The Woolwich Arsenal was a Royal Arsenal and is located in Woolwich on the South shore of the River Thames. The Royal Arsenal, formerly known as the Woolwich Warren, first cam into military use in about 1540 when part of it was used for the storage of guns. Over the next four hundred years if rapidly developed into one of the World’s first major military industrial complex’s with tens of thousands of workers on a site covering in excess of one thousand acres. Also known as Woolwich Arsenal.
The West side of the site was used for the main factory buildings, while the East side was used for the more dangerous storage of explosives and the proofing of guns to ensure that they were reliable. The development of technology between the 1500s and 1900s led to the constant reuse and replaced of buildings as required, but many original buildings have survived. The site developed a broad number of responsibilities.