Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River
Over the next two centuries, as operations grew and innovations were pursued, the site expanded massively. At the time of the First World War the Arsenal covered 1,285 acres (520 ha) and employed close to 80,000 people. Thereafter its operations were scaled down. It finally closed as a factory in 1967 and the Ministry of Defence moved out in 1994. Today the area, so long a secret enclave, is open to the public and is being redeveloped for housing and community use.
17th-century origins: the Gun Wharf and Tower Place
The Royal Arsenal had its origins in a
In 1651, the owners of Tower Place gave the board permission to
Purchase of the site
In 1667, in response to the
Proof and experiment
In 1681, King Charles II visited the Warren and observed Richard Leake, Master Gunner of England, conduct an experiment with fire-shot in the proof butts.[4] In 1682 what had till then been the board's main proving ground (in 'Old Artillery Garden' near its headquarters in the Tower of London) was closed and its staff and activities were promptly moved to Tower Place. That year a thousand cannon and ten thousand cannonballs were sent to Woolwich from the Tower,[5] and the proof butts were further expanded.
When the constitution of the Board of Ordnance was formalised by Charles II in 1683, two Proof Masters were appointed, under the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, to ensure that proofs and trials were conducted correctly and the results duly certified.[2] In 1684 the King paid another visit, when Leake conducted a trial of his newly-developed mortar design.[4]
Centralisation of ordnance stores
In 1688 it was ordered that 'all guns, carriages and stores now at
In due course, the site as a whole became known as The Warren.
18th century: The Warren
The Board of Ordnance was both a civil and a military office of State, independent of the Army, overseen by a high-ranking official, the Master-General of the Ordnance. Both branches, civil and military, were represented at the Warren; indeed there was a great deal of overlap: military officers for the most part headed up the civil departments, and civilians often worked alongside the military personnel.[6]
The civil establishment
For most of its history, the civil establishment of the Warren/Arsenal consisted of the following four departments:
- The Storekeeper's Department (which managed storage of all kinds of 'warlike stores')
- The Royal Laboratory (which manufactured ammunition of all kinds, for small armsas well as artillery)
- The Royal Brass Foundry (which manufactured artillery piecesand was later renamed the Royal Gun Factory)
- The Royal Carriage Department (which manufactured gun carriages)
In addition, proof butts continued to be maintained by the Board of Ordnance to test guns beyond their normal operational limits and for experimenting with new types of ammunition.
The storekeeper's department
First and foremost, the Warren was established as an Ordnance storage depot. As at the board's other depots, the site was overseen by an official called the storekeeper, who was provided with an official residence in Tower Place itself. The Storekeeper not only controlled the receipt, safekeeping and issue of all the items that were stored on the site; he was also responsible (until the early 1800s) for issuing payments on the board's behalf to all personnel across the different departments. He was assisted by a clerk of the cheque, clerk of the survey and other administrative staff.
To begin with much of the Warren was preserved as open space with cannons stored in the open air and guns
The Royal Laboratory
An ammunition laboratory (i.e. workshop) was set up at the Warren in 1695, overseen by the Comptroller of Fireworks. Manufacture of ammunition had previously taken place within a Great Barn on the
The Comptroller, Royal Laboratory, had oversight of the
The Royal Brass Foundry
A gun foundry, overseen by a Master Founder, was established in 1717.[8] (The decision of the Board of Ordnance to set up and supervise its own foundry operations followed a devastating explosion at the private foundry it had previously used in Moorfields.) In Woolwich, the original Royal Brass Foundry building survives (built on the site of the relocated "Greenwich Barn"). Its handsome exterior encloses a space designed for pure industrial functionality, with height to accommodate a vertical boring machine, and tall doors permitting easy removal of newly made cannons.[7]
Completed guns could then be taken through what is now Dial Arch into a complex known as the 'Great Pile of buildings' (built 1717-20) to be finished and stored. Behind the surviving frontage and archway was a small courtyard in which the newly forged guns were turned, washed and engraved; beyond which two large gun-carriage storehouses stood (one for the Navy, one for the Army) at either end of a larger quadrangle, with workshops alongside.
The first Master Founder, Andrew Schalch, served in post for 54 years before retiring in 1769 at the age of 78. In 1770 a revolutionary horse-powered horizontal boring machine was installed in the Foundry by his successor, Jan Verbruggen which inspired Henry Maudslay (who worked at the foundry from 1783) to his inventions improving the lathe. Remarkably, it remained in use until 1843 when a steam-powered equivalent replaced it.
From 1780 a new official, the Inspector of Artillery, was given oversight of the Royal Brass Foundry and of other aspects of gun manufacture including carriage-making (for the time being) and proof-testing, which continued to take place on ranges to the east; (over the next hundred years the proof ranges were moved progressively further eastwards as the Arsenal continued to expand).
The carriage works
From the beginning, gun carriages had been stored at the Warren (unlike the guns themselves the wooden carriages had to be kept under cover). The first store ('Old Carriage Yard') had been built as early as 1682, and probably also contained workshops for the repair or scrapping of old carriages.[5] In 1697 a far larger complex of sheds ('New Carriage Yard') was built on what had been Prince Rupert's gun battery.[9]
By the 1750s manufacture of gun carriages was also taking place on site, overseen by the Constructor of Carriages. This took place around New Carriage Square (a low quadrangle of storehouses built alongside, and as an extension of, the Great Pile storehouses in 1728–1729). In 1803 this activity was formalized as the Royal Carriage Department, a recognition of the importance of effective carriage design and manufacture, alongside that of guns and ammunition, as part of ordnance provision.[10]
The military establishment
By 1700 the Board of Ordnance had a team of 20
The military constitution of the Board of Ordnance was strengthened when, on 26 May 1716, a
The regiment of artillery
The two companies of artillery (referred to as 'Royal Artillery' by 1720) were quartered and based at the Warren. By 1722 the detachment had grown and was formally named the
After the formation of the Regiment in 1716, the Royal Artillery took on responsibility for conducting proof tests and the (recently renamed) post of Master Gunner of Great Britain was abolished. Proving guns at the Warren became part of routine training for gunners of the Royal Artillery, overseen at first by the Board's proofmaster-general (and then, after 1780, by the Inspector of Artillery). In addition to the proof butts, a range was set up in 1787 for gunnery practice, firing parallel to the river across Plumstead Marshes.[2]
The Corps of Engineers
An Order in Council (dated 22 August 1717) increased the size of the Engineer Corps to fifty officers (including the
Initially, civilians were employed as workers, but in 1787 a Corps of
The Royal Military Academy
In 1720, the Board sought to establish an on-site military academy for the education of its Artillery and Engineer officers. Tower Place had by this time largely been demolished, and a new building was erected in its place to provide a base for the new academy alongside a Board Room for the Ordnance Board (with a new residence for the Storekeeper added to the rear). It would not be until 1741, however, that the Royal Military Academy was set up on a firm footing and occupied its rooms in the building. Soon, the Academy's cadets were given their own purpose-built barracks alongside the southern boundary wall; dating from 1751, these were entirely demolished in the 1980s for road widening.
The Royal Military Repository
An offshoot of the Academy was the Royal Military Repository. In the 1770s Captain William Congreve built a "Repository for Military Machines" between New Carriage Square and some open ground to the east. The building housed an educative display of cannons and mortars, and the open space was used as a training ground to help develop skills in handling large artillery pieces on various terrains in different conflict scenarios.[7]
The Ordnance Field Train
In 1792, with Britain on the cusp of war with France, the Board of Ordnance established a Field Train department to ensure supply and storage of guns, ammunition and other equipment for its Artillery and Engineers serving in the field of battle. The small corps (which had its headquarters in the Arsenal) was composed of a permanent cadre of officers, who were supplemented at time of war by uniformed civilians (many of whom were volunteers recruited from the ordnance storekeeper's department). In addition, a number of Royal Artillery sergeants served in the Field Train as Conductors. (The Ordnance Field Train was disbanded following the abolition of the Board of Ordnance, but is now seen as a precursor of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps).[11] The Field Train had its offices in the main guard house and stored its guns, carriages and other equipment in a large building known as the Blue Storehouse (which was near the old Carriage Yard).[12]
Removal of the military to Woolwich Common
By the 1770s the number of artillerymen accommodated in the Warren had increased to 900, prompting the construction of a new
The Royal Military Repository was destroyed along with New Carriage Square in the fire of 1802, but soon re-established itself just west of the new Artillery Barracks in the area now known as the
In place of the old Repository in the Warren, a new Royal Engineers Establishment was built in 1803 (next to, and contemporary with, the new Carriage Factory).
The Ordnance Field Train also left the Warren, in 1804, moving scores of combat-ready field guns and large stocks of ammunition into the newly-built carriage sheds and magazines of what became known as the Grand Depôt (which stretched from the new Artificers' barracks up towards the new Artillery barracks).[12]
The
Consolidation of the site
By 1777 the site had expanded to 104 acres (42 ha).[6] The purchase that year of additional land to the east allowed the proof butts to be relocated, realigned and extended in 1779. This in turn freed up additional land on the old Warren site which would be used for a series of substantial building projects in the early 19th century.
In 1777–1778,
Use of convict labour was key to this period of expansion. It was used to construct a huge new wharf, completed in 1813, and then again in 1814–1816 to dig a canal (the Ordnance Canal),[14] which formed the eastern boundary of the site.
Guardhouses were built at points on the perimeter, manned by troops of the Royal Artillery; one at the main gate (1787–1788) and a pair by the new wharf (1814–1815) are still in place today. The
19th century: The Arsenal
In 1805, at the suggestion of King
Expansion during the Napoleonic Wars
The
In 1803–1805 a substantial Royal Carriage Factory was built (on the site of New Carriage Square, which had been destroyed by fire - possibly arson - the previous year). Its outer walls, complete with a contemporary chiming clock, survive; within, where there are now new apartment blocks, there was once a vast engineering and manufacturing complex staffed by wheelwrights, carpenters, blacksmiths and metalworkers.
The Arsenal was soon a renowned centre of excellence in
Between 1805 and 1813 the massive Grand Stores complex was constructed alongside new wharves by the river; though celebrated as a landmark of size and dignity befitting the Arsenal, the buildings were immediately, and for many years afterwards, vulnerable to subsidence due to their proximity to the river (this was caused in no small part by on-site supervisors directing the use of cheaper wooden piles in place of the stone
From 1808, "New Laboratory Square" began to be developed to the north of the original Laboratory complex, with an open-sided quadrangle built around an eighteenth-century Naval storehouse; initially used for storage, it came to be used for manufacturing from the 1850s. (It replaced the 'East Laboratory', a quadrangle of buildings which had been demolished to make way for the Grand Store.) Earlier, in 1804, subsidiary Royal Laboratories were set up in the Dockyard towns of Portsmouth and Devonport and in Upnor Castle near Chatham. The Devonport Laboratory (on Mount Wise) had been converted into barracks by 1834[15] but ten years later Portsmouth's (which had been overtaken by dockyard expansion) was relocated to Priddy's Hard, where manufacture (initially of small arms ammunition, later of shells and fuzes) continued, overseen from Woolwich.[16]
Proof work continued at this time. In 1803 a burst gun caused damage to nearby buildings, which prompted construction of a new set of proof butts further to the east; these opened (on what would later be the site of the Arsenal's gasworks) in 1808.[12] Starting in 1811, a project was begun to raise the ground level of the eastern part of the Arsenal site, as far as the canal, using material dredged from the river bed (a huge undertaking, which took nine years to complete). Also in 1811, a further 20 acres of marshland to the east was purchased, with a view to re-siting the gunnery range (so as to make room for the new sawmills); a 1,250-yard range was then built. In 1838, however, it was accepted that (due to improved ballistics) a much longer range was required; this would require multiple land purchases (at great expense), but was eventually achieved in 1855 when a 3,000-yard range was opened. At the same time, new proof butts were constructed alongside the range.[12]
Peacetime contraction
Levels of arms manufacture naturally ebbed during the relatively peaceful years after the
Crimean War: mechanisation and innovation
By 1854, the old Laboratory Square had been roofed over to serve as a vast machine shop at the heart of what was now a munitions factory. The open spaces of the Royal Carriage Works were similarly roofed over and mechanised, and the area of its operations expanded; its carpenters and wheelwrights were moved out into new workshops (which later developed into what is now Gunnery House) east of the main building. (This area had previously been used for the storage and seasoning of the timber used for building the gun carriages.) The building of a new Shot and Shell Foundry, an addition to the Royal Laboratory completed in 1856, enabled manufacture of the latest types of ammunition; this huge complex covered the whole of what is now Wellington Park, and later expanded further to the east.
The Royal Brass Foundry was renamed the Royal Gun Factory in 1855, and its workshops expanded into the Great Pile (Dial Arch) quadrangles. For the first time it diversified into manufacture of iron cannons (which had previously always been commissioned from private contractors); for this it developed a new and much larger foundry complex (on the far side of the Shot and Shell Foundry) which was completed in 1857. The new foundry building, which still stands, was subdivided into three sections (for moulding, casting and trimming) and complemented by a separate forge and boring mill. The early years of its work were defined by famed arms manufacturer
As part of the preparations for the
1854 saw the installation of a
Demise of the Ordnance Board
In the wake of the
After Crimea
As had happened earlier in the century, the wartime expansion of the 1850s was followed by spending cuts, and workforce contraction, in the 1860s. Twenty years later, though, the Arsenal began to grow again as investment in weaponry research and manufacture resumed. The narrow-gauge Royal Arsenal Railway was opened in 1873, complemented later by a standard-gauge network connected to the main line. Electricity arrived in the Arsenal in the 1870s; initially used for lighting, it was soon used to power all kinds of machinery. An on-site power station was opened (on the site of the east quadrangle of the Grand Store) in 1896.[7]
Mechanical and managerial developments
The Arsenal was still made up of separate divisions. The manufacturing departments (which soon came to be called Ordnance Factories) were each overseen by a (largely independent) Superintendent (who answered directly to the
Each Factory was responsible for the initial design and final inspection of items, as well as for the intervening manufacturing process. Once completed, all items manufactured on site passed to the
The three Ordnance Factories guarded their autonomy and resisted efforts made to place them under a single command (the appointment in 1868 of a Brigadier-General with the title 'Director-General of Ordnance and Commandant of the Royal Arsenal' was an initiative which lasted only two years). Since ammunition, guns and carriages had to function together, this lack of co-ordination and communication between the departments that manufactured them inevitably caused problems, at a time when the Arsenal was in any case facing criticism for high levels of wasteful expenditure. An 1886 committee of enquiry, under the chairmanship of the Earl of Morley, laid bare these shortcomings and made a number of recommendations, leading among other things to the (civilian) appointment of Sir William Anderson as Director-General of Ordnance Factories (the post was retitled Chief Superintendent of Ordnance Factories, following Anderson's death, in 1899).[19] A key recommendation was for clear managerial separation between the manufacturing departments and those responsible for inspection and approval of their products, which resulted in the establishment of a separate Inspection department under a Chief Inspector of Armaments.
In 1887 the Proof Butts were relocated once again (for the last time) further to the east. Four bays were built, to which a further four were added in 1895. Each bay consisted of a concrete box (25 ft wide by 20 ft high and 70 ft deep, two-thirds filled with sand) open towards the gun position, which was around 500 yards away.[2] (The design was much as it had been in previous centuries, except in concrete rather than wood.) Guns were brought into position using a gantry crane, and various instruments measured velocity and other variables. Further bays, with railway mountings for the guns, would be added during the First World War, by which time the area and its operation was known as the Proof and Experimental Establishment.
Recognising the increasing divergence of naval gun design from that of land artillery, part of the Ordnance Store Department was separated off in 1891 to form an independent
Social and sporting activities
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 and beyond, providing services including funerals, housing, libraries and insurance.
In 1886 workers at the Arsenal formed a
20th century: The Royal Ordnance Factories
Further enlargement was to follow, and on an unprecedented scale; by the 20th century, though, there was little room for further development on site, so the Arsenal had to expand its area eastwards outside its brick boundary wall onto the Plumstead
Scientific research played an increasing role across the Arsenal from the early years of the 20th century: in 1902 an Experimental Establishment was set up to carry out research and investigations into explosives;[22] (co-located with the Proof Butts, the two operations later combined to form the Proof and Experimental Establishment). At the same the staff of the War Department Chemist was expanded to strengthen its research capability; and over the next few years other small research departments emerged, focused on areas such as metallurgy, materials and mechanical technology.[4] In 1907 these were all grouped together under a Superintendent of Research to form the Research Department.
First World War
At its peak, during the
In addition to the massive expansion of the Royal Ordnance Factories in the Arsenal, and of private munitions companies, other UK Government-owned
Inter-war years
During the quiet period after the end of the First World War, the Royal Arsenal built
On 1 January 1927 policing of the site was transferred from the Metropolitan Police to the new
The build-up to the
Second World War
The Royal Arsenal was caught up in
The Central Offices were also damaged in the raid, prompting the removal of the Design Department from Woolwich;
The staff of the Chemical Inspectorate, working with explosives, were evacuated 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.
The final run-down
During the quiet period after the end of the Second World War, the Royal Arsenal built railway wagons, between 1945 and 1949, and constructed knitting frames for the silk stockings industry, up to 1952.[26] Armament production then increased during the Korean War.
From 1947, the British atomic weapons programme, called HER or High Explosive Research, was based at
In 1953, a body called Royal Arsenal Estate was set up to dispose of areas of land deemed surplus to requirements. An approximately 100
In 1957 a merger took place which created ROF Woolwich: thus, for the first time, the various manufacturing operations on the site were united into a single Royal Ordnance Factory. Its area of operation was henceforward restricted to the western part of the Arsenal site, with everything to the east being earmarked for eventual disposal. In this guise, the factory continued to operate (with upgraded facilities) for a further ten years.[7] The Proof and Experimental Establishment closed in 1957, though RARDE continued to make use of the proof butts until September 1969.[2]
The Woolwich Royal Ordnance Factories closed in 1967, and at the same time a large part of the eastern end of the site was sold to the
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 a relocated Plumstead Bus Garage was built on part of this site. This action separated what remained of the Royal Arsenal, some 76 acres (310,000 m2), into two sites: Royal Arsenal West, at Woolwich; and, Royal Arsenal East, at Plumstead, approached via Griffin Manor Way. It also led to breaking down of parts of the 1804 brick boundary wall. Part of it near Plumstead Bus station was replaced by iron railings and
The Royal Arsenal site retained its links to ordnance production for almost another thirty years as a number of the Ministry of Defence Procurement Executive's
The Royal Arsenal ceased to be a military establishment in 1994.
Present day
The sprawling Arsenal site is now one of the focal points for redevelopment in the Thames Gateway zone. Parts of the Royal Arsenal have been used to build residential and commercial buildings.
Some links to its historic past have been kept, with many notable buildings in the historic original (West) site being retained in the redevelopment. Attempts to put the history of the site into context were, however, short-lived:
Residential developments
The western part of the Royal Arsenal has now been transformed into a mixed-use development by
Plans have now been submitted for a new masterplan encompassing further land along the river. More than 1,700 homes already exist at Royal Arsenal Riverside, with an additional 3,700 new homes planned, along with 270,000 sq ft (25,000 m2) of commercial, retail, leisure space and a 120-bedroom hotel by Holiday-Inn Express. Also included in the plans is the new Woolwich Crossrail station, which has been part-funded by Berkeley Homes.
Cultural district
In October 2018, planning permission was granted for the first phase of a multi-million pound restoration of historic buildings near the new Woolwich Crossrail station, to create a 15,000sqm complex of theatres, dance studios and places to eat.[30] Originally this development was known as 'Woolwich Creative District' but names of the district and buildings were later put to the public vote and in July 2019 the name 'Woolwich Works' was announced[31]
Historic architecture
Several early 18th-century buildings on the site have been attributed to the architects Sir John Vanbrugh or Nicholas Hawksmoor (both of whom are known to have designed buildings for the Board of Ordnance), including the Royal Brass Foundry, Dial Arch and the Royal Military Academy; but whilst acknowledging their influence (direct or indirect), the Survey of London credits Brigadier-General Michael Richards (Surveyor-general for the Ordnance board at the time) as having played the leading part in their design.[7] In the late-18th and early-19th centuries James Wyatt, as Architect of the Ordnance, was responsible for several buildings on the site, including the Main Guardhouse (1787), the Grand Store (1805) and Middlegate House (1807). More often than not, though, it was the on-site Engineers and Clerks of the Works who were responsible for the design of buildings and other structures within the working Arsenal.
See also
- Greenwich Heritage Centre - local museum with Royal Arsenal exhibition
- Royal Arsenal Railway - railway inside the Royal Arsenal
- Broadwater Green - modern housing development on the grounds of the Arsenal
- Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills - another historic munitions factory in the London area
References
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 38-41, 129-130.
- ^ a b c d e Skentlebery, Norman (1975). Arrows to atom bombs: a history of the Ordnance Board. London: Ordnance Board.
- ^ Records of the Privy Council 1769-71, quoted in Saint & Guillery (2012), p134.
- ^ a b c d e f Baigent, Peter. "THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMAMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT". Fort Halstead Heritage Centre. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ a b Vincent, William Thomas (1885). Woolwich: Guide to the Royal Arsenal &c. London: Simpkin, Marshall & co. p. 55. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ a b c Hogg 1963b, p. 1292
- ^ ISBN 978-0300187229.
- ^ Masters 1995, p. 6
- ^ a b c Timbers, Ken (2011). The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. London: Royal Arsenal Woolwich Historical Society.
- ^ Hogg 1963a, p. 507
- ^ a b Steer, Brigadier Frank (2005). To The Warrior His Arms: the story of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 1918-1993. Barnsley, S. Yorks.: Pen & Sword Books.
- ^ a b c d e Hogg 1963a
- ^ PLAN shewing the ORDNANCE GROUND and adjacent parts at WOOLWICH March, 1810
- ^ Masters 1995, p. 32
- ^ "Devonport conservation appraisal" (PDF). City of Plymouth. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Laboratory North Range and Laboratory Building to NE of Laboratory Complex (1393252)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Hogg 1963b, pp. 749–750
- ^ Semark, H.W. (1997). The Royal Naval Armament Depots of Priddy's Hard, Elson, Frater and Bedenham, 1768-1977. Winchester: Hampshire County Council. p. 124.
- ^ Roper, Michael (1998). The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964. Kew, Surrey: Public Record Office. p. 177.
- ^ Masters 1995, p. 91
- ^ Hogg 1963b, p. 1449
- ^ Roper, Michael (1998). The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964. Kew, Surrey: Public Record Office.
- ^ 'Changes at Woolwich Arsenal', Brockley News, 7 January 1927, page 1
- ^ a b c d e Hogg 1963b, pp. 1024–1025
- ^ "Woolwich Arsenal". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ Hogg 1963b, p. 1027
- ^ Hogg 1963b, p. 1031
- ^ Masters 1995, p. 113
- ^ "Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum". The National Archives. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Greenwich, Royal Borough of. "Woolwich Works". www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Greenwich, Royal Borough of. "Woolwich Creative District becomes Woolwich Works". www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Sources
- Hogg, Brigadier O.F.G. (1963a). The Royal Arsenal Woolwich. Vol. I. London: Oxford University Press.
- Hogg, Brigadier O.F.G. (1963b). The Royal Arsenal: its Background, Origin and Subsequent History Woolwich. Vol. II. London: Oxford University Press.
- Hornby, William (1958). Factories and Plant. Her Majesty's Stationery Officeand Longmans, Green and Co.
- Masters, Roy (1995). The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Britain in Old Photographs. Strood: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0894-7.
- Timbers, Brigadier Ken (2011). The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. London: Royal Arsenal Woolwich Historical Society.
- Saint, Andrew; Guillery, Peter (2012). "Chapter 3: The Royal Arsenal". Woolwich. Survey of London. Vol. 48. ISBN 978-0300187229.
External links
- Royal Arsenal History Website (RAH) Historical information: photos, maps, documents, presentations, recollections, football history etc.
- Royal Arsenal History Facebook group (RAH) Rare photos, videos, family research, historical information, includes members who worked in the Royal Arsenal, recollections etc.
- Royal Arsenal History YouTube channel (RAH) – Royal Arsenal documentaries, presentations, maps and rare photo slideshows and local Woolwich and Thamesmead history.
- Woolwich Royal Arsenal during WWI – BBC London film, part of World War One at Home series, on YouTube
- Royal Arsenal Riverside – Official site about the redevelopment project
- Woolwich: A Guide to the Royal Arsenal &c. by Wm. Thos. Vincent – Detailed guide to the layout, buildings and manufacturing processes of the Arsenal c. 1884
- RCHME Historic Buildings Report: The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, volume I – October 1994 report by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England giving an overview of all surviving buildings on the former MoD Royal Arsenal (West) site.
- RCHME Historic Buildings Report: The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, volume II – An in-depth study of selected buildings