GDIF: A Ballad of Thamesmead

1986. The beautifully restored Nelson’s Clock is hauled onto a barge in Deptford and sailed down the Thames – a gift to an exciting new town centre at the vibrant focal point of Thamesmead.

2024. A baby coot nestles in her canal nest in the shadow of the clocktower. Three kids scuttle up and down the steps playing families.

And a woman sits looking up at the hands tick-tick-ticking away, pondering the ebbs and flows of home.

Created by award-winning site-specific theatre company Dante or Die, A Ballad of Thamesmead gently peeks into how the world around us impacts how we feel about our home. Live folk songs by Abbey Wood native Marie Bashiru alongside Thamesmead Community Choir interweave with a soaring sound design that includes local peoples’ voices, culminating in the clocktower illuminated like never before. 

A Ballad of Thamesmead is supported by Peabody, The Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Greenwich Festivals and Arts Council England.