Beresford Square is a

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

ised

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

in the

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was formed in the early 19th century and was named after the Anglo-Irish general William Beresford,

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

and Governor of the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. With its lively street market and lined with shops, pubs and restaurants, Beresford Square has been the heart of Woolwich for over two centuries. Since 2019 the square is part of a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Location

Beresford Square is situated in central Woolwich, between the town's shopping district and the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

, from which it is separated by the busy

A206 road The A206 road is a road in southeast London and Kent, England. Length Today it is approximately in length, although the final section is a relatively new road. Purpose of route Its primary purpose is to link into the London Orbital motorway ...

. The western section of this road is called Beresford Street, the eastern section Plumstead Road. The square is largely pedestrianised. To the east lies Woolwich New Road, accessible only for busses. Most of the bus stops are on Woolwich New Road or General Gordon Square, around

Woolwich Arsenal station Woolwich Arsenal station is a National Rail and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) paired interchange station in the heart of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It has two parts; its raised, south-western part of the station is on the semi ...

. Beresford square is situated close to the railway and DLR stations, as well as the future Crossrail station, more or less in between the four station buildings.

History

19th century

Beresford Square is not a laid-out square but the result of a series of clearances. Therefore, some of the buildings are older than the square. In 1812–13, some "paltry buildings" around the road junction near the main entrance to the Arsenal were demolished for "encroachment on Crown land". The northern section of the road that wound down from

Woolwich Common Woolwich Common is a common in Woolwich in southeast London, England. It is partly used as military land (less than 40%) and partly as an urban park. Woolwich Common is a conservation area. It is part of the South East London Green Chain. It is al ...

to Plumstead Road was called Green's End. The northernmost tip, now the west side of Beresford Square, was known as the High Pavement. Land to the east of this road was part of the Burrage Estate, named after its 14th-century owner, Bartholomew de Burghersh. The Salutation Inn stood almost at the northern end of the High Pavement. It had a tea garden and may have been Woolwich's first theater, mentioned in 1721. The garden later became Salutation Alley with about 20 timber cottages. In one of these

Henry Maudslay Henry Maudslay ( pronunciation and spelling) (22 August 1771 – 14 February 1831) was an English machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology. His inventions were a ...

was born in 1771. Living conditions here were appalling, as described in the Booth Survey of 1900. It was condemned a slum in 1955 and cleared in the 1960s and 70s and is now a market traders' pound. In 1833 the Salutation pub moved to new premises next door. In 1831 four more cottages were cleared on the southeast side of the square, creating more space between the two pubs on this end, the Ordnance Arms and the Elephant & Castle. Along with several pubs on Plumstead Road and the New Road, these all thrived with thousands of Arsenal workers passing through the area every day. Woolwich, Beresford Square, Ordnance Survey Map, 1853

Woolwich, Beresford Square, Ordnance Survey Map, 1853

The clearance formed a spacious entrance to the Royal Arsenal and in 1828-29 a new entrance gate was built by the

William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fough ...

(1768–1854). It became known as Beresford Gate, later the

Royal Arsenal Gatehouse The Royal Arsenal Gatehouse or Beresford Gate is the main gatehouse of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South East London, England. It was built in 1828, enlarged several times and is now a Grade II-listed buildin ...

. In 1837 the square too was named after Beresford, when the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

handed it over to the parish of Woolwich. A new road was laid out to its northwest, where the ropeyard had been from around 1570 till 1832, and was named Beresford Street. At the eastern end of this street, facing Beresford Square, Holy Trinity Church was built in 1833-34 (demolished in 1962). This large Anglican church had an imposing facade in

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

with a stump tower above a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

. Woolwich Market received its

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

in 1618 but may have existed before. In 1808 it moved from Market Hill (near Woolwich High Street) to Market Street (in the

Bathway Quarter Bathway Quarter is an area of historic interest in the centre of Woolwich, SE postcode area, South East London. Most buildings in the Bathway Quarter are Listed building, Grade II*, Grade II or locally listed, while the area as a whole is designat ...

). This peripheral location proved to be unpopular with traders, who drifted back to Market Hill and, after 1813, to the new square in front of the Arsenal (where no market tolls had to be paid). The police regularly cleared the square and it was not until 1879 that the existing situation was accepted and regulated. In 1887 the

Local Board of Health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

bought out the Maryon Wilson family's interest in the market charter. A new market was laid out by the Board with room for 136 stalls, against much opposition from

costermonger A costermonger, coster, or costard is a street seller of fruit and vegetables in British towns. The term is derived from the words ''costard'' (a medieval variety of apple) and ''monger'' (seller), and later came to be used to describe hawkers i ...

s. It officially opened in September 1888. In the middle of the square stood an iron toll house, a drinking fountain and a brightly ornamental urinal. Most of the pubs and shops around the square were rebuilt in the last two decades of the 19th century.

20th and 21st century

Throughout the 20th century, Beresford Square remained the centre of Woolwich life. In 1907 some 8,000 Arsenal workers sett off from here to demonstrate in Westminster against job cuts.

Trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician

Will Crooks William Crooks (6 April 1852 – 5 June 1921) was a noted trade unionist and politician from Poplar, London, and a member of the Fabian Society. He is particularly remembered for his campaigning work against poverty and inequality. Early life ...

spoke several times to large crowds in front of the Arsenal gate. Crook's memorial service was held on the square in June 1921. Woolwich, Beresford Square, aerial view 1921

Woolwich, Beresford Square, aerial view 1921

The market was thriving six days a week and drew in shoppers from neighbouring areas. As the market was often overcrowded, plans for extension were made in 1901 but only realized in 1936 with the opening of the covered market on Plumstead Road. Traffic congestion continued to be a major problem with trams and other traffic running through the square. In 1958, 1969 and 1972 plans were presented for the widening of both Beresford Street and Plumstead Road, and the pedestrianisation of the square. Initially, Beresford Gate was to be demolished in the plans approved by the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. In 1984-86 the

was rerouted through the Arsenal, north of the gate. In the early 1990s and yet again in 2010–11, Greenwich Council relandscaped the square. A portal reflecting the market's history was erected at its Woolwich New Road entrance. By that time the market's popularity had declined considerably, parallel to the town's general decline after the closure of the Arsenal. With the redevelopment of the Arsenal it is hoped that the market will be reinvigorated. In 1913, the Woolwich Arsenal Cinematograph Co. started a cinema in a building between the Salutation pub and Holy Trinity Church. Twelve years later it was extended to the rear, replacing much of the north side of Salutation Alley, creating a theater with 669 seats. It was later renamed Premier Cinema, Royal Arsenal Cinema and Century Cinema. It closed in 1964 and was demolished shortly afterwards, along with Holy Trinity, the Salutations Inn and other neighbouring buildings. In May 2019 the square became part of a

. The Woolwich Conservation Area comprises Greens End, General Gordon Square, parts of Woolwich New Road, the

Powis Street Powis Street is a partly pedestrianised shopping street in Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south east London, England. It was laid out in the late 18th century and was named after the Powis brothers, who developed most of the land i ...

, Hare Street, Mortgramit Square, parts of Woolwich High Street (south) and St Mary's Church and Gardens. File:Woolwich, Green's End, Paul Sandby, c 1790.jpg, Green's End, now central Woolwich, c. 1790 File:Woolwich, Beresford Square, c 1835.jpg, The new square, c. 1835 File:Woolwich, Beresford Square, west side, c 1868.jpg, The High Pavement in 1868 File:Woolwich, Beresford Square, 1915.jpg, The square in the early 20th century

Description

Northwest side

The

or Beresford Gate stands solitary at the north end of the square, isolated from the Arsenal since the rerouting of the A206. It was designed by Colonel John T. Jones in 1828. The oldest parts are of plain yellow

stock brick London stock brick is the type of handmade brick which was used for the majority of building work in London and South East England until the growth in the use of Flettons and other machine-made bricks in the early 20th century. Its distinctive y ...

with some stone detailing. The later additions are of red brick and feature three large windows on each side and a clock at the top of its south-facing gable. The gate has three openings which are currently closed off by iron fences. The gatehouse is flanked by two original pavilions, both adorned with recessed rectangular panels and surmounted by brass

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

. An 1859 western annex features a bell tower. Two cattle drinking troughs of the

Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association was an association set up in London by Samuel Gurney, a member of Parliament and philanthropist, and Edward Thomas Wakefield, a barrister, in 1859 to provide free drinking water. ...

from the 1890s and two modern stone benches have been placed on the south side of the gatehouse. The row of buildings at what was once called the High Pavement are modern (Newman, Levinson & Partners, 1969–70), except for a modest late-19th-century survivor in the middle (nr. 5; Chessum & Sons, 1892–93). The public lavatories, underground since 1913, were rebuilt above-ground in the early 1990s. In front of the plain brick building stands another cattle drinking trough, this one from 1904. File:Woolwich market - geograph.org.uk - 10447.jpg, Northwest section before pedestrianisation, 1974 File:2015-London-Woolwich, Royal Arsenal Crossrail development 12.JPG, View towards Plumstead Road File:London, Woolwich, Beresford Sq, Royal Arsenal Gatehouse.jpg, Royal Arsenal Gatehouse File:2016 Woolwich, Beresford Square drinking trough 2.jpg, Lavatories and cattle trough, 1904

Southeast side

The east side consists of an imposing block of late-Victorian, Italianate buildings, including the Ordnance Arms public house and three shops, all with frontages on the market square and the New Road (J. Chapman, 1888). An

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinatio ...

-domed turret on one end of the block matches an octagonal one on the other corner. The pub featured a first-floor club room, now a church hall. After being renamed O'Connors for a while, the pub retook its original name in 2015. The market gate of the early 1990s consists of a two-sided metal portal. The brightly coloured decorations refer to the long history of Woolwich Market. Since 1935, the back of Equitable House, the former head office of the

Woolwich Equitable Building Society The Woolwich Equitable Building Society (later Woolwich Building Society or The Woolwich) was founded in Woolwich in 1847 and remained a local institution until after WWI when it began a modest regional expansion. This accelerated after WWII and ...

, looms over the smaller buildings on the south side of Beresford Square. Two houses that probably date from the early 1780s, 18-19 Green's End, are the oldest in the square. Both houses have been altered and have forward extensions for commercial use, which makes it difficult to appreciate them. They were admired by

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

in 1965. No. 18 became the Elephant & Castle public house in 1848, deriving its name from a famous inn in South London. The present-day pub extension dates from the late 1950s and includes the premises next-door, 10 Beresford Square. All other buildings on this side date from the 1880s. Adjacent to no. 19 is now a vacant lot next to the new station for the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Londo ...

, that was built here in 2005–09.Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 229-230 File:London-Woolwich, Woolwich New Rd - Beresford Sq.jpg, View from Woolwich New Road towards the Ordnance Arms pub File:Woolwich Market - geograph.org.uk - 382391.jpg, Woolwich New Road entrance with Victorian buildings and market portal File:London, Woolwich-Centre, Beresford Square04.jpg, Market stalls and Elephant & Castle pub; behind the pub Green's End No. 18 File:2017-Woolwich, Beresford Square & Equitable.jpg, Former High Pavement; view towards Equitable House

Pedestrianisation

Starting in 2009 and ending in Spring 2012, Beresford Square, along with the neighbouring Greens End and General Gordon Square, was redeveloped to be more centred on pedestrians. Bus stops were also relocated on Beresford Street and Thomas Street. Since 2019, buses cannot turn right from Beresford Street on to Plumstead Road, as a result of a separate redevelopment scheme on Plumstead Road, including the brief use of the former Woolwich Public Market as ''Public'', a street-food market owned by the former company Street Feast, who also opened markets in Canary Wharf, Canada Water, Lewisham and Shoreditch.

References

Sources * , ''Woolwich through time'', Amberley Publishing, 2014. * , ''Woolwich Town Centre Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document, 2012''
PDF online available
on royalgreenwich.gov.uk) * , ''Woolwich – Survey of London, Volume 48'', Yale Books, London, 2012. Citations; references

External links

{{Commons category, Beresford Square, Woolwich
Beresford Square Market
on ''royalgreenwich.gov.uk''
Beresford square and Beresford street
- photos on ''chrismansfieldphotos.com'' Squares in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Streets in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Woolwich Conservation areas in London