To ask about Woolwich?

[Creativelypink]

Looking to go to London for an event in Woolwich the a group of around 9 of us towards the end of the year.

were looking at airbnbs as for a group much cheaper than hotel but some of them look ‘less than desirable’ in the old school tower blocks and such. So so sorry not meaning that in an offensive way - I guess my question is are these areas still as bad as they once were or is it more gentrified/better rep these days?

I don’t want to stay anywhere unsafe but equally don’t want to judge a book by its cover!

I’m up the road in Plumstead. Honestly the old tower blocks are mostly quite rough. Sometimes junkies in the doorways, feral teens late in the evenings making a racket/drinking etc. I’d stick to the royal arsenal or an air BnB in upper Plumstead where it’s quieter, buses are quite frequent into Woolwich from there.

I have visited via the Elizabeth line and so if you don't feel comfortable staying there, pick somewhere else that you can get to easily from there.

I lived in one of the tower blocks on the Glyndon Estate for about a decade. It was fine, I liked it, never had any problems apart from the lift sometimes smelling of dog wee. But if you’re not familiar with the area and already feeling a bit wary about it, I’d probably opt for somewhere down on the Arsenal development or a street property / house with private entrance.

@Dpresst that’s my worry! I’ve done a lot of reading and it says there’s two halves - the newer bit and the older bit which are worlds are part and crime rates etc!

@ComtesseDeSpair thank you that’s useful. I think this one is just behind the Woolwich Arsenal station there’s a few tower blocks there.

I used to live in the Royal Arsenal which was all city workers and really nice. You can also get the clipper from there down the river which is a nice way to travel (albeit not as fast as other options).

@Icanttakethisanymore that’s the newer bit isn’t it not old fashioned tower blocks or am I wrong? Trying to figure out the area!

Woolwich is been gentrified especially the area closest to the tube. The tell tale sign is there's a Gail's. You'll be fine

It should be fairly obvious which are the council estates and which is the private development: the latter is literally a gated community and nothing’s more than about 15 years old. It’s well lit, well-populated and loads of CCTV. The Elizabeth line station sits here. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is further up in the older part of town and the blocks nearest to it are 1960s typical concrete / system built council blocks. I think this area is perfectly safe, too, but that’s from having had the luxury of living nearby and knowing it well.

I live near by and alot of it is still rough as arseholes but I wouldn't be worried about staying here at all. I will happily walk through the town centre on my way home at night etc, and travel through the more rougher parts to get home

If you really are uneasy then look at Charlton and North Greenwich too. Woolwich is very well connected by bus.

@ComtesseDeSpair yeah this is definitely an old concrete tower block with the main access near industrial estate I think.

Also you've probably already looked, but the Premier Inn can be very reasonable

You might also find more AirB&B availability over the river around City Airport, or even Custom House, due to its proximity to the Excel Centre. Both easy to get to on the DLR from Woolwich. Personally, I find that whole area a bit like The Land That Time Forgot and slightly weird, give me Woolwich any day 😁 But it’s perfectly safe and well connected.

It's this bit - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Royal+Arsenal,+London/@51.4931231,0.0700171,16z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x47d8a8c004fd7d8b:0x64301d2d3ee8d10b!8m2!3d51.4933051!4d0.0740454!16s%2Fg%2F1ptw7n6yj?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwNS4yIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

It's old buildings which have been recently (about 20 years go) converteted to flats. I lived there 15 years ago but it's a nice complex. Description from google below -

"Formerly housing one of the UK's largest munition factories, the Royal Arsenal neighbourhood is now home to quaint pubs, historic buildings, and a lively street market. Upscale apartment buildings dominate the Thames riverfront, while shops and warehouses rub shoulders inland. Twice a month, a busy farmer's market occupies Artillery Square. Historic landmarks include Equitable House and the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse."

As others have said my experience (which admittedly is very out of date!) was that the grotty bits of woolwich didn't feel unsafe, just run down.

@Creativelypink

What are you going to see, OP?