The Rotunda on Woolwich Common

Woolwich Common

Woolwich Common is an area of military land located to the south of the town centre of Woolwich in South East London England.It is bounded on the south side by the A207 Shooter's Hill Road, and on the east by Academy Road that the former Royal Military Academy fronts. Situated to the west is the...

, in south-east London, is an artillery museum which was established in 1820. The building was originally a very large bell tent

Bell tent

A bell tent is a human shelter for inhabiting, traveling or leisure. The design is a simple structure, supported by a single central pole, covered with a cotton canvas. The stability of the tent is reinforced with tension by guy ropes connected around the top of the walls and being held down by...

 erected in St. James's Park

St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 23 hectare park in the City of Westminster, central London - the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St. James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less.- Geographical location :St. James's...

 in 1814 for a special exhibition and premature victory reception of the allied sovereigns in the Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

 but its architect John Nash

John Nash (architect)

John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...

 turned it into a permanent structure with a lead roof and central supporting pillar. Since most of its exhibits were transferred to the Firepower

Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum

Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum is a military museum in Woolwich in south-east London, England, which tells the story of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and of the Royal Arsenal.-History:...

museum in 2001, the Rotunda has ceased to be open to the public, except by special arrangement.