Woolwich Dockyard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids HM Dockyard, Woolwich
Woolwich, NW Kent
Clock House (Dockyard offices, 1783–1784), the earliest surviving building on the Woolwich Dockyard site)
Coordinates	51°29′40″N 0°3′22″E / 51.49444°N 0.05611°E / 51.49444; 0.05611
Site information
Operator	Royal Navy
Controlled by	The Navy Board (until 1832); the Admiralty (1832–1869).
Other site facilities	The Gun Wharf, The Ropeyard and The Steam Factory
Site history
In use	1512–1869

Woolwich Dockyard was a very important place where the Royal Navy built and repaired ships for hundreds of years. It was located along the River Thames in Woolwich, England. People even called it 'the Mother Dock of all England' because so many big ships were made there. In the 1600s, it was one of the most important shipyards in Europe!

For a long time, the dockyard built and fixed sailing ships. Then, in the 1830s, it became a special factory for new steam-powered ships. At its biggest, the dockyard covered 56 acres. But as ships got even larger, the Thames River became too shallow for them. So, the dockyard closed in 1869. Today, the area has homes and businesses, but you can still see parts of its old history.

History of Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard (Nicholas Pocock, 1790, National Maritime Museum). The surviving Clock House (then newly built) is seen centre-right, and the Parish Church far left. Left to right along the shoreline: three shipbuilding slips (two of which survive, much rebuilt, at Mast Quay), two dry docks (which also survive, much rebuilt) and a further slip (since filled in). Behind the latter stands the large Sail and Mould Loft of 1740, with the Great Storehouse to its right and the Officers' Terrace (houses with gardens) to the right of that; all these were demolished in the early 20th century. Everything west (right) of the Clock House was newly acquired land in 1790; the painting shows planned buildings, including a long ropehouse that was never in fact built.