Royal Small Arms Factory
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A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804.
It was built on the instructions of the Board of Ordnance on marsh land at Enfield Lock, on the banks of the River Lea, round about the end of the Napoleonic War.
It was privatised in 1984 along with a number of Royal Ordnance Factories to become part of Royal Ordnance Plc; which was later bought by British Aerospace (BAe), who closed the site in 1988.
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[edit] The significance of RSAF Enfield
The factory was set up because of disappointment with the quality and cost of the existing British weapons used in the Napoleonic War. At this time in Britain, they were built as individual gun components mainly in the Gun Quarter, Birmingham by a number of independent manufacturers and then hand-assembled to produce rifles. These component makers eventually combined to become the Birmingham Small Arms Company. The Enfield factory was intended to improve the quality and to drive down costs.
[edit] Weapons designed / built at RSAF Enfield
Almost all the weapons in which the Royal Small Arms Factory had a hand in design or production carry either the word Enfield or the letters EN in their name; Bren (Brno + Enfield), the Enfield revolver, the Lee-Enfield, Sten (Shepherd Turpin + Enfield) and the Polsten guns.
Two other Royal Ordnance Factories were set up in World War II to manufacture rifles designed at Enfield, and to greatly increase its capacity: ROF Fazakerley and ROF Maltby. Both of these have long been closed.
The RSAF, Enfield, was famous for its Pattern Room which was a collection, or master set, of every weapon made at RSAF Enfield. After closure this collection was moved to ROF Nottingham; which has since closed.
[edit] Closure
Boundary changes meant that the majority of the site was now within the London Borough of Enfield. The necessary outline planning permisions were obtained for site redevelopment; making closure of the site attractive to its new owners.
Closure was announced on 12 August 1987, shortly after privatisation, and the site closed in 1988; the machinery was auctioned off in November 1988. BAe then formed a joint venture with the property company Trafalgar House to redevelop the site.
The majority of the site is now covered by a large housing development. The original machine shop frontage and the older part of the rear structure has been retained and was converted into workshops and retail units by the Enfield Enterprise Agency, making use of European Union (ERDF) funding. The new development is called Enfield Island Village. A small museum can be viewed by appointment only.
[edit] External links
- Royal Small Arms Factory
- Pam, David, (1998). The Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield & Its Workers. Enfield: Published privately.
- (1973) "Preservation: Royal Small Arns Pattern Room" in: After the Battle, 2, (Pages 42 - 43). Old Harlow: After the Battle.
