The Royal Artillery Barracks in 1900

  The Royal Artillery Barracks in 2005.

The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in South East London was the home of the Royal Artillery. It is famous for having the longest continuous Georgian building facade in the UK as well as for having the largest parade square of any UK barracks.^{[citation needed]}

  History

The Barracks were built between 1776 and 1802 on a site overlooking Woolwich Common. Their use by the RA ended with the departure of 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery in July 2007.^[1]

Woolwich has extensive links with weaponry. Besides the Royal Artillery Barracks it was the location of the Royal Arsenal complex, which was the British Government's principal armaments manufacturing facility for over 200 years, and the Royal Military Academy which trained artillery officers and engineers from 1741 to 1939. There was also a military hospital based at Woolwich which closed in the mid 1990s. Woolwich Common is still a designated military training area although troops are not often seen nowadays. Woolwich Dockyard was one of the principal Royal Dockyards during the Tudor and Stuart periods, although it closed in the late 19th century for Royal Navy use as the Thames was by then too difficult to navigate for the naval vessels of the time.

It had been a matter of debate^[who?] whether the Ministry of Defence would dispose of the barracks as surplus to requirements. The barracks has now been designated one of the MoD's "core sites". At one time it was rumoured that the only reason that the barracks was not being sold was that the members of the Royal Artillery Mess who owned their officers' mess in the building would not consent to sell, and so the MoD were forced to recognise that they could not dispose of the building in its entirety.^{[citation needed]} Now it is planned that, now the last RA unit has moved out, the public duties line infantry battalion and incremental companies of the Foot Guards will be moved from Chelsea Barracks and Cavalry Barracks, which will be closed. Also, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are scheduled to move from the St John's Wood barracks to new quarters and stables on the Woolwich site during 2011, bringing a complement of 75 or thereabouts horses, historic gun carriages and artillery pieces used for their displays.

  2012 Olympic and Paralympic venue

The shooting events at the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, Great Britain will be held at a temporary venue at the Barracks.^[2] The original venue for the shooting was the National Shooting Centre at Bisley in Surrey, but the plan was changed after the International Olympic Committee expressed reservations about the number of sports which London proposed to stage outside the city.

The budget for the Olympics project is £18 million. After the Olympics and Paralympics the temporary shooting hall will be reassembled elsewhere in the UK.

  See also

• Royal School of Artillery
• Wentworth Woodhouse, another building with a long facade

  References

  External links

• Location map - aerial photo also available
• History of the Royal Artillery Theatre

Coordinates: 51°29′12″N 0°03′37″E / 51.48667°N 0.06028°E / 51.48667; 0.06028

Olympic venues in modern pentathlon 1912: Barkarby, Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, Kaknäs, Östermalm Athletic Grounds, Stockholm Olympic Stadium • 1920: Olympisch Stadion • 1924: Fontainebleau, Le Stand de Tir de Versailles, Piscine des Tourelles, Stade de Colombes • 1928: Amersfoort, Hilversum, Olympic Sports Park Swim Stadium, Schemzaal, Zeeburg Shooting Grounds • 1932: 160th Regiment State Armory, Los Angeles Police Pistol Range, Riviera Country Club, Sunset Fields Golf Club, Swimming Stadium • 1936: Döberitz, Haus des Deutschen Sports, Olympic Swimming Stadium, Ruhleben, Wannsee Golf Course • 1948: Aldershot, Bisley National Rifle Association Ranges, Royal Military Academy • 1952: Hämeenlinna • 1956: Oaklands Hunt Club, Royal Exhibition Building, Swimming/Diving Stadium, Williamstown • 1960: Acqua Santa Golf Club Course, Palazzo dei Congressi, Passo Corese, Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto, Umberto I Shooting Range • 1964: Asaka Nezu Park, Asaka Shooting Range, Kemigawa, National Gymnasium, Waseda Memorial Hall • 1968: Campo Militar 1, Fernando Montes de Oca Fencing Hall, Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool, Vincente Suárez Shooting Range • 1972: Messegelände Fechthalle 2, Olympiastadion, Riding Facility, Riem; Schießanlage, Schwimmhalle • 1976: Montreal Botanical Garden, Olympic Equestrian Centre, Bromont; Olympic Pool, Olympic Shooting Range, L'Acadie; Winter Stadium, Université de Montréal • 1980: CSKA Football Fieldhouse, Dynamo Shooting Range, Swimming Pool - Olimpisky, Trade Unions' Equestrian Complex • 1984: Coto de Caza, Heritage Park Aquatic Center • 1988: Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool, Mongchon Tosong, Olympic Fencing Gymnasium, Seoul Equestrian Park, Taenung International Shooting Range • 1992: Cross-country course, Mollet del Vallès Shooting Range, Palau de la Metal·lúrgia, Piscines Bernat Picornell, Real Club de Polo de Barcelona • 1996: Georgia International Horse Park, Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, Georgia World Congress Center • 2000: Sydney Baseball Stadium, Sydney International Aquatic Centre, The Dome and Exhibition Complex • 2004: Olympic Modern Pentathlon Centre • 2008: Olympic Green Convention Center, Olympic Sports Centre, Ying Tung Natatorium • 2012: Aquatics Centre, Greenwich Park, Copper Box, Royal Artillery Barracks • 2016: Deodoro Modern Pentathlon Park

Olympic venues in shooting 1896: Kallithea 1900: Boulogne-Billancourt, Satory 1908: Bisley Ranges, Uxendon Shooting School Club 1912: Råsunda Stadium 1920: Beverloo Camp, Hoogboom Military Camp 1924: Camp de Châlons, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Le Stade Olympique Reims, Le Stand de Tir de Versailles 1932: Los Angeles Police Pistol Range 1936: Wannsee Shooting Range 1948: Bisley National Rifle Association Ranges 1952: Huopalahti, Malmi Rifle Range 1956: Royal Australian Air Force, Laverton Air Base, Williamstown 1960: Cesano Infantry School Range, Lazio Pigeon Shooting Stand, Umberto I Shooting Range 1964: Asaka Shooting Range, Tokorozawa Shooting Range 1968: Vincente Suárez Shooting Range 1972: Schießanlage 1976: Olympic Shooting Range, L'Acadie 1980: Dynamo Shooting Range 1984: Prado Regional Park 1988: Taenung International Shooting Range 1992: Mollet del Vallès Shooting Range 1996: Wolf Creek Shooting Complex 2000: Sydney International Shooting Centre 2004: Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre 2008: Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field, Beijing Shooting Range Hall 2012: Royal Artillery Barracks 2016: National Shooting Center