Information AboutWoolwich |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT WOOLWICH | |
| neighbourhoods of greenwich | |
| districts of london | |
Woolwich (pronounced or ) is a suburb in south-east London , England in the London Borough Of Greenwich , on the south side of the River Thames , though the tiny Exclave of North Woolwich (which is now part of the London Borough Of Newham ) is on the north side of the river. It is notable as a river crossing point, having the Woolwich Ferry (and the lesser-known Woolwich Foot Tunnel ) to North Woolwich, and as the one-time home of the Woolwich Building Society (now relocated in Bexleyheath and owned by Barclays Plc ). HISTORY The history of Woolwich is strongly associated with Britain's military past. It was home to the Woolwich Dockyard (founded in 1512), the Royal Arsenal (dating back to 1671), the Royal Military Academy (1741) and the Royal Horse Artillery (1793); the town still retains an army base at the Royal Artillery Barracks , and the Royal Artillery Museum . The nearby Greenwich Heritage Centre also houses exhibits relating to the Royal Arsenal. Arsenal Football Club were founded in Woolwich in 1886 by workers at the Arsenal - the club were initially known as ''Dial Square'', then ''Royal Arsenal'' and then became ''Woolwich Arsenal'' in 1891. They moved to Arsenal Stadium , Highbury in north London in 1913, and dropped the Woolwich prefix the following year. This is a rare example of a British football team moving from its local area, albeit relocating within the same conurbation. Royal Ordnance Factories F.C. was founded in response to Woolwich Arsenal joining the League but only lasted several years. Woolwich Polytechnic , founded in 1892, merged with other local colleges and became Thames Polytechnic in 1970. In 1992 it was granted University Status as the University Of Greenwich . In 2000, the University began a relocation to the Old Royal Naval College , several miles to the west in Greenwich town centre, leaving only an administrative presence in Woolwich. Woolwich was the start of the route of the last London , finally arriving at New Cross depot around 1am on the 6 July. Greenwich Guide, day by day accessed 23 Apr 2007 Woolwich was home to the experimental Auto Stacker car park. Officially opened in May 1961 by Princess Margaret , it was never actually used by the public and was demolished in 1962, after the council could not get it to work. Woolwich is the location of the United Kingdom 's first branch of McDonald's (the 3,000th in the world), which opened in 1974. Woolwich was chosen because it was considered to be a representative English town at the time. Interview with McDonalds UK CEO Evening Standard 16th December 1991 accessed 23 Apr 2007 Woolwich once had four Cinemas . Today, one is a Bingo hall, another a nightclub, and another (which once hosted Buddy Holly ) is now a pentecostal church called New Wine Church. Woolwich was used as a location for the 2006 film '' Children Of Men ''. RECENT DEVELOPMENT The town centre began to decline in the 1950s. Department stores closed, being replaced by charity and pound shops. However, once redevelopment of the former Royal Arsenal site began, Woolwich started to enjoy a small renaissance. Several High Street chains previously absent from Woolwich have opened branches, and longer-established shops have been refurbished. An extension of the Docklands Light Railway is under construction and other developments are planned. In early 2007, large-scale redevelopment of the area around Love Lane, near the eastern end of Powis Street, was in the final stages of consultation.http://www.lovelanewoolwich.co.uk The proposed project will include demolition of several buildings including the Post Office, Peggy Middleton House and Thomas Spencer Halls of Residence, and the construction of new council offices and housing, local shops and a large branch of Tesco . A tall residential tower block is planned for General Gordon Square. Some local residents have been concerned about the design of the development. Local resident concerns Plans exhibited to the public originally preserved the ''Director General'' Public House , Director General public house but in the later plans by Greenwich Council the pub is to be demolished. Change of plans . Planning for further development around the "Woolwich Triangle" area at the other end of town is in the early stages. This development includes plans to demolish the old Art Deco Co-op building at the west end of Powis Street. Coop site redevelopment These plans have now been made public and exhibitions of the plans held. The 2012 Summer Olympics will include Woolwich as a venue for shooting events. This combined with the optimistic redevelopment of much of Woolwich has led house prices to rise quite rapidly. FAMOUS RESIDENTS
EDUCATION :''For education in Woolwich see the main London Borough Of Greenwich article TRANSPORT AND LOCALE Nearest places Nearest tube station Nearest railway stations Docklands light railway
River The free Woolwich Ferry service operates across the River Thames to North Woolwich in the London Borough Of Newham carrying trucks, cars, cyclists and pedestrians during the day until 8pm on Weekdays. A two boat service runs on Mondays to Saturdays and Sundays only has a one boat service. Woolwich Foot Tunnel is also available for use by pedestrians (and cyclists pushing their cycles) at any time. It is served by lifts during traditional shopping hours. London River Services , operated by Thames Clipper , provide a peak hour, seven days a week service to central London ( Savoy Pier ) from Woolwich Arsenal Pier (adjacent to the Royal Arsenal residential development). The Thames Flood Barrier is located a mile upstream from the tunnel and ferry. SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|