Foundations in South London
The original predecessor of today's Arsenal was founded in Woolwich, a district located on the south bank of the Thames in southeast London.
The main figure behind the club's founding is considered to be David Denskin, a Scot who worked in a factory producing ammunition and weapons. This clearly explains the origins of the team's nickname - 'the Gunners'.
The name of this factory located in Woolwich was 'Royal Arsenal'. There, Denskin presented the idea of creating a football team to a group of his coworkers; the colleagues agreed, raised funds among themselves, bought the necessary equipment, and founded a team initially called Dial Square FC (after the famous sundial located on one of the gates of the factory premises and the area next to it).
However, a few weeks later the team adopted the name of the entire factory - 'Royal Arsenal'.
If we quickly jump to the present, we can find a legacy of this first historical moment even in the current Arsenal stadium, the Emirates. It features a multi-purpose event space called Dial Square. That is one of the ways the club reflects its historic roots.
First big successes
In 1893, the London Armory changed status from a Royal Company to a private enterprise, and therefore the factory football club was renamed from 'Royal Arsenal' to 'Woolwich Arsenal'.
The privatisation of the company did not harm the growth of the club though. Under the new name, the team immediately registered with the Football League and in the 1893/1894 season, Arsenal had the opportunity to participate in the old Second Division.
They were the first club from southern England to join the Football League - at the beginning of football in England, it was played primarily in the northern parts of the country.
Woolwich Arsenal were one of the top London clubs. The Gunners consolidated their position in the league (although still in the Second Division) and yearned for success. Their best chance was to succeed in the FA Cup, in which Arsenal wanted to show that they could compete with the best teams in the country.
The Gunners had already gained experience in the FA Cup in 1889/1890 but throughout the 1890s, when they would make it through the qualifying rounds, they always lost in the first round. The world's oldest club competition seemed to be cursed for the club in its early days.
Today, this may sound like a paradox, because Arsenal currently hold a record 14 FA Cup titles. No other team has won more. However, the Gunners did not enjoy their first FA Cup win until 1930. By that point, they were no longer a team from Woolwich in southeast London, but a team from the north of the city.
Forced move to North London
At the beginning of the 20th century, Woolwich Arsenal played their matches at a modest stadium, Manor Ground. At that time, the club was also struggling with serious financial problems. In 1910, the club almost went bankrupt.
The club was eventually rescued from this dire situation thanks to the help of two prominent and experienced football officials, Henry Norris and William Hall. However, the next big blow came in 1913 when Arsenal's stadium burned down.
The Manor Ground was the target of an arson attack by suffragettes as part of a nationwide campaign fighting for women's suffrage, and so Arsenal had to look for a new home. The Gunners eventually found it in North London, in Highbury.
After the move, the club naturally dropped the name of the Woolwich district from its title, creating the cleaner and punchier term: 'The Arsenal Football Club'.
Highbury was home to Arsenal for almost a century. Their next move came in 2006 when the Gunners moved just a short distance away, to the brand new and very modern Emirates Stadium.
However, Dial Square, Woolwich, a few iconic parts of the old Highbury Stadium structure (such as the famous clock, after which the Clock End is named) and other fragments of the history of the old Arsenal still live on today.