Editing Woolwich (section)

=== Military expansion ===
[[File:Woolwich Dockyard 1790.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Woolwich Dockyard]] in 1790]]
Woolwich remained a relatively small Kentish settlement until the beginning of the 16th century, when it began to develop into a maritime, military and industrial centre. In 1512 it became home to [[Woolwich Dockyard]], originally known as "The King's Yard", founded by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] to build his flagship ''[[Henry Grace à Dieu]]'' ("The Great Harry"). Many great ships were built here, such as the ''[[English ship Prince Royal (1610)|Prince Royal]]'', the ''[[English ship Sovereign of the Seas|Sovereign of the Seas]]'', the ''[[English ship Naseby (1655)|Naseby]]'', the ''[[HMS Dolphin (1751)|Dolphin]]'' and the ''[[HMS Beagle|Beagle]]''. East of the dockyard a gun yard was established in the 1540s (for storage and maintenance of ships' canons and armaments) and a [[Ropewalk|ropeyard]] followed in the 1570s. The dockyard went through many ups and downs but survived for three and a half centuries, closing down in 1869.

Following the establishment of the dockyard, [[Martin Bowes]] who had gathered a fortune at the [[Royal Mint]], bought riverside holdings in Woolwich and Plumstead in the 1530s, some of it former church land that had become available after the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. His mansion was Tower Place, for some time the largest dwelling in Woolwich.<ref>Saint & Guillery (2012), p. 130.</ref> In the 1650s the [[Board of Ordnance]] was given permission to [[Proof test|prove]] guns in the grounds of the mansion (an area known as the Warren) and twenty years later they purchased Tower Place itself. The Warren then developed from a place of storage into a collection of armament factories, military stores and research establishments, which were collectively named the [[Royal Arsenal]] by [[George III]] in 1805. The complex played a central role in Britain's military and industrial expansion: in wartime, tens of thousands of workers found employment here; between wars, unemployment loomed.<ref>Saint & Guillery (2012), p. 129.</ref>

The Board of Ordnance maintained its own establishment of military personnel, many of whom were based in the Warren. In 1716 it had (by a royal warrant of George I) formed the [[Royal Regiment of Artillery]], which had its headquarters and barracks in the Warren, and in 1741 it established the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]] there to train its future officers. In 1776 the Artillery moved out of the Warren into a new [[Royal Artillery Barracks]] on the edge of [[Woolwich Common]]. The Royal Military Academy followed, moving into its new premises at the other end of the common in 1806. By that time various other units and services had begun to establish themselves in the vicinity, forming what became known as [[Woolwich Garrison]]. In the 19th and 20th century several large barracks were built, as well as military schools and hospitals. To this day, the town retains an army base (known as Woolwich Station) centred on the [[Royal Artillery Barracks]] and Napier Lines Barracks.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Greenwich Heritage Centre, Woolwich - RA & RMA exhibition 30.jpg|Tower Place and the old Royal Military Academy, 1775
File:Greenwich Heritage Centre, Woolwich - RA & RMA exhibition 19.jpg|The Royal Artillery Band marching through Woolwich, early 19th century
File:Die Gartenlaube (1858) b 525.jpg|Open-air storage at the Royal Arsenal in the mid-19th century
File:Woolwich, RMA, Royal Horse Artillery Review, W Ranwell 1850 LMA.jpg|Royal Horse Artillery Review at the Royal Military Academy 1850
File:Woolwich, Royal Artillery Barracks, c 1900.jpg|Royal Artillery Barracks, {{circa|1900|lk=no}}
File:Greenwich Heritage Centre, Woolwich - RA & RMA exhibition 26 (cropped).jpg|Old Woolwich in 1929. On the hill: the parish church and the Red Barracks.
</gallery>