This neighbourhood area is made up of Shooters Hill in the southern section of Woolwich, which itself is situated in the Borough of Greenwich. It is a very residential area with numerous Asian and Caribbean restaurants on the High Street. There is also Oxleas Wood Café near Oxleas Meadow, which serves a great fry-up, and is definitely a community favourite. Local attractions, Shrewsbury Tumulus and Severndroog Castle, draw visitors to the area and offer residents spectacular views of the London skyline. Between the huge hills, the tree lined streets, and the numerous green spaces, including Shrewsbury Park, Shooters Hill Golf Club, Eaglesfield Recreation Ground, Oxleas Wood and Meadow, and Eltham Common, it’s easy to forget that you’re only a ten minute train ride from Canary Wharf, with the City of London just beyond.

The Roman Road that led from Dover to London passed over the summit of the hill in this neighbourhood, and was always a place to be feared by travellers. High and isolated with few dwellings and many trees, the traveller was vulnerable to attack by highwaymen and footpads. The place name “Hill or slope of the shooter or archer”, was first recorded in 1226 and may have its origins in these long-standing criminal associations. The area became more developed over the years, and gained its iconic Severndroog Castle in 1784 for Lady James as a memorial to her husband, Sir William James, who captured the fortress of Severndroog on the Malabar Coast in India in 1755.

Oxleas Woods, home to Severndroog Castle, is the highest peak in London and measures in at around 407 ft above sea level. You can also get a great skyline view from atop the castle!

The commute into central London can be a bit tough at times: the A2 Shooters Hill Road into town, and the Blackwall Tunnel, are jammed with commuters every morning. The rail links can be a bit crowded, but are generally sufficient depending on what part of London you are headed to.

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, meaning that the residential character of Shrewsbury Park is likely to remain intact.