THE ROYAL NAVAL CORDITE FACTORY-HoltonHeath
This picture shows a drying stove. Orginally designed for the drying of guncotton, this stove seems to have been adapted for picrite use. Picrite (nitroguanidine) is an explosive material added to cordite to reduce the enormous flash produced by earlier forms of cordite when Naval guns were fired. This was undesirable as it clearly located the position of the guns. An added advantage of picrite is a reduction in gun barrel wear. Picrite produces large quantities of nitrogen, which produces the desired effect.
Picrite was manufatured at Holton Heath in a purpose built sub-factory.