Woolwich is unique for its succession of iconic identities, which no longer exist, yet have not been lost to living memory Woolwich Dockyard, founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 and closed in 1869, Woolwich Arsenal and its Laboratory Square, built in 1696 and roofed over in 1854 to provide the heart of the expanding munitions factory, which closed in 1967, and Woolwich Arsenal FC, formed by munitions workers in 1886 and moved from Manor Ground to Highbury in 1913.