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 Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. © NMM |
The Royal Arsenal began storing guns from the 16th century, including those captured by Sir Francis Drake. The site established a laboratory for manufacturing ammunition, fuses and gunpowder in 1695. By 1777 it occupied 104 acres and employed 500 people.
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| Fuse factory, Woolwich Arsenal. © NMM |
The Great Storehouse was developed between 1805 and 1814. The Crimean War increased the need for guns and ammunition and by 1856 the Royal Arsenal was a major industrial centre.
It reached a peak of activity during the First World War, employing 80,000 people, including many thousands of women. After the war it continued to employ 10,000 but turned to other manufacturing, like milk churns and railway locomotives, as well as armaments.
| 1546 | A gun wharf is constructed in the area known as The Warren. The testing of guns also takes place here. |
| 1667 | For defence against a Dutch invasion, Charles II installs 60 guns by the riverside. |
| 1671 | The Crown purchases 31 acres of land for ordnance storage, and Tower Place, an extensive Tudor Mansion. |
| 1694 | A change of use occurs from storage depot to one of manufacturing guns, ammunition and fuses. The Royal Laboratory is constructed to invent new weapons. |
| 1716 | The Royal Regiment of Artillery is founded and is based on the site. |
| 1741 | The Royal Military Academy is founded, and their quarters are in the re-built Tower Place. |
| 1873 | The site has now become so extensive, that an 18" narrow gauge railway is installed for the movement of equipment and the transportation of employees. |
| 1914-18 | With the outbreak of World War I, the Arsenal increases its workforce to approximately 80,000. |
| 1939-45 | During World War II, the emphasis is more on the protection of the Arsenal and its workforce. During the first day of the Blitz (7th September, 1940), 53 people are killed on the site, and fires rage uncontrollably. |
| Post 1945 | The development of new technology results in the slow decline of the Arsenal. In 1967, the Royal Ordnance Factory closes. |
| 1994 | The Royal Arsenal is decommissioned as a military establishment, and two years later the Ministry of Defence transfers ownership to English Partnerships for redevelopment. |
