Excavations at The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich
Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd has just completed an extensive watching brief at a site within the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. The Royal Arsenal has a long history of industrial use over the last 500 years; until the 1960s it was where the vast majority of arms and armaments for the British military were manufactured. The investigation encompassed an area that has been used for the last 200 years for the forging of cast iron, and the production of gun barrels on massive lathes, some of which were over 50m long!
The remains of buildings that were used for the development of new types of weapons were also found.
1895 OS map. The study area is outlined in yellow. The anvil was in the structure marked 'South Forge'.
Brick Building
The almost complete plan of a brick building was exposed, which was one of the Royal Laboratory Buildings where gun cartridges were made. The building appears to have had a very short lifespan, seemingly built in 1808 but ready for demolition in 1812. It is possible that either the building gave way, or that an unfortunate explosion caused its demise!
The excavated remains of a brick building.
Timbers
The foundations of the laboratory building revealed an unexpected discovery: 90 or so pieces of timber had been laid flat as sill-beams beneath the walls. These timbers were all pieces of gun carriages from naval, land and siege guns, and included axles (axle-trees), side pieces (cheeks) and wheels (trucks). The naval carriages are of the type that would have held guns that fired from the sides of 18th century warships. It is possible that some of them may be French examples that were captured. At least one of the timbers, the base of a mortar, is the only piece of its type that has been found in this country on land.
Contemporary illustration of the complete steam hammer. From The Engineer, February 8th 1867
Hammer
In 1872 construction began on a 35-ton steam hammer that was used to flatten ingots of iron. The lower section of the anvil for the hammer, and its foundations, were exposed during the investigation. It was a massive structure, comprising over 700 tons of cast iron in the anvil, built upon 100 timber piles, and buried in concrete. The upper structure of the hammer, which was dismantled in the early 20th century, stood approximately 45 feet tall.
The upper sections of the anvil were exposed and recorded. An inscription on the illustrated section reads:
'"ANVIL FOR 30 TON STEAM HAMMER WEIGHT 103 TONNES CAST IN ROYAL GUN FACTORIES 1872",
103 tons being the weight of the curved section alone. It also lists the names of some of those who oversaw the project:
"COL. F. A. CAMPBELL R. A. SUPERINTENDENT; MAJOR E. MAITLAND R. A. ASSISTANT SUPT; R. S. FRASER ESQR C. E. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SUPT".
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