Watts Going On
Stanley Watts has spent most of his life in Greenwich and, in December 2021, opened his eponymous salon in the heart of Design District. The lifelong resident explains what he loves about life on the Peninsula and picks out some of his favourite places to spend time.
Growing up in Forest Hill, it always felt like a short, easy trip across Blackheath over to the open spaces of Greenwich. The view across the park to the Isle of Dogs gave me a sense of space and perspective, and it still does today. Living in Greenwich has always felt a little more rural than urban to me, but you’re still well connected to the city.
My first visits to Greenwich as a kid would either have been to fly a kite in the summertime, or to sledge along in front of the observatory when it had snowed. My mum had a dried flower stall in Greenwich Market and I used to help her out with it every Sunday. It was just the two of us, Mum and me, so I had to watch the stock while she unloaded everything onto the pavement and then went off to park the car. I’d have been about 10 years old at the time, so it felt pretty grown up to be helping mum with the business. In the 25 years or so since those days, a lot has changed in Greenwich. Back then, the Thames Barrier was the main feature of Greenwich East and, even when the dome arrived, it still felt like the area had a long way to go. These days you only have to look out over the skyline from the observatory to know that amazing things are happening here. The city airport and all the transport links bring so much more business and development to the area, and there’s still plenty of space. It’s such a buzz to see it all change!
In spite of these changes, I think Greenwich still manages to maintain its old-world charm. There’s so much history ingrained in its blood, but it allows the modern world to sit alongside that, which makes it feel more ahead of the game than other parts of the city. There’s a real sense that something big is happening here. You see it in the faces and smiles of our neighbours on the Peninsula. We’re all so keen to help others do well. I do miss a few old haunts from my past. There used to be a venue called Time Bar above the undercover market. At the time I think it was the oldest music hall in the country. My friend and I used to DJ there on a Sunday; an eclectic mix of beats and party classics that always built up to deep house by the end of the night. I cringe now, but when the lights came up and everyone was hugging and laughing, it felt like the whole of Greenwich was dancing to our tunes.
One of the main reasons I moved back here was for that sense of community. Early on in my career, I spent six years in Milan and then another year in Paris chasing that perfect editorial look for my portfolio. But once I’d finished schmoozing I knew it was time to get back behind the chair. We took a gamble and opened up a place in Fitzrovia, which was the arts capital of London at the time. We had a lot of fun with it, and even made it into Time Out’s top 5 hair salons in London, but I was still living in Greenwich, and travelling home late at night while my son Monty was a baby was incredibly hard. I could see the potential of the Peninsula and knew about the Design District project in the pipeline. It all made sense to bring it home and create something beautiful here.
So far, Design District has offered us this incredible focus where all the creativity in the area is brought into one central point. We’ve been introduced to so many like-minded people since we’ve been here. Like the students from Ravensbourne, whose studios are just next to ours.
Our business plan for Stanley Watts Greenwich was written long before the pandemic, but going into lockdown as we were opening allowed us to take stock and really think about what we could offer to this emergent way of working on the Peninsula. We imagined our brand with the help of 28 Ravensbourne students and built our initial identity with them. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to fulfil our mission of bringing the business back to the community.
Now things have opened up again it feels like Design District is just about to fully blossom and we’re buzzing to be part of this exciting time.
Stanley’s Greenwich:
Stanley Watts Greenwich is my obvious top spot. It’s a very addictive space!
The basketball court on top of C1 in the Design District is such a happy place for the view and the stunning sunsets. My son, Monty, also loves basketball at the moment.
It wouldn’t be Sunday without lunch at the Pilot Pub. It’s a fun reminder of our 90s Britpop days as it’s the venue where Blur shot the video for Parklife.
The Pelton Arms is a real gem of a pub. It’s owned by Geoff, a client and friend of mine, who has his finger on the pulse when it comes to live music and keeping the community engaged.
The skyline from the Emirates Air Line is incredible for that sense of space you get in Greenwich. Seeing it from that perspective makes the place feel almost coastal.
I use the whole Peninsula as a playground when I’m running, which is really good for the soul and headspace. For the last 10 years I’ve gone from the Thames Barrier right the way up to Cutty Sark.
