Woolwich high street
Outline
Revitalising Beresford Square and Powis Street with new landscaping, seating, lighting, greenery and modern paving. Blending heritage with innovation, creating a safer, more inviting environment that supports local businesses and enhances community life.
Client
Royal Greenwich
Landscape architects
LDA & Studio Bosk
2025
Year
Background
The Woolwich Town Centre improvement project represents a major investment in the heart of the borough, designed to enhance the public realm, celebrate local heritage, and create a safer, more inviting environment for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.
Community feedback played a vital role in shaping the project. Locals expressed a clear desire for more seating, lighting, greenery, improved paving, and a stronger sense of safety and place. In response, extensive landscaping and design works have transformed key areas, including Beresford Square and Powis Street.
At Beresford Square, the historic home of Woolwich’s market traders, a complete redesign introduced a central immersive garden, a state-of-the-art water fountain, and new sandstone paving set on redefined levels. The square’s character and heritage have been preserved through the careful restoration of three 19th-century water troughs, reinforcing its historical significance. The reorganisation of the market layout now provides traders with a thriving, modern space to operate and attract visitors.
The redevelopment also included the replacement of the outdated toilet block with a new Market Pavilion, featuring modern retail units, upgraded public facilities, and expanded green and seating areas, further enhancing the visitor experience.
Along Powis Street, Woolwich’s main high street, comprehensive relandscaping works have rejuvenated the area. The project delivered a new paving layout, enhanced seating, additional planting, and the restoration of heritage manhole covers, ensuring that modern upgrades respect the town’s architectural legacy.
Together, these improvements have revitalised Woolwich’s commercial heart — creating a more sustainable, attractive, and welcoming town centre that supports local businesses and enriches community life.