Living in North Woolwich?

Question

I'm planning to move to London by mid-september. Is North Woolwich a decent/nice place to live? Is it safe? How long does it take to Central London by tube?

Answer 1

I've never lived in North Woolwich but travelled through it a few times ... mainly taken the train then taken the ferry across the river, it was a fun trip the kids enjoyed and made a nice day out during school holidays ... I didn't feel threatened when we went through, but I did think it was a rather "dead end" place like the other poster has already said, in a bit of a time-warp 50 years behind the rest of London

Answer 2

Is it decent/nice? My first reaction (having grown up a couple of miles away) is to say "God, no, it's really horrible", but I suppose different people have different tastes - and with things like the London City Airport nearby, the new University of East London campus not far away, the Docklands Light Railway extension, lots of new flats, and so on, it is changing.

But it is still very very isolated - as isolated as anywhere that is within 10 miles of the centre of London can be, anyway - there are two roads out, and a ferry, and water on all four sides!

Melancholic, yes. Apart from some surprisingly beautiful views of the Thames and the docks, the local amenties are very limited (a few shops, some rather dodgy pubs which tend to specialise in strippers and boxers). It's a very very strange place (until 1965 it was run as an exclave of Kent, despite being on the "wrong" side of the river)...I definitely would check it out first before moving there - I think it is the sort of place one would either love or hate. (and you might have to be a social historian of the east end to love it...)

It's not a typical London neighbourhood in any sense. A lot of it is rather rough, as well.

The tube doesn't go there, but the DLR from King George V station does - it'll take you about half-an-hour to the city (Bank).