The Fenny Poppers are six small ceremonial canons ( cast iron mugs stuffed with gunpowder) which are fired ceremonially every Nov 11 th. It is believed they were first fired in 1740.
All six poppers were re-cast in 1859, after one of them burst. It is these that are still used today and they were recently examined and x-rayed to ensure they have no cracks. During their long history, many sites have been used for this battery.
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The poppers each weigh about 19 pounds (8.5kg). The bore, 6” by 1”(152mm x 44mm) will take one ounce (28g) of gunpowder, which is plugged with well rammed newspaper. They are fired three times on St. Martin’s Day (11 November); noon, 2.00pm and 4.00pm precisely. In1901 they were fired to mourn the death of Queen Victoria, the 81 salutes were heard as far away as Olney. On the 1 st January 2000 at 11.00am the Poppers were fired to mark the beginning of the second Millenium |
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