The Royal Arsenal Tour: From the Battlefield to the Football field

(15 reviews)

London audio tour: The Royal Arsenal Tour: From the Battlefield to the Football field

This is a 0.9mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$7.99

Access all 26 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

Three hundred years ago an accident occurred that would change the history of Woolwich forever and set it on a path to becoming the biggest munitions manufacturer in the world.

This walking tour takes you around London’s Royal Arsenal neighbourhood, where you’ll hear the reasons the arsenal was built and the history of some of the original buildings in the area. Our tour will also touch on the birth of two of the most important branches of the military, and a world famous soccer team.

With an eye on the present day, you’ll find out about:

Woolwich’s Cultural Quarter
London’s 2012 gift
Who the stone statue that leans against the Brass Foundry depicts
The oldest surviving ordnance building in the country
How an explosion caused a brass foundry to move from the city centre to the Royal Arsenal

Join me on this hour-long circular walk and savour this slice of London’s colourful history.

Tour Producer

Richard Smith-Gore

2 tours

I have been a manager of museums and historic houses for over 20 years. Tour guiding is a passion of mine as I love story telling and sharing history with others. Royal Arsenal Tours was set up after the closure of The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich to continue to be able to tell the stories of the area. I particularly love military, social, and industrial history. We currently run live tours of the history of Royal Arsenal plus Ghost Tours and Women's History Tours.

Preview Location

Location 1

The Thames - Father of Woolwich

Welcome and thank you for choosing to come on this tour where we explore the factories that forged an empire.

My name is Richie Smith-Gore and I am a local historian for The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. This tour spans 2 thousand years of history that shaped two empires and fo... Welcome and thank you for choosing to come on this tour where we explore the factories that forged an empire.

My name is Richie Smith-Gore and I am a local historian for The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. This tour spans 2 thousand years of history that shaped two empires and founded two branches of the British Military and one rather famous soccer team.

We'll start the tour here, at the end of the pier. Let us take a few moments to stay here and admire Old Father Thames, the life blood of the city of Londinium the original Roman name for what we now call London.

The Roman settlement which was founded around 47-50AD soon grew into a major port, bringing with it great wealth. This made it a target for attack and from 190AD the construction of the London Wall was started to defend from land attack. This did however leave the river and its ports and warehouses vulnerable. A wall was not practical at the docks as this was a trading point with ships needing free access up and down the river. So an early warning system was needed to allow Londinium time to re-deploy troops from the London Wall onto the river to defend the city.

Look down the river. If the land is to your back this will be to the right.

Now imagine you see enemy ships rounding the headland on route to Londinium for a raid. See how far you are able to see down river. This is why a Roman Garrison was based here as part of the early warning system. There would also have been others further downstream to the estuary such as Erith.

Now look upriver and imagine you and your garrison riding as fast as you can to warn Londinium. You'll pass Greenwich another base for a garrison as part of the system. When they see you riding towards them with a banner signalling attack they'll mount up and head to the city and so will you. The safety of the great city lies in all your hands.

So from a small garrison of Roman soldiers, the town of Woolwich was born. Let's go and explore, shall we?

Head up the ramp of this Pier and walk inland.

While you walk, let me briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at the right time and place. This means that you can put your phone away now. Don't worry if I'm silent at times, when I'm not giving directions or telling stories. There's a map on your screen if you ever feel lost, and if you do get way off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

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Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Woolwich
Royal Arsenal
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier
55 No 1 St
House of Denna
Assembly
Woolwich Works
Artillery Square
Acosta Dance Foundation
Laboratory Pavilion East
Laboratory Pavilion West
Royal Brass Foundry
Deus Lunus Roman statue
Nike sculpture by Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis
Guard House
Beresford Square
No 1 Street
Powell & Company Solicitors LLP
Dial Arch
Dial Arch Square
Boulangerie Jade
West Carriage House
Punchdrunk
My HQ (Building 22)
Foundry House
Wellington Park
SE18 6XD
37 Carriage St
Building
James Clavell Square
Royal Arsenal Heritage Site

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
The Fireworks Factory, 11 No 1 St, Royal Arsenal, London SE18 6HD, UK
Total distance

1km
Final location
Imperial Building, 2 Duke of Wellington Ave, London SE18 6FR, UK
Distance back to start location

160.11m

Directions to Starting Point

Thames Clipper - The most fun way to get to the start of the tour is via Uber Boat by Thames Clipper
Woolwich Arsenal Station - A 5-10 minute walk from the station. Use your map to head to the Royal Arsenal Pier
Crossrail - One day we hope it will open
Bus - Various buses serve Woolwich, most stop in Beresford Square by Woolwich Arsenal Station

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Con Gusto - Italian Restaurant a real treat
The Guard House - Gastro Pub, more for a meal
The Dial Arch - Gastro Pub with plenty of outdoor seating for a drink
Boulangerie Jade - Coffee Shop and Café perfect for lunch or take away
Tesco Express - Just along from Boulangerie Jade a 2 minute detour from the route
Duke of Wellington Park - Lovely rest stop

Best time of day

As the tour starts on the Royal Arsenal Pier it is best to come when the Clippers are running. If it is closed you can listen to the first stop from the Thames wall.

Precautions

Most of the tour is around pedestrian only areas, but you will be crossing some roads which are used by residents so care should be taken.
This is the UK so check the weather and plan accordingly.

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Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.6 / 5

15 Ratings

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The Royal Arsenal Tour: From the Battlefield to the Football field

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Richard Smith-Gore

Preview Location

Location 1

The Thames - Father of Woolwich

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Woolwich

Royal Arsenal

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier

55 No 1 St

House of Denna

Assembly

Woolwich Works

Artillery Square

Acosta Dance Foundation

Laboratory Pavilion East

Laboratory Pavilion West

Royal Brass Foundry

Deus Lunus Roman statue

Nike sculpture by Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis

Guard House

Beresford Square

No 1 Street

Powell & Company Solicitors LLP

Dial Arch

Dial Arch Square

Boulangerie Jade

West Carriage House

Punchdrunk

My HQ (Building 22)

Foundry House

Wellington Park

SE18 6XD

37 Carriage St

Building

James Clavell Square

Royal Arsenal Heritage Site