Walking Tour – Around Tripcock Ness – The History of the Thamesmead Area

A guided six-mile walking tour exploring the industrial and military history of Tripcock Ness, Woolwich Arsenal and the Thamesmead area, finishing at Abbey Wood.

This guided walk, part of a series following the Thames out towards the estuary, explores an area once dominated by the Royal Woolwich Arsenal's testing grounds, much of which was top secret until the 1950s. The route takes in canals used for carrying gunpowder, former cordite storage sites, tank testing land and a stretch of water once used for testing torpedoes, plus the dangerous Thames bend at Tripcock Ness marked by a lighthouse. It also examines the 1960s New Town of Thamesmead — the idealism behind its housing plans and how it is developing today. The walk covers just under six miles from Plumstead Station to Abbey Wood station, with a midway cafe and toilet stop.