Seiriol

“Woolwich is a wonder…but don’t tell everyone. I like it as it is.”

Seiriol, originally from Angelsey, North Wales, moved to Woolwich in 2013. He contributed a hand written journal including an introductory Woolwich walk, and drew a self titled “batshit crazy map” which other participants agreed should be printed on tea towels and displayed in Woolwich town centre. Seiriol, who writes and performs in musicals for a living, sees things “though a lens of bright, bold highlighter shades; adventure; magic; superpowers; big stories, music and ludicrous absurdity” as the map, journal and walking route illustrate.

Seiriol’s Journal – Introduction

My name is Seiriol Cwyfan Glyn Davies (Seiriol Davies for anyone intimidated by the middle two names) and I am from a tiny village on Anglesey, North Wales. Well, actually its quite a big village in terms of the amount of space it covers, but it only has about four houses in it. I write and perform musicals for a living, and they are camp and fabulous but with a political punch. I guess that tells you a fair bit about me. I don’t think I am that “fabulous” in life (off stage), but I think I do see life a bit differently to other people. You might be able to see this from my map. I see things through a lens of bright, bold, highlighter shades; adventure; magic; superpowers; big stories, music and ludicrous absurdity. I try to / like to see the joy, madness, and magic in any situation, so I find somewhere as evocative as WOOLWICH absolutely delightful to live in.  I love the sweeping parks, the camp military architecture, the mixture of brutalist and Imperial and modern architecture and the mix of people.

My boyfriend lived in WOOLWICH when we got together, ooh, just over eight years ago. He lived in Mizzen Mast House, right by the ferry, in a flat I really liked (there was a gorgeous, high view over the river) but he hated the heating system and spent more time walking up and down from DOCKYARD station to and from his gaff and barely exploring the town.  Once he and I started looking for a place he didn’t want to look in WOOLWICH but I was really taken with it and I asked him to take a look around. We were in General Gordon Square and there were some kids skating, some market stalls selling hot food and some ladies from the church playing ‘Nearer My God To Thee’ on a stereo and I went “why would you not want to live here??” And we’ve very quickly fallen in love with it: topography, history, a river, greenery, a high street, bags of personality, as well as a wealth of trains and a flipping AIRPORT right by us? Are you kidding?

As you can see from my map, WOOLWICH makes me feel Adventurous, Exuberant and Sentimental. And pretty often drunk (on the poetry of it all, you’ll understand!)

I can’t escape the fact that I am part of the change happening to WOOLWICH, and that I really benefit from that. I mean I am really looking forward to the upcoming opening of Crossrail three or four years ago. It’s a bit depressing to see plans to flatten interesting architecture (like the old theatre Miriam Margoyles tried to save) in favour or identikit Berkeley Homes. I guess gentrification is the way of things (and again it’s impossible to extricate myself from that) but I dearly hope that there is a way of finding common ground between different interests as well as maintaining the unique, weird, beautiful, sexy character of the place. There are places you ride over on the DLR that are just empty, rapid developments that are just made to sell flats to executives, and WOOLWICH isn’t like that; it’s got verve. It’s a market town basically. Everyone who visits here is taken with it, really taken.  That charm can’t be sacrificed either. That is so crucial. Its not just about things that romantic poofs like me find charming!

I would really love a cinema in Woolwich. I think one is planned. I would love and artistically directed and curated theatre too, which ties together the brilliant work of the Tramshed with professional productions.  I am intrigued and a touch apprehensive of the plans for the new theatre down in the arsenal. I don’t know if there are plans for it to be in any way artistically led or programmed, in which case is it just going to be a receiving house? In which case, how is it going to build any sort of coherent audience? My work takes me to major and smaller theatres across the UK and beyond, but I’d love a local.

I really like General Gordon Square. I have nothing particularly ground-breaking to say about it but it just feels nice to walk through the people, the variety, the sense of life.  I could probably do without the big screen tbh, but weirdly the false Oompa Loompa river is just delightful, when the kids play in it. And the Equitable Building is so handsome. I do hope that Antic haven’t gone belly-up and that the Equitable pub is sleeping rather than dead, cos I liked that place. For everything else, I refer you to my batshit crazy map. Most of the things that tend to cross my mind as I walk about are on there. Let me know if you can’t read it.

Best

Seiriol

© Seiriol Davies / Lizzie Fort / part of Woolwich Wandering, 2022