Spotlight on Greenwich and Blackheath

Greenwich indoor market in the town centre has stalls from Wednesday to Sunday

Greenwich Park is surrounded by the buildings of the Royal Naval College

Circus Street is typical of West Greenwich

Blackheath village looks out on to the wide green expanse of the Heath

Greenwich and Blackheath are two of south London’s big surprises - airy green expanses, dissected by roads that give motorists a “wow” moment as they emerge from traffic-clogged Deptford. Take one route for the slopes of Greenwich Park, or another for the plateau of Blackheath.

Both areas have had a loyal following while remaining off most Londoners’ radar, mainly thanks to the lack of a Tube station. Then came the Docklands Light Railway.

Now City workers who prefer the period charms of Blackheath or Greenwich to an apartment in Canary Wharf are moving south and commuters are discovering quick links to the West End via DLR connections to the Jubilee line.

'Greenwich is more studenty while Blackheath has more of a village atmosphere'

Greenwich’s industrial riverfront has also undergone massive regeneration since the 1990s but redevelopment is still very much a work in progress, with luxury apartments overlooking derelict warehouses and crumbling wharves.

Source: Evening Standard 26th May 2010