The Royal Arsenal is an arms manufacture and military base located on the south bank of the River Thames in the London district of Woolwich. Founded in 1671, the arsenal is one of the most complete establishments of its kind in the world, and is nearly four miles in circumference. The arsenal is a center of military research into armaments, explosives, and mechanical engineering.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson investigated the Arsenal when stolen secret submarine plans were found on the corpse of junior clerk Cadogan West.