Scientific Industries. 473 



ROYAL ARSENAL, WOOLWICH. 



The history of Woolwich Arsenal does not stretch so far back as 

 that of the Dockyard. As a manufacturing establishment, it can 

 boast only of an antiquity of about 180 years, but as a military post 

 and stores depot its history commences in the seventeenth century. 

 Previous to 1805 the Royal Arsenal was known by the name of 

 " Tower Place " or " King's Warren," and so early as 1667 a 

 portion of the present site is said to have been acquired by the 

 Board of Ordnance for the purpose of throwing up a battery to 

 protect Woolwich against a possible invasion of the Dutch fleet. 

 Some authorities state that even a century earlier than this the 

 present site of the Arsenal was provided with defences. There is, 

 however, an authentic record extant, under date of July 9th, 1664, 

 making mention of storehouses for powder and sheds for repairing 

 ship carriages. 



From storage to workmanship was the next step, and we find in 

 1668 that the guns, carriages, and stores previously concentrated at 

 Deptford were ordered to be removed to Woolwich, and that in 

 1683, 89 condemned gun carriages were broken up and their iron- 

 work taken out. In 1695 the laboratory previously at Greenwich 

 was moved to Woolwich. 



Prior to 1716 the ordnance required both for the military and 

 naval services was supplied by private manufacturers and after- 

 wards proved at the Government proof grounds. The Moorfields 

 foundry (in the present City Road, near Finsbury Square) supplied 

 the greater number of the guns and mortars required for the 

 Ordnance, and it was a disastrous explosion at this foundry in 1716 

 which determined the Government on having a brass foundry of its 

 own for casting brass ordnance. This determination was accord- 

 ingly carried out in 1716. The first master-founder, or proof- 

 master, was Andrew Schalch, who held the post for sixty years. 

 It may be mentioned here that the story which has obtained con- 

 siderable credence that to Schalch was due the credit of having 

 founded Woolwich Arsenal has been very clearly disproved by 

 Lieutenant Grover in a most interesting paper on the history of the 

 Arsenal ("Proceedings, R. A. Inst.," Vol. VI.). 



The present Pattern Room is said to have been designed by 

 Sir John Vanbrugh. It occupies a site on which stood, so far back 

 as the fourteenth century, a building used as a look-out tower. 

 Also near the same site stood, until 1786, a tall brick building (a 



