Help for Andrew from Crayford Kent

 

A Deptford Street, an Orange, and a Question of Place (c.1926–1930)

This photograph has recently resurfaced that captures a quiet, human moment from inter-war Deptford: a young boy — Andrew’s father — eating an orange, sometime around 1926–1930. It’s a simple scene, yet it opens up a much bigger question: where exactly was this taken?

Andrew, who brought the image to light, has already done the hard yards. He knows the family lived at various addresses around Hughes Fields, Deptford Green, and Creek Road, including No. 122 Creek Road during the late 1920s. He has searched hundreds — possibly thousands — of images at the London Archives, with little to show for it. Anyone who has tried to visually reconstruct pre-war south-east London will understand that frustration.

Although the photo itself is modest, it offers a few valuable clues:

• A pawnbroker’s shop on the left
  Pawnbrokers were common on busy working-class streets and were usually clearly signed. Their locations are often listed in trade directories from the period, which makes them one of the most promising leads.

• A building resembling a church hall on the right
  These halls were frequently attached to Anglican or nonconformist churches and sat slightly back from the street, often with plain brick façades and tall windows.

• Possibly a pub ahead on the right
  Pubs tended to anchor street corners or sit prominently along main roads, especially routes linking docks, markets, and housing.

Together, these details suggest a lively, well-used stretch of road, not a quiet back street — very much in keeping with Creek Road or nearby routes leading toward the river, The Stowage, and Deptford Green.

Why the trail goes cold

Andrew is absolutely right to suspect that much of this streetscape has vanished. Deptford suffered heavy bomb damage during the Second World War, followed by post-war clearance and redevelopment. Entire rows of shops, pubs, and small halls disappeared, taking with them the visual continuity that historians rely on.

Yet fragments of the old area survive. Around St Nicholas Church, for example, there are still pockets where the scale and feel of old Deptford linger. While these aren’t the answer in themselves, they help us imagine the kind of environment shown in the photograph.

How this photo might be identified

If this image is ever to be pinned down to a precise location, the best chances lie in cross-referencing, rather than photographs alone:

• Street trade directories (late 1920s)
  Look for pawnbrokers listed on Creek Road, Deptford Green, and connecting streets. Once a candidate street is found, nearby churches or mission halls can be checked.

• Fire insurance maps and OS maps
  These sometimes mark pawnbrokers, pubs, and halls distinctly and can be matched to the spacing of buildings in the photo.

• Local parish records
  Church halls were often tied to specific parishes, which may narrow the field further.

More than a location

Even if the exact street name never emerges, the photograph still matters. A boy eating an orange — an everyday pleasure in the 1920s — tells us about diet, affordability, and ordinary life between the wars. It’s a reminder that Deptford’s history isn’t only about docks, bombs, or redevelopment, but about people living their lives in streets that have since vanished.

Andrew’s search is one many families share: trying to anchor memory to place when the place itself has gone. If anyone recognises the combination of pawnbroker, church hall, and pub from old Deptford, this photograph may yet give up its secret.

Sometimes, all it takes is one pair of familiar eyes.