A visit to Woolwich to get some fresh air whilst suffering from a bad cold. Woolwich is the grotty part of Greenwich Borough with lots of run down shopping and public services. I couldn't visit the inside of the church but the outside, set on a hill well above the river looked good. Probably eighteenth century. The Royal Arsenal, that gave the Woolwich Coöp its name and named a football tean that moved to Highbury, declined in the 1960s and left a void in the town. The site is in the process of redevelopment and houses 'Firepower!' the Royal Artilery Museum and the Greenwich Heritage centre. This was well worth a visit. Deptford is a grotty but historic part of SE London, again declining due to the closure of the Royal Navy Victualling Yard.
1 comment:
Hi Richard
I came across your blog whilst looking for information on Deptford where I have lived for the last few years. If possible, I'd really like to put a different view to yours on Deptford. It's not grotty! As your photo shows, it's got the most superb church, for a start. There are some amazing 1700s Merchants houses down the streets off the High Street. Tanner's Hill has some extraordinarily quaint buildings, one of which houses Whitcomb Cycles, the only bike shop in London that builds it's own bikes. That's very typical of Deptford, it's full of uniquely characterful shops and businesses that you don't get anywhere else and it's all the richer for it. At one end of the high street there is Deptford Properly, a groovy new cafe inhabited by young arty types, then at the other end there's Pie and Mash shops for the more traditional diner... and in between every other type of restaurant reflecting the fabulously diverse mix of cultures living in Deptford. The station and the area around it is being done up, another new cafe is on its way, plus renovation for the station and some shiny new flats. Speaking of which, the riverfront at Deptford, another hidden gem, is beginning to be regenerated with a masterplan designed by Richard Rogers with the ambition to "create an employment-led regeneration process, allowing Convoys Wharf to thrive as a mixed-use neighbourhood, balancing employment, culture, residential, educational, retail and leisure activities". Like any inner city area it has it's less pleasant bits, but overall it's an interesting, exciting and (down by the river) relaxing place to live, and I love it. Sorry to go on so much, but Deptford has got so much going for it and it's unfair to dismiss it as grotty. Thanks for reading this. Best wishes, and yours Depfordly, a very happy Deptford Resident.
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