Woolwich
The civil parish of Woolwich, roughly the area of the present-day wards Woolwich Riverside and Woolwich Common, was formerly known as Woolwich Saint Mary. Until 1842, when the Old Town Hall was built, the vestry met in a room in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene. Woolwich became part of the London metropolitan area in the mid-19th century, although was officially still in Kent at the time. In 1889, with the formation of London County Council, Woolwich became officially part of London. In 1900 the parishes of Woolwich, Eltham and Plumstead formed the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich. In 1906 the new Woolwich Town Hall was inaugurated. In April 1965, following implementation of the London Government Act 1963, Woolwich was merged into the London Borough of Greenwich, since 2012 the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The administrative buildings of the borough are in Woolwich.
Old Woolwich
From the 10th till the mid-12th century Woolwich was controlled by the abbots of St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent. Some of the Ghent lands passed to the royal manors of Dartford and Eltham. Not included were a riverside quay held by Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate, and a wharf held by St Mary's Priory, Southwark. Woolwich Ferry was first mentioned in 1308 but may be older. Several Medieval pottery kilns have been discovered north of Beresford Street in 2007-08. The oldest and best-preserved kiln probably produced so-called 'London ware' in the 14th century. Around Bell Water Gate some private shipbuilding or repair may have existed in the 15th century. Very little is known about the size and disposition of the settlement. One or two houses from the 15th or 16th century survived until the late 19th century, long enough to be recorded by local antiquarians.