The North Woolwich trail

deep water

This trail features the sounds and voices of the river and docklands at the far end of the docks. Walk the Thames path along wild stretches of river that may soon be overshadowed by a new Thames road bridge; cross the locks used by some of the biggest ocean liners in the world; discover the ultra-modern dockside campus of the University of East London and follow the trail to North Woolwich, its free ferry and the last traditional dockers pubs in London. Composed by Mark Hunter.

Some comments from walkers: 'Stimulating, fascinating glimpse of local history' ... 'culturally and historically enriching' ... 'brilliant'

Walk 3: The North Woolwich Trail: Deep Water

Commentary by Mark Hunter

Deep Water is a journey through North Woolwich past and present. Constructed around interviews from both the Eastside Community Heritage archive and the Museum in Docklands oral history collection, this sound walk brings together a wide range of ideas, attitudes and memories through the voices of local people.

You will not hear my voice on these tracks; my aim was to gather the materials and work them into a soundscape that represents itself without my voice intervening. In this way I play the role both of curator - carefully selecting and editing material from the catalogue of the archive recordings, and sculptor - constructing a sonic monument of and to the people featured in the recordings.

The trail is also an investigation into the performance of memory in Newham in 2008. The complex and overlapping contexts of ‘regeneration’ that are present in the 2012 Olympics and the Thames Gateway development sits in stark contrast to the immediate surroundings of North Woolwich.
The redevelopment zone surrounding North Woolwich offers a very specific narrative of place that, I would argue, does not account for the history or people of the area.

This sound walk is an attempt to map the stories and memories of the local people onto the terrain of North
Woolwich, offering an experience where the ‘here and now’ of the walk is contested by the ‘there and then’ of the stories you will listen to.

This sound walk is an attempt to map the stories and memories of the local people onto the terrain of North Woolwich, offering an experience where the ‘here and now’ of the walk is contested by the ‘there and then’ of the stories you will listen to.

Track listings

1 King George V DLR
Charles Beck

2 Woodman Street:
Gertie Duffy; Victor Pardoe; Alex Collyer

3 The Royal Oak
Alex Collyer; Doreen Harvey; Roy & Marion Cable; Stanley Morris

4 Royal Victoria Gardens
Owen Macomish

5 North Woolwich Pier
Roy Cable; Victor Pardoe

6 Bargehouse Road Slipway
George Gibbs; Doreen Harvey; Lottie Lowry

7 Harland & Wolff
Owen McComish; Roy Cable; E. Glibbery

8 Bascule Bridge
George Gibbs; Owen McComish; Ada Tebb

9 Dockside, Royal Albert Dock
AS Ellis; George Gibbs; Lottie Lowry

10 University of East London Campus

Mrs Brome; Paul North; Harold Morison

11 Cyprus DLR. Charles Beck