Royal Artillery Barracks

General view of the exterior of the Royal Artillery Barracks

The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London, was the home of the Royal Artillery.

History[edit]

The Royal Artillery Barracks in 1900

The Barracks were built between 1776 and 1802 on a site overlooking Woolwich Common. Their use by the RA ended with the departure of 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery in July 2007.^[1]

Woolwich has extensive links with weaponry. Besides the Royal Artillery Barracks it was the location of the Royal Arsenal complex, which was the British Government's principal armaments manufacturing facility for over 200 years, and the Royal Military Academy which trained artillery officers and engineers from 1741 to 1939. There was also a military hospital based at Woolwich which closed in the mid-1990s. Woolwich Common is still a designated military training area although troops are not often seen nowadays. Woolwich Dockyard was one of the principal Royal Dockyards during the Tudor and Stuart periods, although it closed in the late 19th century for Royal Navy use as the Thames was by then too difficult to navigate for the naval vessels of the time.^[2]

Most Royal Artillery units have now moved out and the public duties line infantry battalion and incremental companies of the Foot Guards have moved in from Chelsea Barracks and Cavalry Barracks. Also, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery moved from the St John's Wood Barracks to their new quarters and stables on the Woolwich site in 2012, bringing with them a complement of 120 or thereabouts horses, historic gun carriages and artillery pieces used for their displays.^[3]

The shooting events at the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were held at a temporary venue at the Barracks.^[4] The original plan to conduct the shooting at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley, Surrey, was changed after the International Olympic Committee expressed reservations about the number of sports proposed to be staged outside London.

See also[edit]

• Royal School of Artillery
• Wentworth Woodhouse, another building with a long facade
• 2013 Woolwich attack, took place outside the barracks

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Location map - aerial photo also available
• History of the Royal Artillery Theatre

Coordinates: 51°29′12″N 0°03′37″E / 51.48667°N 0.06028°E / 51.48667; 0.06028

v t e Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic Zone Aquatics Centre Basketball Arena BMX Track Eton Manor Copper Box London Velodrome Olympic Stadium Riverbank Arena Water Polo Arena River Zone ExCeL Greenwich Park North Greenwich Arena Royal Artillery Barracks Central Zone All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Earls Court Exhibition Centre Hampton Court Palace Horse Guards Parade Hyde Park Lord's Cricket Ground Marathon Course Wembley Arena Wembley Stadium Outside London Dorney Lake Hadleigh Farm Lee Valley White Water Centre Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy Football stadia City of Coventry Stadium Hampden Park Millennium Stadium Old Trafford St James' Park Category  Commons

v t e Olympic venues in modern pentathlon 1912: Barkarby, Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, Kaknäs, Östermalm Athletic Grounds, Stockholm Olympic Stadium • 1920: Olympisch Stadion • 1924: Fontainebleau, Le Stand de Tir de Versailles, Piscine des Tourelles, Stade de Colombes • 1928: Amersfoort, Hilversum, Olympic Sports Park Swim Stadium, Schermzaal, Zeeburg Shooting Grounds • 1932: 160th Regiment State Armory, Los Angeles Police Pistol Range, Riviera Country Club, Sunset Fields Golf Club, Swimming Stadium • 1936: Döberitz, Haus des Deutschen Sports, Olympic Swimming Stadium, Ruhleben, Wannsee Golf Course • 1948: Aldershot, Bisley National Rifle Association Ranges, Royal Military Academy • 1952: Hämeenlinna • 1956: Oaklands Hunt Club, Royal Exhibition Building, Swimming/Diving Stadium, Williamstown • 1960: Acqua Santa Golf Club Course, Palazzo dei Congressi, Passo Corese, Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto, Umberto I Shooting Range • 1964: Asaka Nezu Park, Asaka Shooting Range, Kemigawa, National Gymnasium, Waseda Memorial Hall • 1968: Campo Militar 1, Fernando Montes de Oca Fencing Hall, Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool, Vincente Suárez Shooting Range • 1972: Messegelände Fechthalle 2, Olympiastadion, Riding Facility, Riem; Schießanlage, Schwimmhalle • 1976: Montreal Botanical Garden, Olympic Equestrian Centre, Bromont; Olympic Pool, Olympic Shooting Range, L'Acadie; Winter Stadium, Université de Montréal • 1980: CSKA Football Fieldhouse, Dynamo Shooting Range, Swimming Pool - Olimpisky, Trade Unions' Equestrian Complex • 1984: Coto de Caza, Heritage Park Aquatic Center • 1988: Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool, Mongchontoseong, Olympic Fencing Gymnasium, Seoul Equestrian Park, Taenung International Shooting Range • 1992: Cross-country course, Mollet del Vallès Shooting Range, Palau de la Metal·lúrgia, Piscines Bernat Picornell, Real Club de Polo de Barcelona • 1996: Georgia International Horse Park, Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, Georgia World Congress Center • 2000: Sydney Baseball Stadium, Sydney International Aquatic Centre, The Dome and Exhibition Complex • 2004: Olympic Modern Pentathlon Centre • 2008: Olympic Green Convention Center, Olympic Sports Centre, Ying Tung Natatorium • 2012: Aquatics Centre, Greenwich Park, Copper Box, Royal Artillery Barracks • 2016: Deodoro Modern Pentathlon Park

v t e Olympic venues in shooting 1896: Kallithea 1900: Boulogne-Billancourt, Satory 1908: Bisley Ranges, Uxendon Shooting School Club 1912: Råsunda IP 1920: Beverloo Camp, Hoogboom Military Camp 1924: Camp de Châlons, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Le Stade Olympique Reims, Le Stand de Tir de Versailles 1932: Los Angeles Police Pistol Range 1936: Wannsee Shooting Range 1948: Bisley National Rifle Association Ranges 1952: Huopalahti, Malmi Rifle Range 1956: Royal Australian Air Force, Laverton Air Base, Williamstown 1960: Cesano Infantry School Range, Lazio Pigeon Shooting Stand, Umberto I Shooting Range 1964: Asaka Shooting Range, Tokorozawa Shooting Range 1968: Vincente Suárez Shooting Range 1972: Schießanlage 1976: Olympic Shooting Range, L'Acadie 1980: Dynamo Shooting Range 1984: Prado Regional Park 1988: Taenung International Shooting Range 1992: Mollet del Vallès Shooting Range 1996: Wolf Creek Shooting Complex 2000: Sydney International Shooting Centre 2004: Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre 2008: Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field, Beijing Shooting Range Hall 2012: Royal Artillery Barracks 2016: National Shooting Center

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