Origins in the Royal Arsenal An attempt had been made by the
Board of Ordnance in 1720 to set up an academy within its Arsenal (then known as the Warren) to provide training and education for prospective officers of its new
Regiment of Artillery and
Corps of Engineers (both of which had been established there in 1716). A new building was being constructed in readiness for the Academy and funds had been secured, seemingly, through investment in the
South Sea Company; but the latter's collapse led to plans for the Academy being placed on hold. After this false start, the academy was opened by authority of a Royal Warrant in 1741: it was intended, in the words of its first charter, to produce "good officers of
Artillery and perfect
Engineers". Its 'gentlemen cadets' initially ranged in age from 10 to 30. To begin with they were attached to the marching companies of the Royal Artillery, but in 1744 they were formed into their own company, forty in number (enlarged to forty-eight, two years later) overseen by a captain-lieutenant. To begin with the cadets were accommodated in lodgings in the town of Woolwich, but this arrangement was deemed unsatisfactory (the cadets gained a reputation for riotousness) so in 1751 a Cadets' Barracks was built just within the south boundary wall of the Warren and the cadets had to adjust to a more strict military discipline. (The Cadets' Barracks was demolished in the 1980s for road widening.) Education in the academy focused at first on mathematics and the scientific principles of gunnery and fortification; French was also taught, for a small fee. In addition to their theoretical studies, the cadets shared (with all ranks of the Artillery) in what was called 'the Practice' of gunnery, bridge building, magazine technique and artillery work. While an artillery officer attended each class to keep order, teaching in the academy was provided by civilians: a First Master (later called Professor of Fortification and Gunnery), a Second Master (later Professor of Mathematics) and additional tutors in French, Arithmetic, Classics and Drawing. In 1764 the Royal Academy (as it had been known) had the word 'Military' added to its title, and at the same time a senior officer was appointed to serve as Lieutenant-Governor (
de facto head of the institution). Wyatt's Academy was built of yellow brick in the
Tudor Gothic style. It consisted of a central block (reminiscent of the Ordnance Board's headquarters in the
Tower of London) flanked by a pair of accommodation blocks, linked by arcaded walkways. The central block contained classrooms, a library and offices; the accommodation blocks housed officers in the three-storey central sections and cadets in the two-storey wings. Behind the central block Wyatt placed a large dining hall flanked by spacious quadrangles having service buildings around the sides. During the years that followed the status of the cadets changed: rather than being considered (albeit junior) military personnel, as had previously been the case, they were removed from the
muster roll and they (or their parents) began to be charged fees for attendance. In this way the Academy took on something of the ethos of an
English public school. In 1844 the Academy was described by
Edward Mogg as accommodating: Following the demise of the Board of Ordnance in the wake of the
Crimean War the Academy was inspected by a commission which recommended changes: the minimum age for cadets was raised to fifteen and more specialist training was added.
Gallery File:London, Woolwich-Shooters Hill, former Royal Military Academy 04.jpg|North-west Gate on Academy Road File:London-Woolwich, Royal Military Academy 06.jpg|Accommodation block (1806) File:2019 Woolwich, Royal Military Academy 2.jpg|Roofs and turrets accommodation block (1806) File:London, Woolwich-Shooters Hill, former Royal Military Academy 11.jpg|North-east accommodation block (1862) from the north File:London-Woolwich, Royal Military Academy 13.jpg|North-west accommodation block (1862) from the west File:London-Woolwich, Royal Military Academy 14.jpg|South-west accommodation block (1877) File:London, Woolwich-Shooters Hill, former Royal Military Academy 12.JPG|South-east accommodation block (1892) File:London, Woolwich-Shooters Hill, former Royal Military Academy 01.jpg|South-west Gate on Academy Road
Closure and aftermath Following the demise of the Board of Ordnance,
Parliament had explored the possibility of a merger between the Royal Military Academy and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst (which only trained officers for the
Infantry and
Cavalry); although senior Army officers rejected the idea at the time it persisted into the twentieth century. Arguments in favour of a merger gained momentum in the 1920s when the specialist and scientific training which had been Woolwich's preserve began to be outsourced to other locations. In 1936 it was decided that the merger should take place; but the
Second World War intervened and in 1939 both institutions closed as their cadets were called up for active service. The Royal Military Academy Woolwich closed in 1939 and in 1947 the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was formed on the site of the former Royal Military College with the objective of providing officer training for all arms and services. Thereafter, the old Academy site became part of Woolwich Garrison, housing troops of various types in the years that followed. The central block was taken over by the Royal Artillery Institution and housed a museum, archives and offices. The chapel (commissioned in 1902 by Commandant
Richard Henry Jelf, commemorated by a brass plaque in the chapel) became the Garrison Church (replacing the bombed out
Garrison Church of St George).
Sale and redevelopment Durkan Group bought the Woolwich site by public tender in 2006 and redevelopment started in 2008. ==Legacy==