Woolwich

Woolwich made the Empire's guns and founded the football club that became Arsenal, then watched the factory close and the team leave for Highbury. The Elizabeth line has given it something that stayed, and estate agents now sell the place mainly on how quickly you can get out of it. Down by the river, the old Royal Arsenal is concierge flats arranged around a parade ground, while up the hill the high street carries on as if nobody told it about the concierge. The ferry across the Thames is still free, which makes it the most generous thing anyone has done for Woolwich in a century.