Royal Arsenal Gatehouse in Woolwich sees gates opened as part of town centre project

One of the last parts of a major Woolwich town centre project has completed as gates within the Royal Arsenal gatehouse have opened.

It offers new through route from the Royal Arsenal and Elizabeth line through to the town centre via Beresford Square.

That too saw changes including the addition of fountains which were looking wonderful when taking these photos.

Only the middle gate is open for pedestrians as opposed to all three initially proposed.

It wasn’t a simple case of opening the gate as new walls and railings were installed either side of the central arch.

Other ideas were proposed for the Gatehouse including a gallery at ground floor level but that too was dropped.

No extension has appeared either at the western end of the structure as seen during consultation.

A total of almost £25 million has been spent via two projects in Woolwich town centre. One included funds from the last government’s Future High Streets fund while a related project from Historic England funded shop and building renovation.

This was part of a 67-town project named “Historic Action Zones“.

Gatehouse

As the main entrance to the sprawling Royal Arsenal site the gatehouse acted as the main entrance with thousands of workers swarming the area around Beresford Square entering and leaving work.

As the Royal Arsenal wound down road widening took place creating a dual carriageway to the north of the Gatehouse cutting it adrift of the main site, which eventually closed in 1994. An image of the area’s street layout taken in 1977 can be seen here.

Up until around the 1980s the market was dissected by buses and before that trams ran through the square as seen in this 1951 image.

Construction of the dual carriageway saw demolition of the Holy Trinity Church and Century Cinema.

The Gatehouse saw restoration work in 1996 following the closure of the wider Arsenal site.

Alterations have been constant throughout the structure’s existence with the lower part constructed in 1828-29.

The bell tower followed in 1859 with the upper red brick first floor arriving in 1891. East and west footway arches were widened in 1936.

However as a prominent local landmark framing Beresford Square it always felt like its importance and possibility were not realised.

Opening the gates will help people get about and hopefully lead more from the Arsenal site to Beresford Square and the town centre.

As for the wider building it remains a space for hiring small office space. Will it have a different future that can further drive footfall to the square?

Perhaps those earlier ideas in the town centre upgrade process of a gallery or cafe may one day arise, though given the nearby market pavilion is also set to include a cafe, perhaps not.