This neighbourhood is located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It predominantly includes the areas of Abbey Wood and Thamesmead. Unlike many other inner-city London developments, Thamesmead is a relatively new creation as it mainly comprises social housing from the 1960s. This neighbourhood hosts many grey brick council estates, and although outdated compared to 21st century housing developments in neighbouring Greenwich, they add to the unique character of this neighbourhood area. While Abbeywood has been an isolated suburb for much of its history this is set to change, as the Elizabeth Line station has recently been completed in the centre of the neighbourhood,

Between the 16th and 19th century, the site where Thamesmead Southmere is located was used for the British military. In 1805, King George III consolidated the area’s various military sites, and named it the Royal Arsenal. During the 1960s and 70s, council-led development began to house London’s growing population and repair damage done during World War Two. Many architects wanted to pursue a modernist design, and at one point the area became known as the “21st Century Town”, in reference to the futuristic style. The most famous of these estates was Thamesmead which featured in Stanley Kubrick’s infamous 1972 adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. These flats helped make the area affordable, attracting working-class Londoners, as well as those moving to the city from all over the world. However, they soon gained an infamous reputation, with the brutalist architecture of Thamesmead in particular, becoming synonymous with crime and the disintegration of working class communities.

In 2014 the Peabody Group overtook its management from the Greater London Authority.

Southmere Park is the latest new town development in Greater London. A strong feature of this neighbourhood is Southmere lake, which is most famous for its feature in scenes from British hit drama Misfits!

The development of modernist housing estates in this area has created a landscape which many dislike: Thamesmead has been berated for its brutalist architecture. Reports have also found that Thamesmead Moorings is positioned as the national ward with one of the highest percentages for over-weight and obese reception aged pupils.

The biggest change to hit this neighbourhood has been the completion of the Elizabeth Line, which means Canary Wharf is just a ten minute train journey away. This is set to transform the area from an isolated suburb to a bustling commuter hub with direct transport links to central London and Heathrow. The Abbey Place development on Felixstowe Road is one development prompted by these new transport links, providing 245 new mixed-tenure homes across two buildings. Flowers Estate, a council estate in Abbey wood, is also set to receive £1.3 million from Greenwich Council to help squash anti-social behaviour and revitalise the area.