Greenwich is located just minutes away from central London (Image: Getty)
Located in the big smoke is a town that’s almost like a utopia. On a sunny day, it’s hard to think of a reason why people wouldn’t want to live in Greenwich. Just a stone’s throw away from the bustle of central London, Greenwich has its own feel. The town is home to a huge park and a huge range of independent sellers that visitors can enjoy.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is known for its rich naval history, royal connections, and world-famous landmarks. It’s one of the first stops on the London Marathon route where supporters cheer on their friends and family taking on the challenge. Greenwich is also known as the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the international time standard since 1884.
Greenwich Market is filled with a huge range of unique shops (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Tom’s Guitar Shop has a huge range of instruments (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Walking around the pretty town, it’s filled with quaint-looking shop fronts which look as though there could be a beach nearby. The array of souvenir and boutique shops makes visitors feel they’re somewhere worth visiting.
One person who has just recently started a shop called Cheese Turnpins in the area is Chris Homes. He tells Express.co.uk: “We opened just before Christmas so we’re really new. We love cheese so we wanted to turn our passion into something.
“The journey to get to where we are has been fabulous – it’s been great opening the shop here.
“We’re from Greenwich and are based close by, so we started out testing our business at the market.
“We like being based in Greenwich – it’s an ideal place for our business and we feel we have a unique identity here.”
Having lived in Greenwich for decades, Chris says the best thing about the town is its location – which is just a short train ride away from central London. He says it’s a place that has a sense of community and history.
He adds that his children all enjoy the area as much as he does – with enough for younger and older people, Greenwich “ticks lots of boxes”.
Chris Homes started Cheese Turnpins recently with his wife Nicola Hill (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Greenwich Market has an array of food options (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Further into the market, the sweet smell of fudge draws me into The Fudge Patch.
Beaming behind the counter are Raef Commissar and Harry Foster-major, who are very passionate about their jobs and their fudge.
A delicious chocolate orange fudge is brewing, while waiting for it to be poured, Harry tells me a little bit more about Greenwich.
Harry says: “Greenwich is one of the better places for independent businesses. It has a smaller independent feel than some of the other bigger markets in London where they can sometimes lose the more authentic feel.”
He says he has been working in the shop for three years and he says it’s a “great place to work”.
Harry first moved to London from Sheffield to study, and after getting his degree, he decided to stay and work for Patrick, known as Patch, at the fudge shop.
Harry enjoys the feel of Greenwich after moving from Sheffield (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Customers were lining up to make a purchase at The Fudge Patch (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
Wandering through the market, I spot Spencer, who is a pyrography artist, working away on his latest piece.
Giving a demonstration of his artwork, he says he has been creating the work for four years after he stopped working as a primary school teacher.
He says: “I’ve lived in Greenwich since 1971 and I like the great vibe you get here. There’s loads of tourists and I enjoy speaking to them.
“There’s a mix of locals and tourists – particularly Americans who tend to buy quite a lot from me.
“I have great relationships with the other sellers here and that’s always nice.”
One woman who works at an antique booksellers in the area says Greenwich has a great sense of community.
She says: “If you want to see the whole world, you come to Greenwich. Everyone comes here, there’s tourists, students, residents, people who work here – it’s great.”
Artist Spencer sells his pieces at the market (Image: Adam Gerrard / Express)
In summer, the area is a haven for tourists, with the Thames just a short walk away – people often walk along until they reach the area before stopping to browse, she says.
Central London can be “clinical”, she says, but adds that Greenwich has retained its originality so far.
Tom Smith, who works at Tom’s Guitar Shop, says he first opened in the summer of 2024, having grown up in the area.
A vibrant array of guitars lines the walls and floors of the shop, with even pink and blue electric guitars available.
Tom says: “Greenwich is like a little snowglobe – you have the park, the market, the university, the Cutty Sark boat and the river. There’s so much to see in such a small area.
“It all is very pretty and there’s a lot of creative people here so it’s very bohemian too. The architecture is stunning and there’s some of London’s best pubs in the area too. It’s a neat little corner of London which makes it unique.”
Greenwich is the perfect place for a day trip or a weekend away and it’s a spot that if people are lucky enough to live in, they’re unlikely to leave.