In the 17th century, King Charles II decided it'd be a good idea to have a fortress in Woolwich, to stop the Dutch sailing up the Thames and bombarding London too often. Offices and factories were added - the site was away from London and they could make lots of noise. It was called the 'Warren', but in 1805 George III visited and decided that 'Royal Arsenal' was a far more sensible name.
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 9 May 2004