Firepower (Royal Artillery Museum) to leave Woolwich/London

Yesterday, I was told by a staff member at Firepower (Royal Artillery Museum) that their buildings have been sold and that they are set to leave London by 2016. It is unclear where the collection will go and if the staff is to be retained. This conversation was punctuated by several articles (see links below)

To me it is amazing and terrible that this would happen to a museum that has such a fantastic collection of WW1 era artillery just as the WW1 Centennial is occurring.

My hope is that a way is found to maintain the pieces as much as possible and keep them in a setting that allows those of us with an interest to see and study them.

http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1624

http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1631

That is very sad to hear. The home of the Royal Artillery and the council wants to make some kind of art or cultural centre. What can be more cultural than the museum and all its artefacts. Back in the early 1990's I did quite a bit of work for the museum whilst working for REME and later on my own, when they were at the Rotunda and remember meeting a very senior officer who was planning the Firepower project, I never thought then that the site would be so short lived. They were over the moon about getting all the large exhibits undercover as they were suffering badly from the elements. Maybe its location does not encourage a large footfall of visitors, but it is on a very historical site and in the original buildings of the Arsenal.

After the Rotunda it was about ten years before the collection was shown again!

Very sad, I had an excellent afternoon in the museum a couple of years ago whilst my wife was shopping in London. It is not too difficult to reach on public transport from central London.

What a shame , someones money talking again I guess !:mad: One more reason to avoid Woolwich in the future !

Any ideas where they are moving to?

Sad news indeed, though the museum does not seem to have been the success it could (indeed should) have been. Since it opened the opening times have been restricted and the annex was often closed because of a lack of staff. Oddly, many of the exhibits from the 'Rotunda' were at the East of England museum a few years back, complete with their original caption plates. That museum has also closed, though it's due to re-open at another location.

I think we can all imagine what a 'cultural quarter' will contain...:embarrassed:

I was told a few years ago, by a serving RA officer, that many in the Royal Artillery would have preferred the museum to be at Larkhill, more space and plenty of ex-servicemen to help out.

jh

The East England Military museum is still open and now based at Old Buckenham Airfield. We have a temporary display open to the public while our building plans are awaiting the rubber stamp. Yes we have several items on loan from the RA museum . I carry out much of the work for the RA museum , yes there are roumers about it moving and there has been reports in the press - twitter etc . But I am sure things are all up in the air , and roumers and speculation never help .

Ten Million and a plot at Larkhill should do it .

Rob.................rnixartillery.

very sad indeed,from the time it was at the rotunda is where most of my interest in ww2 came from,walking around with my grandad who would explain everything as he was a very proud old gunner.

and visiting it at the new site when he became a volunteer, some might have encountered him l/sgt Herbert burtenshaw he was there until he sadly died a few years ago aged 93.

surely it is a heritage centre and should be kept,in a very original building to its relevance.

What a shame, I visited in early 2002. Similar article;

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/11147815.Woolwich_Firepower_Royal_Artillery_Museum__set_to_leave_borough_by_2017_/?ref=mr

IF and when visting do not for get the fantanstic medal collection,

they, hold over 10 vc groups.

2 January 2, 1916, Sunday

Quitted a most comfortable couch at 7am. Walked to Chalk Farm and went by tube to Charing Cross. By train to Woolwich arriving at 10am at Cambridge Barracks. No lorries arrived from Grove Park. Went to RA Mess. Most wonderful collection of “Heads”. Played a game of billiards before lunch and won! Lorries arrived approximately at 6pm and parked in the arsenal. Slept in Cambridge Barracks.

3 January 3, 1916, Monday

10am started drawing stores at the arsenal. Sent Sergt. Berryman with a couple of lorries to draw stores at the Dockyard. Arsenal most wonderful place. Between 40,000 and 50,000 employees. Went all round it drawing stores and saw plenty of 9.2”, 13.5” and 15” guns. Finished drawing stores at 5pm and left lorries parked at entrance to Arsenal. Messed all day at RA Mess and slept at Cambridge Barracks.

From my grandfather's journal.

The Australian Siege Brigade arrived in England September 1915. Trained on 8"and 9.2" howitzers at Lydd. France from March 2nd 1916.

Robert

2 January 2, 1916, Sunday

Quitted a most comfortable couch at 7am. Walked to Chalk Farm and went by tube to Charing Cross. By train to Woolwich arriving at 10am at Cambridge Barracks. No lorries arrived from Grove Park. Went to RA Mess. Most wonderful collection of “Heads”. Played a game of billiards before lunch and won! Lorries arrived approximately at 6pm and parked in the arsenal. Slept in Cambridge Barracks.

3 January 3, 1916, Monday

10am started drawing stores at the arsenal. Sent Sergt. Berryman with a couple of lorries to draw stores at the Dockyard. Arsenal most wonderful place. Between 40,000 and 50,000 employees. Went all round it drawing stores and saw plenty of 9.2”, 13.5” and 15” guns. Finished drawing stores at 5pm and left lorries parked at entrance to Arsenal. Messed all day at RA Mess and slept at Cambridge Barracks.

 

From my grandfather's journal.

The Australian Siege Brigade arrived in England September 1915. Trained on 8"and 9.2" howitzers at Lydd. France from March 2nd 1916.

 

Robert

An excellent extract Robert especially in this time of remembrance , Thank you.

The Arsenal was certainly a hive of activity and a major employer back then ,very interesting to realise how much railway track was used inside the Arsenal for moving heavy stock.

Rob............rnixartillery.

Rob..................rnixartillery.

If I remeber there was about 120 miles of track standard and narow, plus 6 vessels and two barges, Gog and Magog. Woolwich Arsenal even had its own defaced versio on the Blue ensign, and a gasworks.

Ah, memories. I worked at Woolwich just as it was closing. The Arsenal employed about 20, 000 people at the end of WW1. In the 1919/20 winter there were suvire flods which washed a lot of stock stashed outside into the river. Apparently the store men at the time were delighted because it made the record keeping a lot easier. :-D

Another recent article about Firepower mentions a petition for the museum staying in Woolwich:

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11240933.Petition_launched_against_Woolwich_Firepower_Royal_Artillery_Museum_closure/

The petition requires UK citizenship or residence. This is the link to sign:

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/64840/signature/new

R/

Ralph

There is a petion, I've signed it but lost the limk! :red:

The link for the petition to keep Firepower at Woolwich:

The petition requires UK citizenship or residence. This is the link to sign:

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/64840/signature/new

R/

Ralph

Has anyone asked the museum / museum staff what they think?

I loved the location, but at the same time the museum were under some constraints that they might welcome being lifted (particularly if they risk losing some important exhibits in the current location).

my tuppence worth, speaking to somebody recently in another military museum, Firepower have been trying to tack onto another museum to maximise footfall, as currently at Woolwich figures aren't good, approx. 124 000 per annum (they can be found somewhere on the net). I thought Larkhill obvious choice, especially with Stonehenge near by as they get too many visitors (which is part of their latest change of visitor centre). The museum has been on the slide for a number of years, no fault of the staff or actual museum, more location, and the 'marriage' of cooperate and military/heritage. A few years ago it was suggested by one of the slick execs, to sell a 'couple' of V.C.'s to help pay some debts. There was a disposal list of stuff they cleared out which included Long Tom, V1 Launch ramp and tons of other stuff (I may have it somewhere if anybody interested).

And as to a new cultural quarter, sounds like more trendy crap from a focus group of what is needed in the borough, as though fried chicken and rice, mangos and red stripe are culture is another question.

When all the stuff is at the car boot, I've got dibs on the gattling gun.

Having just read this thread I agree that the location for Firepower is not great; I doubt very much if many of the locals have been and its not exactly on the map for tourists. The way things are going for many Regimental Museums and the need for homes in London, the museum will have to move out, perhaps to Duxford like the Para Museum.

Having just read this thread I agree that the location for Firepower is not great; I doubt very much if many of the locals have been and its not exactly on the map for tourists. The way things are going for many Regimental Museums and the need for homes in London, the museum will have to move out, perhaps to Duxford like the Para Museum.

Just been up to Duxford, and the word is that the land warfare hall is due for re-development, as people have commented it looks like a car park. Anglian museum not sure what is happening, as they are within that hall. Don't think the Artillery will go to Duxford as current Director of IWM, thinks Duxford is the representative for Aircraft, with a grudging nod of approval to land warfare. Also staff will be culled from IWM as too many staff and no money.

Wouldn't it be sensible to consolidate Artillery Museums at the Royal Armouries' Fort Nelson site which seems under-utilised? Wouldn't the money from the sale of the Woolwich site build something appropriate on the Fort Nelson parade ground which could also replace the temporary tents there. Portsmouth has HMS Victory/HMS Warrior/Mary Rose/Submarine Museum/D_Day Museum etc etc so footfall shouldn't be too bad.

sk

Relocation to Larkhill would permit live firings for the public much like the much missed Artillery days.