Miss Kitty Colyer.

Miss Kitty Colyer played Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre Deptford in December 1920. A music hall singer and comedian of the 1920's Miss Kitty Colyer, was a well-known comedienne and dancer, and started her professional career at eleven years old She continued singing and dancing until she was eighteen, and then married. She left the stage for a few years. But an idle life did not suit her, and she said that during her absence from the stage she suffered from melancholia. She undertook all kinds of dancing, but gave special attention to acrobatic, toe, buck, and national dancing. Some of her most successful numbers were ''Good-bye, Jenny,'' ''My little snow house,'' ''Popping around,'' and ''Oh, Dolly.''

A Tragic News Story from Deptford.

The fatal fire at Deptford was as sad in its consequences as the calamitous conflagration at Bethnal Green. We give a photograph of the fireplace of the room at 35, St Johns Road, Deptford, taken soon after the melancholy disaster on the 5^th inst. At the inquest on the bodies of Thomas Aberthell aged 4 years; Amy, 3 years; Lily, 18 months, and Rose, aged four months, the four children who were asphyxiated in the fire, Lillian Aberthell, the mother, deposed that she left them sitting in the kitchen while she went to fetch some fish for her husband’s tea. When she had been away for about a quarter of an hour she returned, and was horrified to find the kitchen in flames. There were several people there, but apparently no one had made an attempt to save the children. She at once rushed in and succeeded in bringing out the two youngest but they were apparently dead. The Coroner commented on the carelessness of the parents having matches about in the way of the children as children were not able to appreciate the danger of fire, and would get matches whenever they had a chance. The Jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Dog Attack at the Royal Oak Public House

A Deptford Suicide!

The Gun Tavern

 

Deptford was also apparently the residence of the Earl of Nottingham, instrumental in helping destroy the Spanish Armada - he was supposed to have resided in the Gun Tavern. At the north end of Deptford Green, the Skinners Place property was leased to Lord Howard of Effingham, Admiral of England, in the late sixteenth century, and this appears to be the origin of the Lord High Admiral's official residence on the Green in the seventeenth century. It had two wharves with yards, several gardens enclosed with a brick wall, a barn and a stable, and a number, of houses held by sub-tenants. The main house was rebuilt shortly before 1568. This building later became the Gun Tavern and in 1807 it was converted into dwellings and warehouses owned by Messrs Gordon, Biddulph and Stanley, anchor-smiths. The property later passed to the General Steam Navigation Company.

THE LOST VILLAGE CENTER OF DEPTFORD

THE LOST VILLAGE CENTER OF DEPTFORD

Historical Deptford was divided into Upper Deptford (based around Deptford Broadway) and Lower Deptford based around St Nicholas' Church, Deptford Green (formerly Common land?) and Deptford Strand as seen on the 1623 map. Deptford was primarily a fishing village before King Henry VIII founded the Dockyard in 1513.

Church Street acted as a buffer between Lower Deptford and Upper Deptford, and was lined fairly well with properties when Butt Lane (later the High Street) was all but a bare trackway. The Green/Depford Green/Common (not to be confused with the area around St Johns also referred to as Deptford Common) had several alleys leading eastwards to Barnard's Dockyard (later used by the General Steam Navigation Company for ship repair).

Butcher Row (now Borthwick Street) led to Lower Watergate, Middle Watergate (known as Great Thames Street), and Upper Watergate. Straddling Lower and Middle Watergate was Little Thames Street AKA Lower Road. The circulation of these four streets appear to have formed the village nucleus. Unfortunately, just prior to the survey of the 1844 tithe map, most of these streets and buildings were suddenly swept away before they even had a chance to be recorded photographically. What happened was: in 1836 the Deptford Pier and Improvement Company proposed to have a railway connection from the nearly completed line to Greenwich as well as a scheme to develop the river front for passenger and commercial purposes. In the following year the Pier company had already begun purchasing premises in Thames Street, Deptford Green and Butcher Row. By 1841 they seemed to own all the area between Butcher Row and the Thames. In 1843, a legal case was lodged against the company, and the Deptford Pier junction was abandoned. The pier company were replaced by Timothy Tyrrell as owner of the Pier land, occupying a wharf and warehouse, and leasing out many other properties. Unless there's a mistake on the Tithe map it would seem almost all buildings north of Butcher Row were demolished in 1843/44. Certainly they were gone by the 1860s.

Coming from the direction of the Deptford manor house known as Sayes Court (formerly a castle?), Dog Street (known later as New Row then Dock Street/Prince Street) and the top end of Watergate Street (formerly known as Old King Street) also had properties. At the junction between them stood a gateway in Watergate Street, hence the name, which was captioned on the 1833 Cruchley map. The gate can be glimpsed to the extreme right in a photograph taken of the street.

In-between Watergate Street and Deptford Green was an empty field except for maybe the church burial ground until several north-south streets--laid sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries--filled the gap. The burial ground, if it even existed before, was maintained as a strip of land parallel to the new streets; from west to east they were named Rope Walk, New Street (extended before 1755), Frenches Field leading to Rumbolols Rope Walk (known as Black Field near the burial ground), and Hughes Field.

 To give you an idea of the many buildings lost in the former center of Lower Deptford during the early part of the Victorian era, here is a directory of trades and industries (not including the many wharves) taken from the 1834 Pigot directory unless otherwise stated; I think its safe to say that the taverns and public houses, here in the heart of historical Deptford closest to the Thames, would have been frequented more by the many sailors, mariners and seamen than in any other part of the village:

Deptford Green

The George (before 1804)

Earl of Romney (John Dickenson 1839)

White Hart (John Hawkins 1839)

Plume of Feathers (Jo Topliffe Knnipple 1839)

Lion & Lamb (John Grix)

School/Academy (Adams, John Williams)

Baker (Lancaster, Joseph)

Engineer (Gordons and Co. and shipsmiths & ironfounders)

Marine Stores-Dealer (Johnson, John)

Plumbers/Painter/Glazier (Harrison and Son)

Shipbuilder (Barnard, Francis and Son)

Lower Watergate

Sir John Falstaff Public House (John Beswell)

Coal Merchant (Wells, Hesketh Davis)

Junk Merchant (Wells, Hesketh Davis)

Timber Merchant (W H Davis)

Butcher Row

Gun Tavern (possibly Henry Mears 1804)

Blue Bell (William Collier 1834, Christopher William Collier 1839)

Ship Chester (James West)

Three Tuns (William Shirley 1834, Elizabeth Shirley 1839)

Carpenter (Deane, Anthony F)

Marine Stores-Dealer (Townsend, John)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Fowles, John)

Thames Street (Little and Great?)

Earl of Romney (John Dickenson 1834)

Marquis of Granby (Ann H, J Bear 1834 Rate)

Royal Ann (no occupier 1834)

Star & Garter (William Francis 1834, William Francis 1839)

Chemist Manufacturing (Leesom, Henry Beaumont)

Coal Merchant (Mussett, Robert and Co.)

Junk Merchant (Mussett, James & Robert)

Marine Stores-Dealer (Godwin, John)

Marine Stores-Dealer (Morris, William)

Steam Miller (Powell, Francis)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Beiderbeck, Betsey)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Doyle, Peter)

Smith (Hughesdon, William)

Ship Chandler (Thomas G)

King Street (Upper Watergate?)

Fox (Thomas Hunt 1834, Joseph Hunt 1839)

Brazier/Tin-Plate Worker (Seager, Thomas)

Bricklayer (Smith, James)

Grocers/Tea Dealer (Bensted, Elizabeth)

Snack? Proprieter (M., John)

Old King Street

Red Lion Inn (Samuel Edwards 1834, Samuel Edwards 1839)

Bull and Butcher (William ? 1834, William Williams 1839)

Fishing Smack (Jason Moreland 1834, Tim Riordan 1839)

Freemasons' Arms (James William ? 1834, William Batch 1839)

Red Cow (John Fester 1834, Kenneth Philpott 1839)

Rose & Crown (Samuel M)

School/Academy (Kemp, William)

Baker (Bradbrook, Harriet)

Brazier/Tin-Plate Worker (Matthews, Richard)

Butcher (Scott, William)

Butcher (S*lmes, Jeremiah)

Cooper (Jacob Powling)

Furniture Broker (Scruton, John)

Grocers/Tea Dealer (Prudence, Thomas)

Hat Manufacturer/Hatter (Hyman, William)

Lighterman (Riddall, William)

Plumbers/Painter/Glazier (Berry, Arthur)

Mathmematics Teacher (Stoole, Jason)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Anderson, William)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Slone, Thomas David)

Shopkeeper/Groceries and Sundries Dealer (Waikman, Mary)

Slopseller (Barnard, Esther)

Slopseller (Chapman, Edmund)

Slopseller (Gibeon, Robert)

Timber Dealer (Poole, James)

Tobacco Pipe Maker (Gosling, William)

________________________________________________

SOURCES

1623 Deptford map

18th Century Deptford Strand map "Controller Bridge House Plan 57A"

1745 Rocque map

1755 Milne map

1833 Cruchley map

1834 Pigot directory

1839 Pigot directory

1844 Tithe map

1868 Os map

White, Ken (1997). The Deptford Pier and Riverside.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/deptford/m/008add00078629au00000002.html

http://shipwrightspalace.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/john-penn-marine-engineers-deptford-and.html

http://www.olddeptfordhistory.com/2012/02/west-side-of-watergate-street-deptford.html

Other rate books (at Lewisham Local Studies) and directories may shed further light on the above:

1784 Bailey

1793-1798 Universal British Directory

1799 Holden

1801 Holden (supplement to 1799 or 1800 reprint)

1802 Holden

1803 Finch (Kent; main towns only)

1803 Holden

1804 Holden (supplement to 1803)

1805 Holden

1805 Holden (supplement to previous edition)

1808 Finch (Kent; main towns only)

1808 Holden

1809 Holden

1810 Holden

1811 Holden

1812 Holden

1813 Holden

1814-1815 Holden

1816 Underhill / Holden (London and 480 towns) at Guildhall Library

1817 Underhill / Holden

1822 Pigot London and Provincial

1822 Underhill / Holden

1823 Pigot London and Provincial (revised in 1824 and then in 1825)

1826 Pigot London and Provincial (re-printed in 1827 and then in 1828)

1827 Pigot Metropolitan (re-printed in 1828)

1830 Clayton

1832 Pigot London and Provincial (revised twice in 1833 for 1834)

1836 Pigot London Alphabetical… (revised with a supplement in 1837 and 1838)

1838 Robson Home Counties (19th edition in strong room at Guildhall Library)

1839/1840 Pigot

1845 Post Office Home Counties (Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex)

1846 Kelly (Kent) at Bexley Library

184 Post Office London and Nine Counties at British Library

1847 Bagshaw

1847 Post Office Hampshire with Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex

1850 Williams (Kent and Surrey; main towns only)

1851 Mason (Greenwich and Blackheath)

1851 Post Office Home Counties (Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex)

1852 Archdeacon (Greenwich, Woolwich incl. Deptford, Blackheath, Lewisham…)

1852 Bass (Deptford incl. Blackheath, Lee, Lewisham and Sydenham)

1855 Post Office Home Counties (Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex)

1857/1858 Meville (Kent)

1859 Post Office (Kent)

1859 Post Office Home Counties (Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex)

1860 Post Office London Suburban

1862 Post Office Home Counties (Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex)

1863 Post Office London Suburban

A great piece of research by Giles Gaffney. Hopefully more to come

Thanks

Andy

Wellington Street/Flaggon Row 1886

This old photo shows Wellington Street looking west to Deptford High Street. It was demolished in 1896 to make way for Creek Road to join Evelyn Street.

Wellington Street looking east from the north end of Deptford High Street.

Extract from Booth's diary describing Wellington Street and the surrounding areas.

Albury Street 1970,s

South side of Albury Street after demolition of the group of original houses which stood there.I can remember them from the early to late 1950,s. I don't know what the sheds behind the hoarding were but at one time they were storage for Pickford's removals. I have also seen on a map that there was a vestry building for St Paul's??

Watergate Street looking North 1920's

New King Street 1929

This photo shows a north view from Evelyn Street junction with New King Street. In the distance right hand side you can see a gateway. Is this the Victualing Yard entrance?

Bronze Street 1930's

The London Magazine 1763.

Saturday 12th 1763.

The Blue Anchor a public house near the king's yard Deptford known by the name of the Red house fell entirely to the ground; there were several lodgers in it two of whom were unfortunately killed; divers were dug out of the ruins much bruised and three children who happily received no hurt

Watergate Street 1920's? but viewed from what end?

This is a great old photo. The more you look the more you see. Look at the young lad in the fore ground.... to the left, wondering what the rest of the locals are looking at. There's a street name on the left hand side...... any guesses??

Update 26th Feb. 2012.

This extract from Booths notes of London shows Rowley Street was somewhere close to Barnes Alley and I presume Queen Street.


Extract courtesy of London School of Economics and Political Science.

Carrington House, Deptford 1902



I always remember Carrington House and the doss house that use to be there. My mum use to hate walking past it. This photo taken back in 1902 shows the place before Carrington House was built in 1903 .....advertising beds...then! Middle far right you can see Deptford Broadwayin the distance. Seems like this photo was taken in the winter months. Can anyone else remember the doss house?

As it looked in the 1960'-70's

As it is now Mereton Masions.

 Update 25th Feb 2012.

I found these old photos of the interior of Carrington House taken when the building was finished in 1903.  Looks pretty state of the art accommodation.

Ghosts In Deptford 

by Cicely Fox Smith

If ghosts should walk in Deptford, as very well they may,
A man might find the night there more stirring than the day,
Might meet a Russian Tsar there, or see in Spain's despite
Queen Bess ride down to Deptford to dub Sir Francis knight.

And loitering here and yonder, and jostling to and fro,
In every street and alley the sailor-folk would go,
All colours, creeds, and nations, in fashion old and new,
If ghosts should walk in Deptford, as like enough they do.

And there'd be some with pigtails, and some with buckled shoes,
And smocks and caps like pirates that sailors once did use,
And high sea-boots and oilskins and tarry dungaree,
And shoddy suits men sold them when they came fresh from sea.

And there'd be stout old skippers and mates of mighty hand,
And Chinks and swarthy Dagoes, and Yankees lean and tanned,
And many a hairy shellback burned black from Southern skies,
And brassbound young apprentice with boyhood's eager eyes,

And by the river reaches all silver to the moon
You'd hear the shipwrights' hammers beat out a phantom tune,
The caulkers' ghostly mallets rub-dub their faint tattoo —
If ghosts should walk in Deptford, as very like they do.

If ghosts should walk in Deptford, and ships return once more
To every well-known mooring and old familiar shore,
A sight it were to see there, of all fine sights there be,
The shadowy ships of Deptford come crowding in from sea.

Cog, carrack, buss and dromond — pink, pinnace, snake and snow —
Queer rigs of antique fashion that vanished long ago,
With tall and towering fo'c'sles and curving carven prows,
And gilded great poop lanterns, and scrolled and swelling bows.

The Baltic barque that foundered in last month’s North Sea gales,
And last year's lost Cape Horner on her sails,
Black tramp and stately liner should lie there side by side
Ay, all should berth together upon that silent tide.

In dock and pond and basin so close the keels should lie
Their hulls should hide the water, their masts make dark the sky,
And through their tangled rigging the netted stars should gleam
Like gold and silver fishes from some celestial stream.

And all their quivering royals and all their singing spars
Should send a ghostly music a-shivering to the stars —
A sound like Norway forests when wintry winds are high,
Or old dead seamen's shanties from great old days gone by, —

Till eastward over Limehouse, on river, dock and slum,
All shot with pearl and crimson the London dawn should come,
And fast at flash of sunrise, and swift at break of day,
The shadowy ships of Deptford should melt like mist away.

Cicely Fox Smith (1 February 1882—8 April 1954) was an English poet and writer. Born in Lymm, Cheshire and educated at Manchester High School for Girls she briefly lived in Canada, before returning to the United Kingdom shortly before the outbreak of World War 1. She settled in Hampshire and began writing poetry, often with a nautical theme. Smith wrote over 600 poems in her life, for a wide range of publications. In later life, she expanded her writing to a number of subjects, fiction and non-fiction. For her services to literature, the British Government awarded her a small pension. (Courtesy of Wikepedia)

Inquest held at the Kings Head Pub Church Street.

West side of Watergate Street, Deptford 1903

I think the pub at right center is the Bull & Butcher, 97 Watergate Street, Deptford ?

No. 17 Watergate Street, Deptford.

I found this old photo of No. 17 Watergate Street. Taking a closer look at the door bracket carvings, scroll work and cherubs, one cant help but notice the similarity to the surviving original door brackets in Albury Street.

History of Albury Street. Final Part.

History of Albury Street. Part 8

No. 37.

Old buildings in the neighbourhood with a romantic past such as Deptford’s are invariably associated with well known historical figures. It is reputed that Admiral Benbow lived at No. 20 Union Street, north side (Now number 37) and that Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton spent some time at No. 19 (now number 34) the house built by Reyalls and Pearce.



No. 34.



It is unlikely that Admiral John Benbow who died in 1702 ever lived in Union Street. He leased Sayes Court in 1696 for 3 years from John Evelyn, but does not appear to have been there much. His son, John Benbow the Traveller, who died in Deptford in 1708 and in great poverty, might possibly have lived in Union Street. No evidence has been seen to prove or disprove that Lord Nelson stayed there. It is of greater significance that from the first, Union Street was inhabited by men connected with the Royal Navel Dockyard. Lucas’s will mentions houses occupied or in the possession of five sea captains and three shipwrights. Union Street must have been with these people, the most affluent in the parish, in mind. As the mortgage made with John Loving, the block maker, suggests, it was these people who provided some of the capital needed by Lucas. The rate books which go back to 1730 on the south side, and to 1750 on the north side of the street, show that this link with the dockyard was maintained until it closed in 1869. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there are signs that the occupants of some of the houses were of a lower social order. For instances No. 24 Union Street on the north side in 1851, was in multiple occupation, the heads of the three families being a labourer and two sawyers. But even then fourteen occupiers of thirty-two houses were craftsmen employed in the Royal Naval Dock Yard or were master mariners. Perhaps the most striking thing at that time was the number of private schools or academies flourishing in the street, which seem to have occupied no less than four houses.

Albury St, North side still mostly intact.

The last vacant site in Union Street was filled in 1838 when No.7 on the north side was built. Already, No. 21 on the same side had been pulled down and replaced by a pair of houses first rated in 1829, but by-and-large, Union Street remained intact until the end of the nineteenth century. In the last quarter of the century Lucas’s own house on the south east corner and No.2 on the south side were demolished and replaced by a single building facing the High Street, and the public house (King of Prussia) was rebuilt. In 1882, Union Street was renamed as a part of Creek Road and in 1898, became Albury Street loosing its anomalous numbering. The final re-naming of the street was necessitated by the re-aligning of Creek Road to join, at its west end, Evelyn Street, thereby at last obscuring the field pattern shown in the map of 1623, cutting off the north east corner of James Browne’s land. But even up the time of the Great War, Albury Street remained very much as Lucas left it. But by 1921, the south side had been broken and two large gaps appeared in the terrace in the middle and at the west end.

Since the Second World War these gaps have been made wider and recently they coalesced leaving just four houses of the original twenty-three. The north side has been luckier. A few houses at each end of the terrace on this side have be altered or rebuilt and since demolished, but a sizable number of the houses remain These houses are among the few survivors in the whole of London from the first two decades of the eighteenth century and although the gaps in their ranks are to be regretted, the four houses on the south side of the street and the longer series on the north must be seen as one of the most important treasures architecturally and historically among domestic buildings in London.

My thanks A Quiney for allowing me to reproduce his thesis on Union/Albury Street.

Albury Street looking East. 1950's.

 

Here's a rare photo of Albury Street taken in the 1950's looking at the south side of the street from the direction of Deptford High Street. The square plain looking building just left of center use to be lodgings for the Macmillan nurses. The door way at ground level, just a square opening, use to belong to Pickford's removals. Just out of view on the right hand side was where the King of Prussia Public House use to be. As kids we use to stop and look through the boarding of the houses. Use to frighten the life out of us!