WOOLEIL iNouenttneestssen.] 1V OOLWICi , Kant, a market-town and the seat of the chief government arsenal, in the parish of Woolwich, ie situated on the right bank of the river Thamee, in 51' 29' N. lat., V 4' E. long., distant 8 miles E. from London by road, about 9i miles by the river, and 9 miles by the North Kent railway. The population of the town and parish of Woolwich in 1551 was 32,367. The parish forms part of tire parliamentary borough of Gazes/wren. The town is governed by a board of 30 commissioners. The living is a rectory in the arch deaconry of Middlesex and diocese of London.
Woolwich consists chiefly of a street about a mile long, on the bank of the river, with other streets diverging from It chiefly to the south. in the higher and more modern part of the town there are several streets of handsome homes. The streets are lighted with gas. At Woolwich the Thames is three-quarters of a mile wide. A tract of land in Ere:, on the left bank of the river, called North Woolwich, is included In the parish of Woolwich. The parish church is a plain brick building with a square tower. Two new churches have been erected within the hut few years with the aid of the Church Building Society. There is also a proprietary Episcopal chapel The Ordnance chapel, on the road to Phimstead, and another chapel In the Royal Artillery Barracks, are both in the appointment of the Board of Ordnance. The Wesleyan and Association Methodists, Independents, English Presbyterians, Baptists, and Roman Catholics have places of worship. There are National, British, Infant, and Roman Catholic schools, a Marine school, reading-rooms, • mechanics institute, a savings bank, baths, and several parochial charities. There is a town hall. A county court is held in the town. The government establish ments are—the Royal Artillery Barrack., the Royal Marine Barrack; the Royal Seppers and Miners' Barracks, the Royal Arsenal, Her Majesty's Dockyard, sod the Royal Ordnance Hospital.
The importance of Woolwich has arisen from its dockyard, from the goiernment foundry for cannon having been established there, and from ha having bean made a great depot for naval and military stores.
Of the government establishments at Woolwich, the first was— The Royal Dockyard, which was formed In the reign of Henry VIII. The ' Harry Grace It Dieu,' named after the king, and built at Woolwich in 1515, was the largest vessel which had then been constructed. The dockyard now commences at the village of New Charlton on the west, and extends along the south bank of the river almost a mile to the east, very near to the Royal Arsenal. It contains two large dry docks, • basin 400 feet long by 800 feet wide, capable of receiving the largest vessels; extensive ranges of Umber-shed; store-house; mast-housee, with steam saw ills, &a; and a large building provided with powerful steam-engines, Naamyth's steam-hammer, and every other needful implement for manufacturing the various articles of iron used in shipbuilding.
The government foundry for casting cannon was formerly in Moorflelds, and was removed to Woolwich about the year 1716. The foundry for cannon forms one of the principal departments of the Royal Arsenal. It has 4 air-furnaces, the largest of which can melt at once 19 tons of metal. Another department of the Royal Arsenal is the Model Room, which is near the foundry. It contains a pattern or model of every article used in the artillery service; of the machinery for granulating gunpowder, and for trying the strength of powder; of Congreve and other rockets ; chain, bar, and other shot ; fire-ships, fire-works, &e. Connected with the Model Room is the Laboratory, in which cartridges, rockets, fire-works, and other articles of chemical manufactures are prepared. In other parts of the arsenal are large numbers of cannonballs and bomb-shells arranged in pyra midal groups. At the east end of the grounds is the butt,' a large mound, which is made use of in proving the large guns cast here.