It’s easy to walk by and not think about the history that is all around us in everyday life. It was this history that we aimed to share with the local community in and around Woolwich.
Explore the changing streets
The buildings, streets and river Thames have all changed over the thousands of years people have lived in this area. There are so many stories that you would never know about going about your daily life.
We therefore asked our expert archaeologists to put together a guided walk that can tell the story of how Woolwich has transformed. In October we hit the streets, leading two walks from St George’s Garrison Church, down towards the river and along on to St Mary’s church.
Together with dozens of attendees, we travelled through time and revealed the extraordinary history on Woolwich’s doorstop. We shared hidden stories and dramatic tales, as well as plenty of laughs!
You can also take our experts with you, as they guide you through a podwalk – an online audio guide! Hear about prisoners making a surprising discovery, a man being pulled from a burning building and a church at risk of collapse.
Why wait? Get free access to the Transformations of Woolwich Podwalk and join us on the streets of Woolwich.
Investigate the streets!
We didn’t just share the stories of Woolwich, but got the local community involved in examining Woolwich’s history themselves!
In the summer we worked with home educated young people to help them learn more about how you can identify elements of buildings. They learnt how archaeologists accurately record buildings, and had a go themselves. By the end of the workshop, they were also able to work out the age of buildings based on specific clues like windows and the size of bricks!
More recently, we ran a map progression and object handling session with residents of a care home. Using different historical maps and photos of Woolwich we discussed how the area had changed and shared stories with the residents.
Our archaeologists also brought some archaeological finds for the residents to handle and investigate. Along with clay pipes and a variety of pottery from all sorts of different periods in London, we talked about types of building material. We discussed how bricks have changed through time and residents had the chance to hold and feel the different types of building materials.
We’ve created the podcast alongside excavation work at the new leisure centre which the Royal Borough of Greenwich are constructing in Woolwich town centre.
