If you have heard of the Woolwich Rotunda at all, you will probably remember that it was, until it closed in 2010, the home of the Royal Artillery Museum, housing a large collection of military artefacts. It comes as a surprise to discover, from within the pages of a new richly documented Historic England monograph (see ‘Further reading’ below), that this distinctive building was originally erected as a giant tent, designed for use as a ballroom and party venue.
The unusual story of the Rotunda begins in 1814, with the defeat of Napoleon and his subsequent exile to Elba. His abdication and the Treaty of Paris, signed by France and the Allies on 30 May 1814, brought an end to 22 years of turmoil in Europe that had begun with the French Revolutionary Wars of 1792-1802 and continued with the Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815. Napoleon’s invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1807 brought Britain into the war due to a long-standing alliance with Portugal. Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852) led British, Portuguese, and Spanish troops to a series of decisive victories over Napoleon’s troops during the Peninsular War, precipitating the collapse of the French army and its retreat from Spain. This was then followed by France’s final defeat when Russian and Prussian troops entered Paris on 31 March 1814.
Though this later became known as ‘the false peace’ (because hostilities began again when Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to Paris in March 1815, only to be defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815) there was widespread jubilation throughout Europe from April 1814 onwards. London was lit up by illuminations and fireworks over three successive nights from 11 to 13 April. The French king Louis XVIII, who had spent seven years in exile in England, received a state reception before his return to France on 24 April.
