Royal Artillery Barracks

Royal Artillery Barracks stands in Woolwich, a district of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It was built between 1774 and 1776 and once served as the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The barracks sits north of Woolwich Common, a large open space used for military exercises. Behind the main façade, modern blocks replaced many of the original buildings in the 1950s and 1960s. A Gun Park beside the parade ground was used for field gun drills. The Barrack Field adjoining the common provided space for training and recreation. The site has strong links to the history of British artillery. The Royal Artillery moved here from the Warren in 1776 after the Board of Ordnance acquired the land in the 1670s. Captain William Congreve created the Royal Military Repository in the 1770s to teach gunners and engineers. Repository Exercises involved moving heavy guns over ditches and ravines designed to simulate battle conditions. The Rotunda, rebuilt in 1820, once housed the museum collection and later became the Royal Artillery Museum. Today the barracks area includes Napier Lines, a vehicle maintenance base for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. King George VI Lines now provides stables for the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The Observatory on Green Hill was once the headquarters of the Royal Artillery Institution and a centre for magnetic surveys. Terraced housing built in the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s still serves as married quarters for soldiers. The site remains a working military base with a long and varied history.