Woolwich (parish)

Woolwich St Mary
Civil parish
Woolwich Old Town Hall (1842)
Area
• 1881	1,126 acres (4.56 km2)
• Coordinates	51°29′35″N 0°03′33″E / 51.4930°N 0.0592°E / 51.4930; 0.0592Coordinates: 51°29′35″N 0°03′33″E / 51.4930°N 0.0592°E / 51.4930; 0.0592
Population
• 1881	36,665
History
• Origin	Ancient parish
• Created	16th century
• Abolished	1930
• Succeeded by	Borough of Woolwich (parish)
Status	Civil parish (16th century–1930) Local board district (1852–1900)
Government	Woolwich Vestry (16th century–1852) Woolwich Local Board of Health (1852–1900)
• HQ	Church of St Mary (16th century–1842) Woolwich Old Town Hall (1842–1900)
Contained within
• Poor Law Union	Greenwich (1836–1868) Woolwich (1868–1930)

Woolwich, also known as Woolwich St Mary, was an ancient parish containing the town of Woolwich on the south bank of the Thames and North Woolwich on the north bank. The parish was governed by its vestry from the 16th century to 1852, based in the Church of St Mary until 1842, after which in the purpose-built Woolwich Town Hall. The parish adopted the Public Health Act 1848 and was governed by the Woolwich Local Board of Health from 1852. When the parish became part of the district of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 the local board was treated as if it were an incorporated vestry. It was in the county of Kent until it was transferred to London in 1889. In 1900 it was amalgamated with other parishes to form the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich and had only nominal existence until it was abolished as a civil parish in 1930. Since 1965 it has been split between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Newham.

The main part of the parish was a roughly triangular area south of the River Thames, including the town of Woolwich. The boundary with Plumstead to the east was very close to the centre of the town, located approximately where the Woolwich Arsenal station is now. The parish narrowed further south, including Woolwich Common and reaching to Shooter's Hill Road. The western boundary at this point was with Charlton Common in the parish of Charlton. North of the Thames the parish included two nearby sections of land known as North Woolwich. The western part was divided from the eastern section by the parish of East Ham. The eastern section stretched to the River Roding and had a boundary with the parish of Barking. The former area of the parish is now part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich to the south of the River Thames and the London Borough of Newham to the north.