Saturday 31 October 2009

29 Albury Street

This is the house where my grandmother lived. They lived there from 1900 onwards, the White family.

15 comments:

Chalkie said...

Can I correct you Andy the street name in question is in fact ALBURY STREET.Origianally occupied by naval captains and seafaring people and famous I believe the residense of Lady Hamilton was in Albury Street. I would also like to know the origins of the old cinema at the Deptford High Street at the end of Albury Street

Andy said...

Thanks for the typo correction chalkie.

These fine houses with carved doorcases were built from c1706 by Thomas Lucas for sea captains and shipwrights. During the 60's most of the people who lived here were rehoused because the street was up for demolition, but property developers moved in and saved most of the northside. Only a few on the south side remain. Your right is is reputed that Lady Hamilton did live in Albury Street. My aunt Jeanie lived at number 50 where it is said Lord Nelson lived. My father found a secret doorway in the up stairs bedroom behind which there was a walkway to the next door but one house. This was the house where Lady H was reputed to live. A possible discrete way to meet. I shall check with the Maritime museum to see if they can verify this.
The theatre was the Electric Theatre. I sahll post some info later.

Thanks for your input

Andy

Chalkie said...

The old cinema was also known as The Hyde, where did this name originate ? Iwonder.The occupants from MacMillan Nurses hostel sited in Albury St have now been re -housed in modern buildings in Creek Road.The houses on the left towards the high street in the old picture were not there during the fifties were they destroyed by bombing during the second world war

Andy said...

Hi Chalkie,

The cinema was The Electric Palace Theatre. I dont know of the name The Hyde. What about the pub up the end on the lefthand side just after the guy mending the gas lamp up the ladder??

Andy said...

Looks like it was the King. I cant remember that even as a kid.

Andy said...

Ive done some research on the pub. I think it may have been the King of Prussia if anyone knows different please tell.

Anonymous said...

John Gast (1772–1837) was a shipwright by trade who worked in the Deptford shipyards in south-east London (though he was also associated with neighbouring Rotherhithe, where he lived for a time at 14 Lucas Street), and an early trade unionist.
Having unsuccessfully tried to found a labour organisation during the 1790s, he helped organise the 'Hearts of Oak Benefit Society' during a shipwrights' strike in 1802 and was advocating workers' rights in radical pamphlets such as 'Calumny Defeated, or A Complete Vindication of the Conduct of the Working Shipwrights', during the late Disputes with their Employers (1802).
Having been involved with regional efforts to build trade unions (notably the Metropolitan Trades Committee), in 1822 Gast formed a 'Committee of the Useful Classes', sometimes described as an early national trades council, and in 1824 he was the first secretary of the 'Thames Shipwrights Provident Union'. Gast also promoted an inter-union organisation: 'The Philanthropic Hercules'.
In 1825, the Combination Acts were repealed. Employers were furious and lobbied for the Acts’ restoration, prompting the emergence of workers' movements to resist such steps; Gast founded the first Trades Newspaper as part of this resistance.
In 1836, Gast was a member of the London Working Men's Association, some of whose members drafted the core six points of the People's Charter (the principles at the heart of the Chartist movement).
He was also a dissenting preacher and ran the King of Prussia public house at 6 Union Street (now Albury Street), Deptford.

Andy said...

Thanks Anony,

Interesting info. Why not become a contributor.

Andy

shipwright's palace said...

perhaps the cinema was called the hyde because it is on hyde street.

Andy said...

nice one...always like a bit of Joviality

James said...

Would this White family have anything to do with John phillip White 1880-1948 how lived with his daughter and grandchildren in Albury street after losing his legs in the great war.

Andy said...

Hi James,

No connection I'm afraid.

regards

Andy

Brenda said...

Hi Andy, my gggpa, William White lived at 6 Mary Ann Buildings in 1851 which I see on the map is just around the corner from Albury Street. Any connection to your White family?

Andy said...

Hi Brenda,
My Great Great grandad (on my father side was named William White. He was recorded in the 1900? census living at 48 Hale Street. In the 1911 census they were recorded living 29 harton Street which was up near the Broadway. He was married to Mary Anne Gutteridge and they had 10 children 6 of whom died. I dont know of him living in Mary Anne Buildings but he could have done!Does this help

Best regards

Andy

Brenda said...

Thanks for the reply - I'm going to see if I can find a link to your information and will get back to you. Many of my White ancestors were born and lived in Deptford so I was so pleased to find your excellent website. More especially so as I live in Namibia!