The story began in 1859, when a London businessman leased Eyeworth Lodge and, while others wanted a hunting retreat, planned a remote gunpowder factory. Schultze gunpowder factory (Image: Echo)After several failed schemes, a director fled with the money in 1869, crippling the business and forcing its sale. Schultze gunpowder factory (Image: Echo)It was created in 1871 by damming Latchmore Brook to supply water for the factory. By 1895, the Schultze factory was the world's largest supplier of sporting gunpowder and the New Forest's biggest employer. Schultze gunpowder factory (Image: Echo)After the First World War, newer propellants made its gunpowder obsolete and the factory closed in 1921.