Powis Street
Powis Street is a partly pedestrianised shopping street in Woolwich, southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It runs through the town centre, south of the A206 Woolwich High Street, and connects Beresford Square at the east end with Green’s End at the west. The street is close to Woolwich Arsenal and Elizabeth Line stations, with several bus stops and car parks nearby.
Origins and growth: The Powis Street area was laid out in the late 18th century by the Powis brothers, Greenwich brewers, as part of a new town centre south of the ropeyard. It helped create Woolwich’s commercial heart, and early views from 1783 show it as a dirt track before development transformed the area into Powis Street and Bathway Quarter.
19th century development: Powis Street was completed in the early 1800s and grew into Woolwich’s fashionable shopping street, with many houses and shops. It housed major stores such as Garrett’s (Kent House) and Cuffs, along with pubs, a theatre and the nearby Woolwich Arsenal railway. The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society expanded into the area around the turn of the century, and trams ran along Powis Street from the late 19th century into the early 20th.
20th century to today: By the early 1900s the street was largely rebuilt, with three-storey shops and living space above. Major tenants included the Woolwich Equitable Building Society and the RACS Central Stores. Marks & Spencer arrived in the 1910s and expanded in later decades; other big names such as Burton, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Nando’s, Travelodge, TK Maxx and Dunkin’ Donuts followed in the 20th and 21st centuries. The road was widened in the 1930s, and later modernist redevelopment replaced some older buildings. The area fell on harder times after the mid-20th century but has seen regeneration with new shops and amenities.
Conservation area and restoration: In May 2019, Powis Street became part of Woolwich’s conservation area to protect its historic character. A public-space refurbishment for Powis Street and Beresford Square began in 2023 as part of ongoing regeneration.
Architecture and notable buildings: The street shows a mix of late-Victorian and Edwardian façades, Art Deco blocks, and mid-20th-century modernist buildings. Notable features include Kent House (Garrett’s), the large Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society buildings, the RACS Central Stores complex (later converted to a hotel and shops), the Granada Cinema site (now a church), and several modernist structures from the 1950s–60s. The TK Maxx store sits on a site formerly occupied by the Premier Electric Theatre, and Marks & Spencer’s long history on the street reflects its changing retail role.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 19:18 (CET).