Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park
Faversham, East Kent
Photo: Dr Astrid Stilma, CC BY-SA 4.0Photo: Dr Astrid Stilma, CC BY-SA 4.0
The remains of an 18th-century gunpowder works on the edge of Faversham, now a nature reserve where old mill buildings sit among woodland and the leats that once powered them. Coloured trails lead past the ruins to the sound of birdsong and running water.
Highlights
- Ruined gunpowder buildings and water channels
- Coloured waymarked trails
- Volunteer-run visitor centre with tea for a donation in season
Good to know
- Follow the brown sign from Bysing Wood Road
- Printed maps are available from Faversham tourist information centre
Getting there
Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park, Bysing Wood Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7UDParking: Small car park in front of the visitor centre, with Blue Badge spaces. The gate is locked at 4pm.
Get directionsChecked on 16 October 2026 against oaregunpowderworks.co.uk, oaregunpowderworks.co.uk. Details change, so please confirm with the venue before you travel. How we check
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Nearby
Photo: Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0Faversham Stone Chapel (Our Lady of Elverton)
In a field beside the A2 west of Ospringe stand the low ruins of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval chapel of Stone-next-Faversham. Its walls take in part of a 4th-century Roman mausoleum, which English Heritage says makes it unique among Christian buildings in England. Finds from the Roman cemetery nearby are on show at Maison Dieu, under a mile away.
Photo: Roger Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Maison Dieu
Maison Dieu began in the 13th century as part of a royal hospital and pilgrims' rest house on Watling Street, the road to Canterbury. The flint and timber-framed building is now a small volunteer-run museum of Roman and Saxon finds from around Ospringe. The 2026 season ends at the end of October.
Photo: David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0Faversham Pools
Faversham's charity-run community pool, with indoor swimming all year and a heated outdoor lido with family fun pools in summer. It opened after a public fundraising campaign more than 60 years ago and still relies on visitor income.