesque, deeply wooded area between Redruth and Penryn by the Fox family in 1812. At its height, the factory employed 50 men and produced around 5,000 barrels of explosives a year despite numerous accidents that caused many of the production buildings to explode, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least six men.

In 1841, a worker named John Martin was killed. Warning: the following report contains upsetting details of the incident.

This article was first published in 2022

The West Briton recorded that John "was seen to go into the glossing mill to bring out some more powder, and presently afterwards the mill was blown up in the air with a tremendous explosion which was heard many miles around, and shook the houses a considerable distance off."

The report continued: "The head of the deceased was discovered about a quarter of a mile from the spot, and other parts of his body were afterwards collected from different places."

Later in the 19th century, gunpowder was in decline as more sophisticated explosives came onto the market, and therefore the works were sold to a company who used them to manufacture specialised types of cartridge and fuse powder, until production ceased in 1910. After that, the area wasn't used much, and slowly, nature started to reclaim the land by covering the ruins with moss and foliage.

However, some works associated with the explosive industry survived and were later occupied by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), which were involved with the UK's nuclear weapons programme codenamed 'Tube Alloys' during the Second World War. I was fortunate enough to have met a resident of Ponsanooth whose family has a long history with Kennall Vale during that time.

In 1942, Marilyn Ferris was born during a German air raid on Falmouth in the midst of the Second World War. "I got teased at school," she said after welcoming me into her home on Cot Hill, which lies at the edge of Kennall Vale Nature Reserve.

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"They used to say, 'Germany couldn't beat us, but they dropped her on us', which I thought was a bit naughty," Marilyn said. She was born into a family who have a long history of being heavily involved with the production of gunpowder during the time when Cornwall's mining industry was hungry for explosives.

Discussing her grandfather's connection with Kennall Vale, Marilyn said: "My grandfather was involved with Kennall Vale during the war when ICI were manufacturing special fuse covering for the Admiralty. They were working 24/7. They never stopped. We were the only house in Ponsanooth who had a telephone and grandfather had the telephone because if he heard a siren somewhere, he had to phone the factory to tell them to make sure all the blackouts were up because they weren't allowed to stop working."

Until the 1960s, Marilyn's father was also associated with Kennall Vale as a foreman at the remaining factory. She recalls her father taking her to the factory every Sunday after dinner to make sure everything was in order for Monday morning.

"I can see it now," she said. "It's hard to think back to that because it's all gone now, and people are ruining what's left. I wish people would respect Kennall Vale and respect its history because I think that is important. I despair sometimes when I see people going up there. I think they think I'm a little dragon."

But the little dragon at the wood's edge is not the only resident of the village who is protective of their Scheduled Ancient Monument. In fact, I was told by a local that the powers of social media have catapulted the once lesser known beauty spot into a demanded must-see attraction.

And it's easy to why. Stepping through the gateway, it only takes a few footsteps for an extordinary world to reveal itself before your eyes. From a flooded quarry to old granite ruins of an abandoned gunpowder factory, walking through Kennall Vale really does feel like walking through history.

Disappointedly, I didn't witness any paranormal phenomena like many others have reported at the woods. In 2019, ghost hunter Mark Davies spoke about his encounter with a mysterious creature which he described as an 'alien' or a 'demon' in the mysterious woods.

A video which he shared on YouTube showed a very strange silhouette appearing across a small bridge which leads to one of the derelict mills which stand on the site. It then seemed to move and stand in different places. In the video, Mark says: “I always knew they existed, I have felt them, smelt them, heard them and now I have seen them."

A year later, a woman said she caught a 'shadow person' in one of the photos she took in the nature reserve. Tina-Marie Lally, of Heamoor, said at the time: "It is well documented that in 1838 there was an explosion, killing a man named William Dunstan. William is known over the years to haunt the gunpowder works, and many sightings have been reported of 'shadowy figures' following people around the woods."

And when I asked locals if they've seen any such creatures, I only got laughs in response.

Andrew Palmer, who has lived near the Kennall Vale area for the last 15 years, told me: "Since lockdown, Kennall Vale has attracted a lot of people. I was picking up baby's nappies, cans, and all sorts during lockdown. Before, it was lovely. Now, it's being eroded because of people walking off the track. It's in danger now because it's being overused which is a shame.

"It causes absolute bedlam with the parking around our area. I know it's a world heritage site, and it should be seen, but I lay a lot of the blame at Cornwall Wildlife Trust's door because they have failed to manage it."

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust, which has managed the woods since 1985, has placed a warning message on Kennall Vale's information page. The message states: "Kennall Vale is experiencing overcrowding to the detriment of wildlife, visitor experience, and the local community. Whilst we are trying to resolve the problem, please consider visiting somewhere else or at the very least avoid visiting at the weekends.

"Please do not park on the narrow road leading to the reserve. Be aware that the narrow lanes leading to the reserve are used by farm, delivery and emergency vehicles."

Although Ponsanooth's past is fascinating, its present state is just as intriguing. According to TripAdvisor, Ponsanooth is home to Cornwall's fifth best pub - The Stag Hunt Inn, and I went along to meet the new owners.

Renowned for its curry nights, Wayne and Michelle Randle took over the pub early in 2022. Although the couple reside in Stithians, they both agreed the community of Ponsanooth have been "ridiculously amazing and supportive" of their new venture, saying "it felt like the whole of the village was in here" during their opening night.

The Stag Hunt Inn hasn't accommodated any guests for a number of years, but the husband and wife duo are bringing the B&B back to Ponsanooth. They also want to maintain the pub's ethos of supporting local businesses, including supplying Ponsanooth's very own brewed ales, Dynamite Valley and Treen's - yes, the village has not one, but two breweries.

Have I mentioned the cheese factory, Lynher Dairies, where King Charles popped in for a visit? Although there are whispers that the neighbouring village Stithians tried to claim that fame as the factory sits on the crossroads.

There's also The Black And Gold Organic Distillery, who say they are "England's only biodynamic certified distillery." And that's without mentioning all of the things going on within the community, including the village's new pantry, which was recently set up by Andrew's wife Michele to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis. Who knew there was so much going on in a village that takes a few minutes to pass through?

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