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96-564: The Auto Stacker , also known as Autostacker , was an ambitious but ill-fated automated parking system in Woolwich , South East London in the early 1960s. The project was initiated by Woolwich Borough Council but failed to work and was demolished in 1965–66. The Auto Stacker was an automated system for parking cars, and effectively an automated multi-storey car park , using a combination of conveyor belts , lifts and dollies to move vehicles from ground level to one of 256 car park spaces. It

192-476: A 259-home housing development with an 84,000 sq ft (7,800 m ) Tesco hypermarket , completed in 2014. In the same year, the latter development was named Britain's worst new building, being awarded the ' Carbuncle Cup ' for a design judges described as "oppressive, defensive, arrogant and inept". The same development was later the subject of a £46.7m claim by Tesco against Willmott Dixon for cladding replacement; Willmott Dixon then sought to reclaim

288-559: A 450-seat black box theatre and a riverside restaurant. The Greenwich Heritage Centre will move to new premises. The site will further include offices, studios and rehearsal spaces for resident companies such as Academy Performing Arts, Dash Arts, Chickenshed Theatre , Protein Dance, Greenwich Dance and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival . The creative district opened as Woolwich Works in September 2021. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station ,

384-766: A British soldier based at the Royal Artillery Barracks, was murdered close to the barracks by two Islamic extremists . The 16th Regiment Royal Artillery left Woolwich in 2007, but the Woolwich barracks still house the Royal Artillery Band and more recently the Second Battalion Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery , although the relocation of these has been announced for 2028. Recent and anticipated regeneration in

480-587: A capacity of 1,680. It became the Woolwich Hippodrome in 1908 and a full-time cinema in 1923. Rebuilt in 1955 as the Regal Cinema, it closed in 1982, was then used as a nightclub and demolished in 2015. The Granada cinema and the Odeon, later Coronet , both seating around 2,500, are imposing buildings from the 1930s that have both been converted into Pentecostal churches. The civil parish of Woolwich , roughly

576-748: A conservation area. The Neoclassical façade of the Royal Artillery Barracks ( James Wyatt , 1776–1802) is the longest façade in London, stretching along the north end of the common. Across the road, Government House (1781), was the quarters of the Garrison Commandant from 1855 to 1995. Of the nearby Garrison Church of St George only the shell remains after it was bombed during the Second World War . Its Neo-Romanesque architecture and remnants of mosaics are still impressive. John Nash 's Rotunda ,

672-558: A covered market opened in Plumstead Road but never formed a threat to the main market. Beresford Square had the largest public houses (of which Woolwich had many). Powis Street and Hare Street, laid out in the early 19th century, became the main shopping streets. A number of Victorian shop facades, many designed by local architect Henry Hudson Church, have survived. In 1868 the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society

768-506: A foreign ecclesiastic institution. As a result of this tenure Woolwich is not mentioned in the Domesday Book ; it is thought that the 63 acres listed as Hulviz refer to North Woolwich , which was then uninhabited. Some of the Ghent lands passed to the royal manors of Dartford and Eltham as early as 1100; the larger part of the parish, referred to as the manor of Woolwich but in effect not

864-752: A fortune at the Royal Mint , bought riverside holdings in Woolwich and Plumstead in the 1530s, some of it former church land that had become available after the Dissolution of the Monasteries . His mansion was Tower Place, for some time the largest dwelling in Woolwich. In the 1650s the Board of Ordnance was given permission to prove guns in the grounds of the mansion (an area known as the Warren) and twenty years later they purchased Tower Place itself. The Warren then developed from

960-471: A full manor, became an Eltham dependency in the 14th century. Not included were a riverside quay held by Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate , a wharf held by St Mary's Priory, Southwark , and land around Plumstead owned by Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh , later referred to as the Burrage Estate. Medieval Woolwich was susceptible to flooding. In 1236 many were killed by a flood. Woolwich Ferry

1056-436: A multi-story parking garage can be complicated by many variables such as capacity, land costs, area shape, number and location of entrances and exits, land usage, local codes and regulations, parking fees, location, and aesthetic and environmental requirements. Following is a comparison of building costs for generic APS and multi-story parking garages: The comparison above is for building costs only. Not included, for example,

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1152-456: A number of secondary benefits: There have been a number of problems with robotic parking systems, particularly in the United States. The systems work well in balanced throughput situations like shopping malls and train stations, but they are unsuited to high peak volume applications like rush hour usage or stadiums and they suffer from technical problems. Further, parkers not familiar with

1248-573: A place of storage into a collection of armament factories, military stores and research establishments, which were collectively named the Royal Arsenal by George III in 1805. The complex played a central role in Britain's military and industrial expansion: in wartime, tens of thousands of workers found employment here; between wars, unemployment loomed. The Board of Ordnance maintained its own establishment of military personnel, many of whom were based in

1344-474: A quarter of dockyard labourers' wages. At the height of the Napoleonic Wars , there were more soldiers (3,000) than dockyard and ropeyard workers (2,000), while the arsenal employed as many as 5,000. After the end of the wars, thousands were discharged, causing great distress. In the 1840s, a steam factory gave a new lease of life to the dockyard and the 1850s saw a huge expansion of the arsenal during and after

1440-514: A relatively small Kentish settlement until the beginning of the 16th century, when it began to develop into a maritime, military and industrial centre. In 1512 it became home to Woolwich Dockyard , originally known as "The King's Yard", founded by Henry VIII to build his flagship Henry Grace à Dieu ("The Great Harry"). Many great ships were built here, such as the Prince Royal , the Sovereign of

1536-507: A retrieval time of 1 minute and 44 seconds. The largest APS in Europe is at Dokk1 in Aarhus , Denmark, and provides 1,000 parking spaces via 20 car lifts. All APS take advantage of a common concept to decrease the area of parking spaces - removing the driver and passengers from the car before it is parked. With either fully automated or semi-automated APS, the car is driven up to an entry point to

1632-560: A round brick building with a leaded tent roof, until 2001 housed the Royal Artillery Museum and now serves as a boxing ring for the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in nearby Napier Lines Barracks. The Royal Military Academy at the south end of Woolwich Common was also designed by James Wyatt and has an almost equally long façade in Mock Tudor style. Other military buildings that survive include Connaught Barracks (built as

1728-503: A small footprint, the paternoster was easy to use in many places, including inside buildings. At the same time, Kent Automatic Garages was installing APS with capacities exceeding 1,000 cars. The “ferris-wheel,” or paternoster system — was created by the Westinghouse Corporation in 1923 and subsequently built in 1932 on Chicago's Monroe Street. The Nash Motor Company created the first glass-enclosed version of this system for

1824-413: A ticket. When driver and passengers have left the entry area, the mechanical system lifts the car and transports it to a pre-determined parking space in the system. More sophisticated fully automated APS will obtain the dimensions of cars on entry in order to place them in the smallest available parking space. The driver retrieves a car by inserting a ticket or code into an automated terminal. The APS lifts

1920-451: A variety of other names, including: automated parking facility (APF), automated vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVSRS), car parking system , mechanical parking , and robotic parking garage . The concept for the automated parking system was and is driven by two factors: a need for parking spaces and a scarcity of available land. The earliest use of an APS was in Paris, France in 1905 at

2016-518: Is a plain brick 1730s building with a spireless tower. Other religious buildings of interest include the Roman Catholic St Peter's Church (by Pugin ), and two Sikh gurdwaras , one a former Methodist church , the other a former Masonic hall. Parks in central Woolwich are generally small. St Mary's Gardens has been laid out as a park in Romantic style on the grounds of the former churchyard of

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2112-463: Is based in the historic Bathway Quarter in the centre of Woolwich. The old Grand Theatre, which briefly reopened in the 2010s, closed in 2015. The Tramshed, until 1953 an electricity sub-station for the borough's tramways , is a music and entertainment venue run by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Woolwich currently has no movie theatres. Cinemas are included in the plans for Spray Street quarter and

2208-531: Is collected by borough and ward so identifying the population of Woolwich is not straightforward. If the area is taken to approximate to the Woolwich Common, Woolwich Riverside and Glyndon Wards, then the population was 54,790 at the time of the 2011 census. If it is also taken to include the Plumstead and Shooters Hill Wards then it rises to 84,959 at the 2011 census. Woolwich has been inhabited since at least

2304-481: Is facing redevelopment. The round entrance building of the Woolwich foot tunnel dates from 1912. Further west, the Thames Barrier is an interesting example of modern architecture and technical achievement. The Thames Path is a National Trail that connects these sites. Elsewhere, monumental buildings testify of Woolwich's rich military history. Woolwich Common with its surrounding buildings has been designated

2400-545: Is now part of the London Borough of Newham . The ancient parishes of Plumstead and Eltham became part of the civil parish of Woolwich in 1930. Parts of the wards Glyndon and Shooter's Hill are often referred to as Woolwich, although this definition is not accepted by all. The nearest areas are Abbey Wood , Blackheath , Charlton , Eltham , Greenwich , Kidbrooke , Lewisham , North Woolwich, Plumstead, Shooter's Hill, Thamesmead , Welling and Well Hall . Census data

2496-529: Is the cost of land or the opportunity cost of the use of the land (i.e. the value of the additional space made available by the smaller size of the APS). As evidence of the complexities of comparing the costs for APS and multi-story parking garages, the same author presents an actual case study as follows: In this case study, the APS also provides roughly 7,000 sq ft (650 m ) of additional open space compared to

2592-453: The Crimean War . The presence of the dockyard, the arsenal and other military institutions stimulated economic growth in other areas, notably in commercial activities and entertainment. The ropeyard was established around 1570 and survived until 1832. Throughout the 17th century two glass factories were active near Glass Yard, owned by Sir Robert Mansell from Greenwich , who also managed

2688-595: The Docklands . The North Kent Line from London via Greenwich and Woolwich to Gillingham opened in 1849. The station building was rebuilt in 1906 and again in 1992–93. Woolwich was also on the route of two London trams of the first generation (1881–1952). The post-war period brought massive changes to the town's fabric and infrastructure. Roads were widened and entire neighbourhoods pulled down to make room for modern housing, some of it in tower blocks. The widening of Woolwich High Street and Beresford Street left little of

2784-834: The Fröbel -influenced principal of Blackheath Kindergarten Training College. In the 18th century, Woolwich Cricket Club , later Royal Artillery Cricket Club, were well-known cricket clubs. Cricket and other sports were mainly played by military officers and students at the Royal Military Academy . Arsenal F.C. was founded in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal . Initially known as Dial Square , then Royal Arsenal and then Woolwich Arsenal , they soon drew large crowds to their ground in Plumstead . In 1913 they moved to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury , North London. Royal Ordnance Factories F.C.

2880-488: The Great Plague , the population was estimated at 1,200 or more, of which about 300 worked in the dockyard. Around 1720, the town's population had risen to 6,500, reaching almost 10,000 in 1801. During the booming wartime decade that followed, population reached a peak of 17,000. After a period of stagnation, building activity picked up in the 1830s. Woolwich' built-up area expanded southward with workers' houses mostly close to

2976-584: The Iron Age . Remains of a probably Celtic oppidum , established sometime between the 3rd and 1st century BCE, in the late Roman period re-used as a fort, were found at the current Waterfront development site between Beresford Street and the Thames. According to the Survey of London (Volume 48: Woolwich), "this defensive earthwork encircled the landward sides of a riverside settlement, the only one of its kind so far located in

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3072-527: The Provisional IRA bombed the Kings Arms pub in the town. The bombing killed two. During the 2011 England riots , Woolwich was one of the areas affected. Several buildings were attacked, with a few being destroyed. The Great Harry Wetherspoons' Pub was set on fire, though it was subsequently remodeled and reopened. On 22 May 2013 the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich caused upheaval. Drummer Lee Rigby,

3168-463: The River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throughout the 16th to 20th centuries. After several decades of economic hardship and social deprivation , the area now has several large-scale urban renewal projects. Woolwich is situated 8.5 miles (13.7 km) from Charing Cross . It has a 1.6 mi (2.5 km) long frontage to

3264-726: The Royal Military Artificers in 1803), Lewis Wyatt 's Grand Depot Barracks (begun in 1805-6 for the Field Train department), Cambridge Barracks (1842, of which the gatehouse still stands) and Red Barracks (1858, only the boundary wall and entrance gate remain). The latter two, on Frances Street, were originally built as the Royal Marine Barracks, Woolwich for the Woolwich Division of the Royal Marines , and each

3360-451: The art deco RACS department store , one of two imposing Co-op buildings in this part of town. In September 2012 Greenwich Council approved a plan to convert the building into apartments and retail. Across the road, the late Victorian former RACS Central Stores building was renovated and re-opened as a hotel. Further regeneration is centred on Hare Street and the Riverside. By relocating

3456-551: The old town . Woolwich was home to the experimental Auto Stacker car park. Built on the site of the Empire Theatre, it was officially opened in May 1961 by Princess Margaret . It never actually worked and was demolished in 1962. A multi-storey car park was built along Monk Street in 1971. Woolwich Polytechnic was founded in 1891. As well as providing a higher education facility, it also provided secondary school facilities, including

3552-549: The parish church of St Mary Magdalen . Some historic grave markers have been placed against the peripheral wall. Tom Cribb 's memorial, a lion rests its paw on an urn, stands near the northeast entrance. The park features a belvedere which offers views of the river Thames. At the Royal Arsenal, several new parks and gardens have been landscaped but some can only be accessed by residents. Shrewsbury Park, Plumstead Common , Woolwich Common and Oxleas Wood are situated higher up

3648-579: The parishes of Woolwich, Eltham and Plumstead formed the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich . In 1906 the new Woolwich Town Hall was inaugurated. In April 1965, following implementation of the London Government Act 1963 , Woolwich was merged into the London Borough of Greenwich , since 2012 the Royal Borough of Greenwich . The administrative buildings of the borough are in Woolwich, at

3744-678: The 18th century the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Corps of Royal Engineers were established in Woolwich, followed by the Royal Military Academy . Other military institutions completed the picture of the garrison town that Woolwich had become in the early 19th century. The town has a distinctive housing history and in the Bathway Quarter it has an equally distinctive civic centre. Although repeatedly rebuilt, its architectural heritage reflects its unusual and important history. The older parts of

3840-527: The 18th century the navy yard remained the town's main employer with between 500 and 1,400 men working in the docks. Due to the malarial marshlands, it was not a popular place to work and for that reason Woolwich dockyard workers were paid as much as a third more than in other naval towns. These were mostly skilled artisans who were generally literate, Nonconformist and well-organized. The number of artillery men grew from around 200 in 1716 to around 1,500 in 1801. Soldiers were generally held in contempt, earning about

3936-424: The APS and the driver and passengers exit the car. The car is then moved automatically or semi-automatically (with some attendant action required) to its parking space. The space-saving provided by the APS, compared to the multi-story parking garage, is derived primarily from a significant reduction in space not directly related to the parking of the car: With the elimination of ramps, driving lanes, pedestrians and

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4032-471: The APS in the U.S. languished until the 1990s, Europe, Asia and Central America had been installing more technically advanced APS since the 1970s. In the early 1990s, nearly 40,000 parking spaces were being built annually using the paternoster APS in Japan. In 2012, there are an estimated 1.6 million APS parking spaces in Japan. The ever-increasing scarcity of available urban land ( urbanization ) and increase of

4128-657: The Bathway Quarter with the former Public Baths, the Old and New Town Hall , the former Magistrates Court and Police Station, the Old Public Library and several historic buildings of Woolwich Polytechnic. In nearby Powis Street and Hare Street some late Victorian shop façades have been preserved, notably by local architect Henry Hudson Church. The western end of Powis Street is dominated by two former Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) department stores, one late Victorian,

4224-589: The Callis Yard site (former council stables). Redevelopment plans for the Spray Street Quarter in 2018 included a proposal to demolish the 1936 market hall. For centuries the area between the Thames and the present-day A206 road has been dominated by docks, warehouses and factories, starting with the Royal Dockyard early in the 16th century, later eclipsed by the Royal Arsenal in scale and grandeur. In

4320-610: The Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition in 1933 The first driverless parking garage opened in 1951 in Washington, D.C. , but was replaced with office space due to increasing land values. APS saw a spurt of interest in the U.S. in the late 1940s and 1950s with the Bowser, Pigeon Hole and Roto Park systems. In 1957, 74 Bowser, Pigeon Hole systems were installed, and some of these systems remain in operation. However, interest in APS in

4416-479: The Garage Rue de Ponthieu. The APS consisted of a groundbreaking multi-story concrete structure with an internal car elevator to transport cars to upper levels where attendants parked the cars. In the 1920s, a Ferris wheel -like APS (for cars rather than people) called a paternoster system became popular as it could park eight cars in the ground space normally used for parking two cars. Mechanically simple with

4512-632: The German firm Siemens & Halske established a submarine-cable factory in the Dockyard area, which expanded rapidly. Woolwich market received its charter in 1618 but is certainly older. The market, which had long been established in the High Street in Old Woolwich (at a location called Market Hill), had gradually drifted towards the Royal Arsenal's main gatehouse , more or less at its present location. This

4608-597: The Island site. The town was used as a location for the 2006 film Children of Men . Woolwich has one museum, the Greenwich Heritage Centre at the Royal Arsenal ( Firepower – The Royal Artillery Museum closed in 2016 after having been based in Woolwich for almost two centuries). Second Floor Studios in the Woolwich Dockyard area is one of London's largest concentrations of artists' studios . The town has

4704-399: The London area, that may have been a significant port, anterior to London". A path connected the riverside settlement with Watling Street ( Shooter's Hill ), perhaps also of Iron Age origin. Sandy Hill Road may be a remnant of this early path. It is generally believed that the name Woolwich derives from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "trading place for wool". It is not clear whether Woolwich

4800-738: The Royal Arsenal constitute a conservation area . Most buildings of historic interest have been restored and given new uses. The Royal Brass Foundry (1717) is a grade I listed building , while the Dial Arch (1717–20), the Old Royal Military Academy (1720) and the Grand Store (1806–13) are Grade II* listed. Other listed buildings include the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse , Middle Gatehouse, the Main Guard House, two small guardhouses near

4896-612: The Royal Artillery Barracks was a famous cricket ground in the 18th century but is now merely used for recreational sports. Royal Arsenal Rugby Club plays rugby here. Greenwich Council has plans to demolish the 1980s Waterfront Leisure Centre next to the Woolwich Ferry and build a new leisure centre in Wilmount Street. There is an indoor climbing wall in the Docklands area. The University of Greenwich 's dramatic arts department

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4992-400: The Royal Artillery Hospital in 1780), Green Hill Military School and Royal Herbert Hospital on Shooter's Hill . The Royal Engineers' HQ was moved to Chatham in 1856, but a small detachment remained in Woolwich, quartered in what is now Engineer House on Mill Hill, just off the Common. Several listed buildings were demolished in the 1970s, including James Wyatt's Engineers Barracks (built for

5088-423: The Seas , the Royal Charles , the Dolphin and the Beagle . East of the dockyard a gun yard was established in the 1540s (for storage and maintenance of ships' canons and armaments) and a ropeyard followed in the 1570s. The dockyard went through many ups and downs but survived for three and a half centuries, closing down in 1869. Following the establishment of the dockyard, Martin Bowes who had gathered

5184-430: The Thames, the Shell Foundry Gatehouse, Verbruggen House and two twin pavilions in Laboratory Square, the oldest structures on the site (1696). At Woolwich Dockyard relatively little of historic interest remains. The main monumental building complex comprises a small cluster of 18th-century buildings: the entrance gate, the guardhouse and the so-called Clock House (Dockyard offices). A pair of 19th-century docks remain on

5280-512: The U.S. waned due to frequent mechanical problems and long waiting times for patrons to retrieve their cars. In the United Kingdom, the Auto Stacker opened in 1961 in Woolwich , south east London , but proved equally difficult to operate. Interest in APS in the U.S. was renewed in the 1990s, and there were 25 major current and planned APS projects (representing nearly 6,000 parking spaces) in 2012. The first American robotic parking garage opened in 2002 in Hoboken, New Jersey . While interest in

5376-435: The Warren. In 1716 it had (by a royal warrant of George I) formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery , which had its headquarters and barracks in the Warren, and in 1741 it established the Royal Military Academy there to train its future officers. In 1776 the Artillery moved out of the Warren into a new Royal Artillery Barracks on the edge of Woolwich Common . The Royal Military Academy followed, moving into its new premises at

5472-428: The Waterfront Leisure Centre, it is hoped that this part of Woolwich will attract new development. Other areas for redevelopment include Trinity Walk (former Connaught Estate, part of the One Woolwich masterplan for three housing estates), several sites along Wellington Street (including the Ogilby site and the so-called Island site), the Spray Street Quarter (between the existing station and the new Crossrail station), and

5568-591: The area means that it is expected that the district, identified in the London Plan as "opportunity area", is expected to evolve from " major centre " to " metropolitan centre " within Greater London in the next few decades. Woolwich started to enjoy the beginning of a renaissance with the residential redevelopment of the former Royal Arsenal . Most historic buildings on the site have been renovated and converted into apartments. Several thousands of homes have been built or are under construction and thousands more are planned, mainly luxury apartments in tower blocks near

5664-478: The area of the present-day wards Woolwich Riverside and Woolwich Common, was formerly known as Woolwich Saint Mary . Until 1842, when the Old Town Hall was built, the vestry met in a room in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene . Woolwich became part of the London metropolitan area in the mid-19th century, although was officially still in Kent at the time. In 1889, with the formation of London County Council , Woolwich became officially part of London. In 1900

5760-443: The car from its parking space and delivers it to an exit area. Most often, the retrieved car has been oriented to eliminate the need for the driver to back out. Fully automated APS theoretically eliminate the need for parking attendants. Semi-automated APS also use a mechanical system of some type to move a car to its parking space, however putting the car into and/or the operation of the system requires some action by an attendant or

5856-477: The demonstration vehicle got stuck and had to be manhandled in. The mechanism failed to work that evening for Fyfe Robertson 's Tonight television show, and the Auto Stacker never functioned properly; it was abandoned within months in 1961 and a few years later demolished at a cost of £60,000. 51°29′34″N 0°04′03″E  /  51.4929°N 0.0675°E  / 51.4929; 0.0675 Automated parking system APS are also generically known by

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5952-431: The dockyard and the ropeyard. Some of the masters here were Huguenots from Lorraine . Kilns producing Bellarmine stoneware may also have been controlled by continental potters. Other kilns produced earthenware and clay pipes. Kilns were also active on the hillside south of the town, where clay was readily available. Near Plumstead and Charlton were sandpits ; the sand was shipped from a wharf near Tower Place. In 1863,

6048-732: The driver. The choice between fully and semi-automated APS is often a matter of space and cost, however large capacity (> 100 cars) tend to be fully automated. By virtue of their relatively smaller volume and mechanized parking systems, APS are often used in locations where a multi-story parking garage would be too large, too costly or impractical. Examples of such applications include, under or inside existing or new structures, between existing structures and in irregularly shaped areas. APS can also be applied in situations similar to multi-storey parking garages such as freestanding above ground, under buildings above grade and under buildings below grade. The direct comparison of costs between an APS and

6144-402: The early 1990s, the town centre had the typical appearance of a town in decline with discount retailers and charity shops using the empty stores and Greenwich Council occupying the empty office buildings. In 1974, the United Kingdom 's first branch of McDonald's opened in Powis Street. Amidst the decline, Woolwich was still considered to be a representative English town at the time. In 1974

6240-431: The former Woolwich Town Hall . Woolwich declined as a town in the late 20th century, starting with the closure of the Royal Ordnance Factory in 1967 and the Siemens factory in 1968 and continuing as the Royal Arsenal scaled back operations and finally closed in 1994. Other employers like the Woolwich Building Society ("The Woolwich") and Morgan Grampian Publishers were taken over by other companies and moved away from

6336-574: The hill and are all part of the South East London Green Chain . Repository Woods is a forested part of Woolwich Common. The area around the lake is a military training ground that is not open to the public. The same applies to Mulgrave Pond and Shooters Hill golf course. Arsenal F.C. is originally from Woolwich; Charlton Athletic 's stadium, The Valley , is approximately 2 km west of Woolwich. The area also has two Non-League football clubs: Bridon Ropes F.C. and Meridian F.C. , who both play at Meridian Sports & Social Club. Barrack Field at

6432-461: The multi-story parking garage which provides no open space and requires minimum setbacks be utilized. Other references also indicate that the cost comparison between APS and multi-story parking garages is highly dependent on the application and the detailed design. Woolwich Woolwich ( / ˈ w ʊ l ɪ tʃ , - ɪ dʒ / ) is a town in southeast London , England , within the Royal Borough of Greenwich . The district's location on

6528-417: The number of cars in use ( motorization ) have combined with sustainability and other quality-of-life issues to renew interest in APS as alternatives to multi-storey car parks , on-street parking, and parking lots. The largest Automated Parking Facility in the world is in Al Jahra , Kuwait, and provides 2,314 parking spaces. The world's fastest Automated Parking System is in Wolfsburg , Germany, with

6624-443: The other end of the common in 1806. By that time various other units and services had begun to establish themselves in the vicinity, forming what became known as Woolwich Garrison . In the 19th and 20th century several large barracks were built, as well as military schools and hospitals. To this day, the town retains an army base (known as Woolwich Station) centred on the Royal Artillery Barracks and Napier Lines Barracks. Throughout

6720-581: The other one in Art Deco style. Nearer to the river are two large cinemas, both built in 1937 and both in use as Pentecostal church halls. The former Odeon Cinema (now occupied by the New Wine Church ) is a fine example of an Art Deco theatre; the former Granada Cinema has lavish interior decorations. Of the grand houses that once stretched along Woolwich Common and dotted the northern slopes of Shooter's Hill, little remains. Rushgrove House, Shrewsbury House and Woodhill Court survive but have lost their spacious gardens. Woolwich parish church, St Mary Magdalen

6816-399: The parish church along the Thames. In the early 19th century the commercial and administrative centre moved south to its present location around Powis Street , Beresford Square and the Bathway Quarter . Although 20th-century economic decline and infrastructural works have had their effects, there are still some interesting buildings in Woolwich town centre. The best preserved area is perhaps

6912-489: The population of the parish of Woolwich stood at the same level as 40 years earlier: 41,625. Victorian Woolwich was a rich social mix with skilled engineers along with unskilled labourers (including women and children) working at the Arsenal and other factories, large numbers of soldiers (making up 10–15% of the population) and a small bourgeoisie consisting of military officers and the commercial and professional elite. Some areas of

7008-426: The reduction in ceiling heights, the APS requires substantially less structural material than the multi-story parking garage. Many APS utilize a steel framework (some use thin concrete slabs) rather than the monolithic concrete design of the multi-story parking garage. These factors contribute to an overall volume reduction and further space savings for the APS. In addition to the space saving, many APS designs provide

7104-447: The river and officers' houses around Woolwich Common and further up the hill. In 1841 Woolwich had a population of 27,785; in 1861 this had risen to 41,695. At this point there were 4,596 houses in the parish, with little space left for building; further development took place in Plumstead , Charlton and North Woolwich , later also in Eltham . After a dip in the late 19th century, in 1901

7200-439: The river. Additionally, a riverside walk, several parks, a museum, a range of shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants, and a farmers' market have made the Arsenal a desirable place to live. In 2017 it was announced that the borough has acquired five historic buildings around No 1 Street to create a £31 million creative district. It will feature a 1,200-seat auditorium for concerts and events, a performance courtyard that seats up to 600,

7296-581: The same amount from its supply chain; When the case was heard in February 2023, two suppliers countered by saying the problems arose due to Willmott Dixon's negligence. The financial impact of the Woolwich Central project continued to be felt in July 2024, when Willmott Dixon said costs to fix the scheme had risen from £44m to £48m. On the other side of General Gordon Square the 1930s Woolwich Equitable building

7392-610: The site of their 16th-century predecessors. The later development of the Dockyard in the Victorian period is represented by the Steam Factory and the Dockyard chimney, a prominent landmark, and further west by a group of buildings at the site of the Siemens Brothers factory. Between the Arsenal and the Dockyard lies an area that was once Old Woolwich, a part of the town where little of historical interest remains and that, once again,

7488-472: The south bank of the River Thames. From the riverside it rises up quickly along the northern slopes of Shooter's Hill towards the common, at 200 ft (60 m) and the ancient London–Dover Road, at 433 ft (132 m). The ancient parish of Woolwich , more or less the present-day wards Woolwich Riverside and Woolwich Common , comprises 734 acres (297 ha). This included North Woolwich , which

7584-515: The still-extant (but now relocated) Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys . In the 20th century the Polytechnic grew steadily, taking up almost an entire block in the Bathway Quarter and later spreading to other areas. In 1970 it merged with other local colleges and became Thames Polytechnic. In 1992 it was granted university status and a year later was renamed the University of Greenwich . In 2001,

7680-400: The system may cause problems, for example by failing to push the button to alert a fully automated system to the presence of a car to be parked. Fully automated parking systems operate much like robotic valet parking. The driver drives the car into an APS entry (transfer) area. The driver and all passengers exit the car. The driver uses an automated terminal nearby for payment and receipt of

7776-484: The terminus of the Docklands Light Railway 's London City Airport branch, opened on 10 January 2009. The 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics included Woolwich as a venue for shooting events , held in temporary facilities constructed on the grounds of the Royal Artillery Barracks and on Woolwich Common . A large-scale redevelopment of the area west of General Gordon Square started in 2011. The square

7872-632: The town were notoriously overcrowded; the so-called Dusthole near the river was considered one of London's worst slums . Until the arrival of the railways, the Thames was the principal artery connecting Woolwich to London. In 1834 the Woolwich Steam Packet Company greatly improved river traffic and in 1889 the Woolwich Free Ferry made it easier to live in North Woolwich and work in the Arsenal, or to live in Woolwich and work in

7968-466: The town. Without major employers, the local economy was affected and unemployment soared. At the same time the town's demographics changed, with initially mainly Sikhs settling down in the area, later followed by black Africans, many from Nigeria . Despite immigration, the population of the parish reached a low of 17,000 in 1971. In general, Woolwich had lost its previous vigour. In the town's shopping district, department stores and chain stores closed. By

8064-687: The university relocated to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich , leaving only a small administrative presence in Woolwich. Woolwich was the location of the first free kindergarten in the UK. The Woolwich Mission Kindergarten opened in 1900, and began in a room provided by a Christian socialist vicar of Holy Trinity church in New Charlton, the Rev. Walter Wragge. It was founded by his sister, Adelaide Wragge,

8160-481: Was a proper -wich town , since there are no traces of extensive artisanal activity from the Early Middle Ages. However, in 2015 Oxford Archaeology discovered a Saxon burial site near the riverside with 76 skeletons from the late 7th or early 8th century. The absence of grave deposits indicates that this was an early Christian settlement. The first church, which stood to the north of the present parish church,

8256-448: Was almost certainly pre-Norman and dedicated to Saint Lawrence. It was probably rebuilt in stone around 1100. From the 10th till the mid-12th century Woolwich was controlled by the abbots of St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent . This may have been a result of a gift of 918 from Ælfthryth , daughter of King Alfred and Countess of Flanders, in that case the first recorded grant of English lands to

8352-523: Was considered an innovative and influential design. The Marines departed with the closure of the Dockyard, whereupon the buildings were converted into barracks accommodation for various military corps. Rushgrove House (1806) housed the Colonel Commandant of the Marine Barracks (later Cambridge Barracks) from 1855. Virtually nothing is left of the old town of Woolwich which was near the ferry and

8448-463: Was demolished in 1960. Shortly after 1900, three new theaters opened with a combined capacity of 4,430. The Century cinema, which faced Beresford Square, was previously known as Premier Cinema and Royal Arsenal Cinema. It was built in 1913 with 669 seats, closed in 1961 and demolished for redevelopment in the late 1960s. The Grand Theatre in Wellington Street opened in 1900 as a variety theatre with

8544-400: Was designed by T. and P. Braddock and built by Mitchell Engineering Company, in collaboration with Shell-Mex & BP . It was built in 1960–61 at a cost of £100,000. It was constructed more or less simultaneously with the comparable Zidpark at Southwark Bridge , a private enterprise. The Woolwich Auto Stacker was officially opened by Princess Margaret on 11 May 1961. At the opening ceremony,

8640-513: Was established, which developed into one of the biggest consumer cooperatives in the country with two department stores in Powis Street, shops around South East London, manufacturing and food production plants, a building society, a funeral service and many other areas of entrepreneurship. Around 1500, at the beginning of the military and naval expansion, Woolwich had only a few hundred inhabitants. In 1665, when Samuel Pepys stayed here to escape

8736-419: Was first mentioned in 1308 but may be older. Around Bell Water Gate some private shipbuilding or repair may have existed in the 15th century. A windmill was mentioned around 1450. Several pottery kilns have been discovered north of Woolwich High Street and Beresford Street, testifying of a perhaps unbroken tradition of pottery production from at least the 14th century until the 17th century. Woolwich remained

8832-516: Was founded in response to Woolwich Arsenal joining the League but only lasted a few years. Woolwich had several theatres and cinemas . The Theatre Royal in Beresford Street, later renamed Empire Theatre or Woolwich Empire, was the biggest. Dating from the 1830s, it was enlarged in the 1880s and 1890s, seating about 2,000. It both served as a variety theater and cinema, ending up as a strip-joint. It

8928-399: Was not approved by the authorities and a new market was set up in the Bathway Quarter around 1810. This proved to be a failure and is remembered only in the name of Market Street. Until 1879, the market at Beresford Square remained illegal and was regularly cleared by the police. After it was legalized, it had room for 136 stalls. Italo Svevo described it as "very lively" in 1903. In 1936,

9024-685: Was re-landscaped, including a new water feature. The so-called Love Lane project involved demolition of several buildings including the Post Office, the Crown Building, the Director General public house , Peggy Middleton House and Thomas Spencer Halls of Residence. New buildings in the first phases of the Woolwich Central redevelopment included: the Woolwich Centre along Wellington Street (public library and council offices, completed in 2011), and

9120-471: Was refurbished. Next to Woolwich Town Hall on Wellington Street, the 1950s Woolwich Grand Theatre (formerly the ABC Regal Cinema, then Flamingo's Nightclub) briefly reopened as an arts centre with a cafe but in 2015 the building was demolished to make room for apartments. Redevelopment around the "Woolwich Triangle" at the west end of Powis Street is partly underway. It originally envisaged demolition of

9216-524: Was situated above a car showroom, workshop and petrol station on Beresford Street, on the site of the former Empire Theatre. Being situated along the A206 road , close to Woolwich market ( Beresford Square ) and the town's main shopping street ( Powis Street ), it was thought that the Auto Stacker, along with the introduction of parking meters , would solve the town's parking problems. The eight-storey Auto Stacker

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