Founded in the 1600s the Royal Arsenal was once Britain’s largest centre for the manufacture and storage of munitions, reaching peak production during the First World War when it employed more than 80,000 people.

Unfortunately for the workers, technological improvements and the changing nature of warfare led to a decrease in operations and Royal Arsenal’s closure in 1967, with the Ministry of Defence finally vacating in 1994. Now, thanks to a £500 million development, Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal has been granted a new lease of life.

I joined members of the Visit Greenwich team on a short tour of the area to experience the new leisure and tourism products on offer and learn about the future of its cultural and creative district.

Barrie Kelly, chief executive at Visit Greenwich, commented on the inspiration behind the development: “The size of the Royal Arsenal area is comparable to the South Bank and we want to create a location to rival that.”

Royal Arsenal offers visitors a clutch of amenities, including the Dial Arch pub and The Guard House restaurant – the latter is home to an in-house bakery where visitors can order fresh produce to go. For lovers of craft beer, the Taproom should be right up their street. I was lucky enough to sample some of its finest beers, including the juicy Four Hour Session IPA whose name I’m told was inspired by the breaks the munitions workers received. Next door is Building 10 – a Grade II listed converted cannon carriage factory whose colossal space is used for anything from fashion events to pop-up cinemas.

Visitors can swing by the farmers’ market held here on the second and last Saturday of every month to purchase locally sourced fruit and vegetables, flowers and cheeses. For those seeking an evening of high-end gastronomy, the Con Gusto Italian restaurant should sate their appetites, while the Greenwich Heritage Centre, the last stop on my tour, is ideal for families. Packed with weird and wonderful displays, including a baby alligator and an elephant’s foot, the centre has opened a new exhibition – Making Woolwich: The Royal Regiment of Artillery in Woolwich – which tells the story of the regiment through its changing uniforms, technology and weapons.

The future for the Royal Arsenal development looks bright: Greenwich Council has the go-ahead for construction of a 450-seat theatre, 10 rehearsal studios and a performance courtyard, and Crossrail will service the area from December 2018.

Kelly is certainly optimistic about the prospects for boosting the area’s popularity.

He said: “This is the first real attempt at putting Woolwich on the map and you can already see how vibrant the area is. We really have all the ingredients here for success.”