Royal Gun Factory
Part of the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich
Originally the Royal Brass Foundry.
1855 The Government decided to bring iron-gun manufacturing in-house. Administrative reform then created the Royal Gun Factory. Col. Frederick Marow Eardley-Wilmot, who had proven himself an effective administrator at the Royal Military Academy, was its first Superintendent
1855–7 Steam-driven machine shops were introduced to the Royal Gun Factory.
1856-7 A large new cannon foundry was built to make the Arsenal's first iron guns. Henry Bessemer was allowed to use the rolling mills for experiments in steelmaking. The Secretary for War, Sidney Herbert, on Armstrong's advice, rejected steel as being unsuitable for guns[1]; Bessemer believed this reflected Armstrong's protection of his company's interests in manufacturing coiled hoop guns[2]. Armstrong's design of a combined rifled barrel with breech loading and the use of coils of wrought-iron, made tubular and then heat-shrunk together under a steam hammer, was adopted.
1859 Armstrong agreed to give his patents to the Government and to move to Woolwich as Engineer of Rifled Ordnance, to act part-time as Eardley-Wilmot’s successor as Superintendent of the Royal Gun Factory, with John Anderson as resident Assistant Superintendent.
The gun foundry was remodelled to accommodate the later stages of Armstrong’s manufacturing process (it has sometimes been described as the "Armstrong Gun Factory").
1863 Armstrong resigned; the Government decided to carry on making guns at the Arsenal based on refinements by Anderson and others of Armstrong’s original invention, presented as cheaper than buying from Elswick or other contractors. Armstrong’s successor as Superintendent of the Royal Gun Factory was an artillery officer, Col. Sir F. A. Campbell. The Deputy Assistant Superintendent, Robert S. Fraser, a civilian engineer, modified Armstrong’s coil construction resulting in a design that was standardized in 1868 as the Fraser or Woolwich gun, which did prove to be cheaper.
1875 Lieut-General Younghusband was appointed superintendent
1880 Captain Eardley Maitland became superintendent
Later Captain Frank Campbell Younghusband became superintendent
By 1891 "wire coiling" had been introduced in the centre range of the foundry – gun barrels were strengthened by encircling steel wire (better understood as tape) while being turned in a huge lathe.
1899 Henry Capel Holden was appointed Superintendent.
1902 Wrought-iron gunmaking was finally discontinued in favour of steel.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] The Royal Arsenal