Parks & Open SpacesFREE TO VISIT
Woolwich Common
Woolwich
Photo: Kleon3 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A big, open common on the slopes of Shooter's Hill just south of Woolwich town centre, framed by the Royal Artillery Barracks and the former Royal Military Academy. Part military land and part public park, it's a conservation area on the Green Chain.
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About Woolwich Common
Woolwich Common is a sweep of rough grassland, scrub and woodland on the northern slope of Shooter's Hill, a few hundred metres from Woolwich town centre. It's bordered by Shooters Hill Road to the south, Academy Road to the east and Repository Road to the west, with the long Georgian front of the Royal Artillery Barracks along its northern edge and the domes of the former Royal Military Academy to the east.
Less than 40% is military land; the rest is open for walking, running and dog walks, and it's part of the South East London Green Chain, with Oxleas Wood and Eltham Common continuing south of Shooters Hill Road.
Once much larger, the common was used for centuries for grazing sheep and cattle and gathering fuel, and it has long been bound up with Woolwich's military history. It's a conservation area today.
Worth knowing
Why visit?
For wide-open skies and grassland right next to Woolwich's grandest military buildings.
History & character
Owned by the Crown as part of the royal manor of Eltham until 1812, the common was used for grazing and gathering fuel and later shaped by the army. Part is still military land.
Gallery
Images are shown with source/photographer credit where supplied.
Frequently asked questions
Is all of Woolwich Common open to the public?
Most of it is. Less than 40% is military land, mainly around the Royal Artillery Barracks north of Ha-ha Road.