Carol

Originally from Exeter, Devon, Carol came to live in Woolwich in 2017, via Salford, Nottingham, Balham (SW London), Bedfordshire, Bournemouth and East Greenwich by the noisy, busy Woolwich Road flyover. Lured to Woolwich by the green spaces, impressive vistas that look out over London, a quieter location and the promise of Crossrail for a quicker commute to work, Carol and her husband bought a house on Eglington Hill.

Prior to moving here, Carol’s two, contrasting connections to Woolwich were: firstly, registering her marriage at Woolwich Town Hall (the municipal hub for Royal Borough of Greenwich) in the shadow of the Lee Rigby murder; and secondly driving along the A205 South Circular road to go to the tip in Plumstead (not on the same day). She recalls bring impressed by the distinctive town hall and military barracks architecture, and seeing the Royal Arsenal Riverside development being built and thinking how different the two sides of the South Circular road, Woolwich Town Centre and Royal Arsenal Riverside (RAR), felt at the time.

Carol is cautiously supportive of the regeneration in Woolwich, calling the A205 ‘The Berlin Wall’, a road that reinforces segregation between the newly developed RAR and the multicultural town centre. She recognises how she now benefits from the the RAR market, restaurants and bars and was excited when Street Feast, a food and drinks hang out opened for a short period of time in the old public market building on the town side of the road.

In July 2020 Carol broke her foot and started rehabilitation in December that year. When she completed the project activities in March 2021 she was still in considerable pain, having had to relearn how to walk. Shortly after her participation in the project, Carol sold her house and moved back to Bournemouth, partly due to the disappointment of CrossRail being so delayed, but mainly because she missed the seaside.

Carol’s journal traces her regular walks with strong connections to the senses, nature and a curiosity for unusual sightings which she photographed. Her hand photos have been curated into a photo essay below. You can find Carol’s mapped locations and some of her commentary in the project online map here [link].

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