Gatehouse to Military Secrets

For 150 years this gatehouse over the old Grand Junction Canal guarded the secrets of the military site The Royal Ordnance Depot Weedon Bec.  Now it welcomes visitors wanting to see where history is stored in the heart of England.

In the early 1800s the British Army needed to store muskets, cannon and gunpowder far from the coast.  The village of Weedon Bec in Northamptonshire near Watling Street and canal was chosen.  In 1804 work began on The Royal Ordnance Depot with eight huge storehouses and gunpowder magazines within high walls standing today. This gatehouse still has a working clock above and portcullis below!

The Depot grew to 120 acres with barracks, parade grounds, workshops, hundreds of horses, a hospital, a prison and polo field.  It stored everything soldiers needed, boots and blankets and millions of items passing through Weedon’s gates by road, rail and canal boat. 

Hundreds of civilians worked alongside soldiers, generations of men and women sworn to secrecy and the Depot was the heart of a thriving community.  Its military role ended in 1965 and Weedon’s place in history was almost forgotten.

Today under private ownership and Grade II* Listed the Depot’s canal, original buildings and many others can be seen and explored.  The eastern gatehouse (Building 90) is home to The Visitor Centre and Heritage Exhibition by the main gate off Harmans Way, Weedon Bec NN7 4PS where the Depot’s amazing story is told.  FREE Admission….