The neighbourhood of Plumstead is in the south-eastern London Borough of Greenwich. It is filled with Victorian terraced houses, nail salons, restaurants, and small shops along Plumstead High Street. The neighbourhood itself is unusually hilly for London, with steep hills leading up to Plumstead and Winn’s Commons, both of which are overflowing with greenery. The Plumstead Pantry, overlooking Plumstead Common, is a particular local favourite and a short walk away is nearby Woolwich, which has even more bars and restaurants. Residents are a fair way outside of central London in this neighbourhood, but the Plumstead Thameslink station can get them to London Bridge in 30 minutes.

This place where the plum trees grew, was first recorded around 970 as Plumstede, with the name only changing slightly over the years to Plumstead. It is possible that the Romans planted orchards here on an agricultural scale. The present St Nicholas’ Church was built in the 12th century and was given its mismatched tower in the early 1660s. The area and village were of little consequence at this time and remained so until the early 19th century, when nearby Woolwich began to be developed. Plumstead’s growth was inextricably linked to Woolwich, in particular to the town’s military status, and more precisely with the manufacture of arms and armaments.

The annual get together, Plumstead Make Merry, takes place in June in this neighbourhood is the longest-standing festival in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The Arsenal Football Club, then known as Royal Arsenal or Woolwich Arsenal, played in Plumstead between 1886 and 1913, at various grounds in the Plumstead area.

One of the downsides of this neighbourhood is that there is not a vast variety of housing types, they are mostly terraced homes. There are also currently only a few new-build homes for sale; however, this makes it a great option for families who are looking for a larger property.

The biggest change impacting this area has been the completion of the Elizabeth Line and the opening of Woolwich underground station just under 15 minutes walk from this neighbourhood. This formerly isolated part of South East London now has trains running to Canary Wharf in under five minutes as well as to central London and Heathrow. This is expected to bring a wave of new development in the coming years, although most of it is planned on the Woolwich side of the neighbourhood. The 5,000 new homes promised by the Royal Arsenal Riverside development, as well as the 800 new homes included in the Woolwich Exchange in the west of this neighbourhood, are two of the foremost examples of this new interest.