The Royal Arsenal, originally known as the Woolwich Arsenal, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London. It was formally established as an Ordnance Storage Depot in 1671 on a 31 acre (125,000 m²) site, the Warren in Tower Place. An ammunition laboratory (the Royal Laboratory) was added in 1695, and a gun foundry (the Royal Brass Foundry) was established in 1717. By 1777 it had risen to 104 acres (0.4 km²). Shortly afterwards, convict labour was used to construct an, approximately, 2.5 mile long brick boundary wall, generally eight-foot high. In 1804 this wall was raised to 20 foot near the Plumstead road, and to 15 foot in other parts. In 1814-16, convict labour was also used to dig a canal (the Ordnance Canal), which formed the eastern boundary. An arsenal is an establishment for the construction, repair, receipt, storage and issue of weapons and ammunition. ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... Woolwich (pronounced Woolitch) is a town in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich (which is now part of the London Borough of Newham) is on the north side of the river. ... The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Ordnance is a general term for a quantity of military equipment, usually specifying the ammunition for artillery, bombs, or other large weapons. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A weathered brick wall. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Plumstead is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France A picturesque stretch on the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ...

Early History

In 1805, during the reign of King George III, at the King's suggestion, it became known as the Royal Arsenal. By this time, Woolwich was already a busy military centre, with the Woolwich Dockyard to the west of the Arsenal and the Royal Military Academy and the headquarters of the Royal Artillery next to each other to the south. The Royal Military Academy had been originally based at the Royal Arsenal but it was moved to Woolwich Common in 1806, although some of the Cadets did not finally vacate the Arsenal until as late as 1882. The old Military Academy building then become part of the Royal Laboratory. 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grace a Dieu (Great Harry), the largest ship of its day. ... The Royal Military Academy was founded in 1741 in Woolwich, south-east London. ... The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army It is made up of a number of regiments. ... Common may refer to : A common - an area of common land The rapper, Common (aka Common Sense) Commonness, the property possessed by those who are vulgar, especially those who are working class. ... This article refers to the general definition of cadet. ...

Several buildings within the Arsenal are attributed to architect Sir John Vanbrugh. Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Sir John Vanbrugh in Godfrey Knellers Kit-cat portrait, considered one of Knellers finest portraits. ...

The Arsenal was a renowned centre of excellence in mechanical engineering, with notable engineers including Samuel Bentham, Marc Isambard Brunel and Henry Maudslay employed there. Brunel was responsible for erecting the steam sawmills, part of the Royal Carriage Department, Maudslay later expanded this buying more steam machinery. It also became a noted research facility, developing several key advances in armament design and manufacture. The Ford Essex V6 engine Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Samuel Bentham Sir Samuel Bentham (11 January 1757 - 31 May 1831) was a noted mechanical engineer credited with numerous innovations, particularly related to naval architecture, including weapons. ... Marc Isambard Brunel, engraving by G. Metzeroth, circa 1880 Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (April 25, 1769 – December 12, 1849) was a French-born engineer who eventually settled in the United Kingdom. ... Henry Maudslay. ... This article or section should include material from Saw mill A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards. ...

Crimean War build-up

As part of the preparations for the Crimean War (1854-56), Frederick Abel (later Sir Frederick Abel) was appointed the first War Office Chemist with the aim of investigating the new chemical explosives which were then being developed. He was mostly responsible for bringing Guncotton into safe use and for winning a patent dispute brought by Alfred Nobel against the British Government over the patent rights to Cordite which Abel had jointly developed with Professor James Dewar. A new Chemical Laboratory was built to Abel's requirements; this was numbered Building 20. Abel was also responsible for the technical management of the Royal Gunpowder Factory. He retired from the Royal Arsenal in 1888. Combatants United Kingdom, France, Ottoman Empire, Sardinia Imperial Russia Commanders Strength 250,000 British 400,000 French 10,000 Sardinian 1,200,000 Russian Casualties 17,500 British 30,000 French 2,050 Sardinian killed and wounded 256,000 killed and wounded {{{notes}}} The Crimean War lasted from 28 March... Sir Frederick Augustus Abel, Bart. ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... Chemist Julie Perkins of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory pours from a Florence flask. ... Nitrocellulose (Cellulose nitrate, guncotton) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose (e. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which is new, inventive, and... Alfred Nobel (help· info) (October 21, 1833, Stockholm, Sweden – December 10, 1896, San Remo, Italy) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, pacifist, innovator, armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. ... Cordite is a smokeless propellent explosive made by combining two high explosives: nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. ... James Dewar (1842–1923) Sir James Dewar (September 20, 1842 – March 27, 1923) was a Scottish chemist and physicist. ...

1854 also saw the installation of a Retort house for the Royal Arsenal's Gas Works. A retort in use. ...

By the time of the Crimean War the Royal Arsenal was one of three Royal munitions Factories; the other two being the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield Lock, and the Royal Gun Powder Factory, Waltham Abbey, Essex. The Royal Arsenal greatly expanded its area eastwards outside its brick boundary wall onto the Plumstead Marshes. The RSAF at Enfield was closed in 1987 and the majority of the site is now covered by a large housing development. ... Enfield is the name of several places. ... Canal locks in England. ... Waltham Abbey is a market town of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex, in the East of England region. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ...

In 1868 twenty workers at the Arsenal formed a food-buying association operating from a house in Plumstead and named it the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society. Over the next 115 years the enterprise grew to half a million members across London & beyond, providing services from funerals & housing to libraries & insurance. 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Plumstead is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative society based in south east London. ...

In 1886 workers at the Arsenal formed a football club initially known as Dial Square after the workshops in the heart of the complex, playing their first game on 11 December (a 6-0 victory over East Wanderers) at Plumstead Common. Renamed Royal Arsenal two weeks later (and also known as the 'Woolwich Reds'), the club entered the professional football league as Woolwich Arsenal in 1893. Today it is known simply as Arsenal F.C., having moved to north London in 1913. 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Plumstead is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

World War I

At its peak, during World War I, the Royal Arsenal extended over some 1300 acres (5.3 km²) and employed around 80,000 people. The Royal Arsenal by then had the Royal Gun Factory, the Royal Shell Filling Factory (which closed in 1940), the Research and Development Department and the Chief Chemical Inspector, Woolwich (the successor to the War Office Chemist). The expansion was such that in 1915 the Government built the 1300-home 'Well Hall Estate' at Eltham to help accommodate the workforce. World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from August 1914 to the final Armistice (cessation of hostilities) on November 11, 1918. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Eltham, London, England Eltham, New Zealand, Taranaki, New Zealand Eltham, Victoria, Australia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In addition to both the massive expansion of the Royal Arsenal and private munitions companies, other UK Government-owned National Explosives Factories and National Filling Factories were built during World War I. All the National Factories closed at the end of the War; with only the three Royal (munitions) Factories (at Woolwich, Enfield and Waltham Abbey) remaining open through to World War II. An Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory (abreviated ROF), World War II terminology, which specialised in manufacturing explosives. ... A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, screening smokes, etc. ...

It appears likely that up to the end of World War I, the Royal Arsenal would have been guarded by the Metropolitan Police Force, as they also guarded the Royal Cordite Factory at Holton Heath, in Dorset and the Royal Navy Armament Depot at Priddy's Hard, Gosport up to that time. Since then the Royal Arsenal would have been guarded, until its closure, by the War Office Police Force, who became in 1971 the Ministry of Defence Police Force. The Standard of the Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (commonly referred to by its former official name of the Metropolitan Police, or colloquially as The Met; often referred to in legislation as the Police of the Metropolis) is the Home Office (territorial) police force responsible for Greater London... Dorset (pronounced Dorsit, sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Gosport is a town and district in Hampshire with around 78,000 inhabitants, situated on the south coast of England. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The Ministry of Defence Police (or MOD Police; MDP) is the police force of the British Ministry of Defence. ...

During the quiet period after the end of World War I, the Royal Arsenal built steam railway locomotives. The Royal Arsenal had an extensive standard gauge internal railway system and this was connected to the North Kent Line just beyond Plumstead railway station. In physical chemistry and in engineering, steam refers to vaporized water. ... Great Western Railway No. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway (SER) were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge. ... Plumstead railway station is a railway station in Plumstead, in South East London, between Woolwich Arsenal and Abbey Wood. ...

World War II

The build-up to the World War II started in the late 1930s / early 1940s. Abel's old Chemical Laboratory was by now too small and new Chemical Laboratories were built in 1937 on Frog Island, on a former loop in the Ordnance Canal. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 8 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Staff from the Royal Arsenal helped design, and in some cases managed the construction of, many of the new second World War Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs) and ROF Filling Factories. Much of its former ordnance production was moved to these new sites as the Royal Arsenal was considered vulnerable to aerial bombing from mainland Europe. The original plan was to replace the Royal Arsenal's Filling Factory with one at ROF Chorley and one at ROF Bridgend. It was then realised that many more ROFs would be needed. Just over 40 ROFs were opened by the end of World War II, nearly half of them Filling Factories, together with a similar number of factories built and run by private companies, such as ICI Nobels Explosives (although these were not called ROFs). Even so, some 30,000 people worked at the Royal Arsenal during World War II. Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs) was the collective name of the UK governments munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence. ... A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, screening smokes, etc. ... Look up Aerial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Aerial may refer to— a dance move. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, screening smokes, etc. ... ROF Chorley was a UK government-owned, Royal Ordnance Factory. ... ROF Bridgend, (Filling Factory No. ... Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) is a British chemical company, based in London. ...

The Royal Arsenal was caught up in The Blitz; the staff of the Chemical Inspectorate, working with explosives, were evacuted in early September 1940. Shortly afterwards one of the Frog Island buildings was destroyed by bombing and another damaged. The Laboratories were partially re-occupied in 1945 and fully re-occupied by 1949. Masters (1995) reports 103 people killed and 770 injured, during many raids, by bombs, V1 flying bombs and V2 rockets. German bomber over the Surrey Docks, London The Blitz was the sustained and intensive bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany during 1940–1941. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The Vergeltungswaffe 1 Fi 103 / FZG-76 (V-1), known as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first modern guided missile used in wartime and the first cruise missile. ... German test launch. ...

During the quiet period after the end of World War II, the Royal Arsenal built and railway wagons for export. Armament production then increased during the Korean War. A wagon (in old British English waggon) is a wheeled vehicle, ordinarily with four wheels, usually pulled by an animal such as a horse, mule or ox, which was used for transport of heavy goods in the past. ... The Korean War, from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (the war has not ended officially), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

The Final Run down

The Woolwich Royal Ordnance Factories closed in 1967 and a large part of the eastern end was sold to the Greater London Council. Much of it was used to build the New town; Thamesmead. A part, around what is now Griffen Manor Way, was used for an Industrial Estate; the Ford Motor Company being its first tenant. Two of the roads on this estate Nathan Way and Kellner Road appear to have links with people connected with the Royal Arsenal: a Col. Nathan, at the Royal Gunpowder Factory; and, W. Kellner being the second War Office Chemist. Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... A New town or planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... Thamesmead is a new town, more realistically a new suburb, in London built on the southern bank of the River Thames, 9. ... The Ford Motor Company (often referred to as Ford; sometimes nicknamed FoMoCo), NYSE: F is a multinational corporation that manufactures automobiles. ... A tenant (from the Latin tenere, to hold), in legal contexts, holds real property by some form of title from a landlord. ...

Shortly after the closure of the Woolwich Royal Ordnance Factories the Frog Island Chemical laboratories were moved into a new building erected in 1971, in what was to become the Royal Arsenal East. The old Frog Island area was then sold off and Plumstead Bus Garage was built on part of this site. This action separated what remained of the Royal Arsenal, some 76 acres, into two sites: Royal Arsenal West, at Woolwich; and, Royal Arsenal East, at Plumstead, approached via Griffen Manor Way. It also lead to breaking down of parts of the 1804 brick boundary wall. Part of it near Plumstead Bus station was replaced by Iron railings and Chain link fencing; later the public roadway (now the A206) was also changed at the Woolwich market area and the Royal Arsenal's boundary was moved inwards so that the Beresford Gate became detached from the site by the A206. 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... TheBus, established by Mayor Frank Fasi, is Honolulus only public transit system. ... Look up garage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Royal Arsenal site retained its links to ordnance production for almost another 30 years as a number of the UK Ministry of Defence, Procurement Executive's, Quality Assurance Directorates had their Head Quarters Offices located there. These included the Materials Quality Assurance Directorate (MQAD), which looked after materiels, including explosives and pyrotechnics; and the Quality Assurance Directorate (Ordnance), (QAD (Ord)), which looked after ordnance for the Army. MQAD being the successor of the old War Department Chemist and the Chemical Inspectorate. There was a separate Royal Navy Ordnance Inspection Department that looked after the Royal Navy's interests. Main Building - The Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, Westminster, London Tri-service badge of the UK armed forces The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the UK military. ... Procurement is the acquisition of goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the right quantity, at the right time, in the right place for the direct benefit or use of the governments, corporations, or individuals generally via, but not limited to a contract. ... In engineering and manufacturing, quality control or quality engineering is a set of measures taken to ensure that defective products or services are not produced, and that the design meets performance requirements. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... Pyrotechnics are used in the entertainment industry Kanes pyro in the WWE The band Rammsteins stage acts centers largely around pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is a field of study often thought synonymous with the manufacture of fireworks, but more accurately has a wider scope that includes items for military and... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

QAD (Ord) was based at Royal Arsenal West together with a Ministry of Defence Publications section and part of the British Library's Secure storage accommodation. To publish is to make publicly known, and in reference to text and images, it can mean distributing paper copies to the public, or putting the content on a website. ... British Library Ossulston St entrance, with distinctive red logo. ...

Closure

MQAD was based, until closure of the site at Royal Arsenal East; and all the buildings on this site were given E numbers, such as E135. Belmarsh high-security prison was build on part of Royal Arsenal East, becoming operational in 1991. HM Prison Belmarsh is a high security prison in Thamesmead, Eastern London, England. ... 1991 (MCMXCI in Roman) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Royal Arsenal ceased to be a military establishment in 1994. The sprawling Arsenal site is now one of the focal points for redevelopment in the Thames Gateway zone, but the links to its historic past are not lost. Many notable buildings in the historic original (West) site are being retained in the redevelopment, and the site includes a museum (Firepower!) telling the story of the Royal Arsenal. The Thames Gateway is an area of land stretching 40 miles eastwards from East London on both sides of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary. ...

See also

• Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum

Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum is a military museum in Woolwich in south east London, England, which tells the story of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and of the Royal Arsenal. ...

External links

• Semi-official site about the history of the Royal Arsenal
• Voluntary site about the history of the Royal Arsenal
• Official site about the redevelopment project
• Information on the redevelopment from Greenwich Council
• A developer's site about the redevelopment project.
• History of the Well Hall (Progress) housing estate for Arsenal workers

References

• Hogg, Brigadier O.F.G., (1963). The Royal Arsenal Woolwich (Vol 1 & 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Masters, Roy, (1995). Britain in Old Photographs: The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Strood: Suton Publishing.