This is where it all began - the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey was established in 1560.
This was followed by the Ordnance Storage Depot at Woolwich in 1671 and the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield in 1804. In 1805 the Ordnance Storage Depot was renamed the Royal Arsenal. By 1927, the three Royal Factories were transferred to the War Office.
