Royal Artillery Museum facts for kids
The Rotunda, Woolwich: home of the museum from 1820 to 2001
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| Established | 4 May 1820 |
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| Dissolved | 8 July 2016 |
The Royal Artillery Museum was one of the oldest military museums in the world. It first opened in Woolwich, south-east London, in 1820. The museum showed how artillery (large guns) changed over time. It had an amazing collection of cannons and other artillery pieces from many centuries.
The museum started from an older place called the Royal Military Repository. This was set up in Woolwich in the 1770s. It was a training collection for students at the Royal Military Academy. Many items from the Repository became the main part of the Royal Artillery Museum's collection.
The museum was known as 'Firepower – The Royal Artillery Museum' from 2001. It closed in 2016. Its collection is now kept safely in storage. There are plans to open a new Royal Artillery Museum in the future. The museum's collections are considered very important for the country and the world by Arts Council England.
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History of the Museum
The Royal Artillery started as two groups of soldiers with field artillery in 1716. Each group had 100 men. They became the "Royal Artillery" in 1720. They were first based at the Royal Arsenal. From 1770, the soldiers moved to the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common.
The Royal Military Repository: Where it All Began
In 1778, a captain named William Congreve started a training place. It was part of the Royal Military Academy. Here, officers learned how to use heavy equipment on the battlefield. His 'Repository of Military Machines' was soon called the Royal Military Repository.
It was in a two-story building. Cannons for training were kept downstairs. Smaller items and models for teaching were upstairs. Training first happened in one area, then moved to woods near the new Artillery Barracks. These woods are still called 'Repository Grounds'.
The Repository building was badly damaged by fire in 1802. The items that were saved moved to the old Royal Military Academy building. The Academy itself moved to Woolwich Common in 1806.
The Museum in the Rotunda: A Unique Home
The Repository collection found a new home in a very unusual building. This was arranged by William Congreve, the son of the Repository's founder. The Rotunda was first built in London in 1814. It was a fancy temporary tent for a party.
The party was given by the Prince Regent for the Duke of Wellington. It celebrated the expected victory over Napoleon Bonaparte. The building was designed by John Nash. It looked like a military bell tent.
After the celebrations, the building was not used. But in 1818, the Prince Regent allowed it to be moved to Woolwich. It was rebuilt on the eastern edge of the Repository Grounds. It was meant to hold war trophies, artillery models, and other military items.
In its new spot, the Repository became an "early and free public museum." Inside, war trophies and weapons were placed around a central pole. Display cases held models and smaller items. Larger artillery pieces were shown outside.
The museum stayed in the Rotunda until the end of the 20th century. There were many attempts to move it, but it stayed. Finally, a new place was found for the museum in the Royal Arsenal. The Army had left this site in the 1990s. The Royal Artillery Museum in the Rotunda closed in 1999.
Firepower: The New Chapter
From 2001 to 2016, the museum was called Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum. It was located in some of the old buildings of the Royal Arsenal. These buildings were once part of the Royal Laboratory Department, which made ammunition. Most of them are Grade II listed, meaning they are important historic buildings. The Greenwich Heritage Centre next door told stories about the local people who worked in the Arsenal.
Closure of Firepower
Firepower closed in July 2016. The buildings were bought by Greenwich Council. The council hopes to create a "new cultural and heritage quarter" there. Some people thought moving the museum was a "missed opportunity." The Greenwich Heritage Centre tried to help by creating a new exhibition. It was called Making Woolwich: The Royal Regiment of Artillery in Woolwich.
What Happened to the Buildings?
In 2017, it was announced that Greenwich Council bought five historic buildings. These included buildings 17, 18, and 41, which Firepower used. The plan is to create a cultural area. The Greenwich Heritage Centre was supposed to move to the former James Clavell Library, which was part of Firepower. However, the Heritage Centre closed in July 2018.
Gallery of Buildings at Firepower
These buildings were used by Firepower:
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The main museum entrance led to galleries about modern guns.
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To the right, the former Paper Cartridge Factory (Building 17) held the main Gunnery Hall and other exhibits.
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To the left, the former Royal Laboratory Offices (Building 18) held museum offices and archives.
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Building 41, across from the museum, held large items from the Cold War era.
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Gallery of Exhibits at Firepower
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A FV433 Abbot SPG
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A 3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer
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A section of the 1990-1991 Iraqi supergun
Future Plans for the Museum
There were plans to display the Royal Artillery Museum collection in a new museum. It was to be on Salisbury Plain, near Netheravon. However, in 2020, the Army decided not to support this location. This led to a new look at the project. For now, the museum's exhibits are being stored and cared for nearby. Only a few people can visit them.
