Tuesday 8 November 2016

Help for Teresa

I wonder if anyone can help? I am working on a family tree for a friend but have hit a sticky patch.

My friends grandfather was Alfred Ernest Stanton born in 1905. I have a baptism record for him that States his father was Alfred Stanton and his mother was Florence (Shreeves) that they were living at 22 Octavia Street and that he was a Bar Man. I have not found a marriage for these two and am having trouble continuing on this Stanton line. there are talks of a pub in deptford, which does tie up with the baptism record, but haven't traced him to a pub. also New Cross and a theatre, maybe hearsay links but thought I'd add them just in case it rings any bells with people. I know not much to go on but any help greatly appreciated.

Regards, Teresa





Friday 21 October 2016

Help for Jackie please



am trying to get a replacement WW1 roll of honour for  St. Lukes, Deptford. I am trying to find a photo of the roll of honour at St Lukes Church , Deptford. Unfortunately the photos I have found on the internet (e.g.http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/memorial:deptford-st-luke-ww1-war-memorial) I am unable to read the names. I do have 100 names but am missing the 47 that were on the 2 additional panels. I wonder if anyone knows of any other photos. I have contacted the local church, Lewisham archives, LMA, British Legion,  Imperial War Museum and checked the local newspaper of the time but to no avail.

Many thanks


Jackie

Saturday 3 September 2016

Hi
I hope you might be able to help me by posting the following question on your Deptford History website.
I trying to track down information about a group of teenagers who belonged to the St Joseph's youth club ramblers group in the war. I have extracts of a diary from1943 handed down by my wife's late father Bill Grizzell. I'm trying to piece together the stories of the people in that diary. Father Coleburt ran the group and I know about him, he would have been linked to Our Lady of the Assumption church in Deptford high street. The members of the club included Arthur James, Susan Hickman, Betty Stork, Esther Gummer, John Wren, Dickie Boorman, John Grogan, Gerald Donoghue and Joan Sharp. All would have been about 16 or 17 at the time the diary was written.
Thanks 
Peter Eustace

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Deptford Reminiscences from Christine Fagan

My nan lived in Brookmill Road, just past Carrington House (but not in the Sylvan Cottages), and we often visited her there in the 1950's.
Her front door opened onto the street, and there was a long passage leading down to a living room with a scullery off. The living room was typical of the time, with a cast iron cooking range/fireplace (nothing at all fancy, mind you). I remember being horrified once, by the smell and look of her dinner simmering on the stove. It was green tripe (unbleached) and is unfit for human consumption apparently, but she still lived to a ripe old age.
The other two rooms off the passage must have been a bedroom and a parlour, although I never got to see inside either.
Upstairs was rented to another family, as was quite usual in those days. Most houses where I lived, in East London, were multiple occupancy. A young couple, wanting to get married, would speak to their mother's landlord who would find them a room in a house nearby. As they got on their feet financially, they might rent an additional room as it became available, and eventually a whole floor. It was usually a really large family who ever rented a whole house.
This was the reason that London then was a succession of 'hamlets'. I knew everyone in a radius of 4 or 5 streets, and was related to a number of them. These communities were broken up due to the post war 'slum clearance', initiated by a Labour Government. I often smile at the frequently referred to 'problem' of an ageing population. We lived in 'slums', unheated and without indoor plumbing, everyone smoked in tiny rooms, we burned coal, breathed in pea soupers, and played on bombsites. How come we have lived so long??
I was a bit intimidated by the men outside Carrington House, but my dad told me that a lot of them were ex-servicemen who had come home to no house and no family. After that I noticed how many of them had service tattoos. No-one ever bothered kids anyway.
I was amused to read that Carrington House was considered inferior to Rowton Houses by residents, on the grounds that it wasn't 'homely' enough.
Thanks for bringing back these memories of a slum, that is now a Conservation Area!
kind regards,
Chris Faganpt

Wednesday 18 May 2016

Help for Mark please

Hello,

I was wondering if you could help me. 
My family pre and post wars were from Deptford the family name being Elston on my grandmother's side.

Enclosed is a photo of the butcher's they once owned on Deptford high street..a picture proudly on display in my great uncles house and a copy also now in mine! 

The picture is anticipated to have been from around the turn of the century may be earlier.

We believe the butcher's was called Elston's, again not too sure! 

In addition the family were landlords and or owners of the Victoria pub on grove street and the old centurion on Deptford high street during war times.

They also had the Crystal Tavern pub...but believe this was rotherhithe.

If you have any knowledge or can help pass on to someone who may no more that would be great.


Thanks 

Mark Roles




Thanks to Bill Ellson's sharp eye we can see Marks grandparents butcher's shop middle left. Also Elston's Market

Thanks Bill

Wednesday 16 March 2016

"Hi there can anyone help? Trying to trace the MORGAN family for an elderly friend who was born and bred a Deptford Lad. He lived in the same building as the Morgan's and grew up with the children. War broke out families moved on and he lost contact with them. He is now approaching 90 and would love to know where they are now, or what became of them all.
They lived in RECTORY BUILDINGS, CROSS FIELD LANE, DEPTFORD in the 30's 40's? You are probably aware the 1931 census was destroyed by fire, the next census never took place because of the war and the christian names I have are mostly "nicknames". What I know is that Mr "Sonny" and Mrs Morgan had 5 children: Jessie, Ronnie, Kit (Kitty), Alfie and Dolly. Kit was definitely born in 1926. There was talk the family may have moved to Orpington or Tunbridge Wells?? But thats really all I have to go on. Interested in ANYTHING that anyone may know, marriages, proper christian names, dates, deaths, ANYTHING. I'll do anything to find some closure for my elderly friend, the families were so close, then because of war etc they were divided and lost contact.
I thank everyone in advance."

Monday 8 February 2016

Help Please

James Ashton asks the following questions and help.



Dear Sir:

I was very interested to find your Deptford History web site.  I have a 
question rather than a story that I was hoping you might be able to help 
me with.  The C.S. Forester Hornblower novels refer to Deptford and 
there are mentions of a couple of names that I can't find any references 
to online.

The first is "Deptford Hard".  I know what a "hard" is (a firm, gentle 
slope allowing vessels to be launched or careened, usually with the help 
of the tide) and it seems reasonable that there would have been one in 
or near Deptford Yards.  Does anyone know where it was, or if it existed 
historically?

The second is "The George," apparently an establishment with 
accommodation in Deptford.  I suspect this will have been an invention 
of the author but I'd be pleased to discover otherwise. There is one 
online reference to someone living at "The George", George-row, Deptford 
in 1852 but the nearest George-row I can find is in Bermondsey.  Also, 
the National Archives hint at a "George" in Grove Street, near Cornish 
Place, in 1852: 
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/a40e0301-50ce-4ebf-b0f9-b783761edc6b 


Thanks for providing such an interesting online resource.


James Ashton

-- 

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Gary Kemp staring in Hide and Seek 1972.


Hi all,
Can anyone please identify this location from the 1972 film Hide & Seek, staring Gary Kemp. Most of the film set location were filmed in and around Deptford but I'm not sure if this Police Station is in Deptford. Any help would be great.
Regards
Andy

Friday 13 November 2015

Help for Geoff please

Hi, I am trying to find out more information about the Royal Victualling Yard and their cricket team . Enclosed is picture of a team which has my grandfather, Arthur Stevenson, pictured seated far right middle row. The date I am not sure of , it could be just before or after WW1. Any information,great or small, would be gratefully received as my personal research has drawn a blank. 
My grandfather, I know,  worked there  after he returned from the war.
Also, does any one know what local newspaper that may have reported on matches. As I am aware, from my mother, that there was a report on my grandfather bowling a hatrick.

Regards

Geoff Gough
Greetings!

I've been trying to find a band that I stumbled across on Youtube a few years back. They had some relation to Deptford. It may have been that the music video I saw was filmed there, or they may have been from Deptford themselves. I'm not entirely sure. It was led by a female and, in the video I saw, she was wearing a dark stocking cap. If I remember correctly, the video was also in a sepia tone. I remember truly enjoying the music, but I can't for the life of me remember the name. It was a recent band (this was December 2012/January 2013) and I don't think they were terribly popular. I may be on a fool's quest, and I do apologize for bothering you with this as I know your site is about old Deptford. I've been searching all over with no answers, and found your site (which is quite wonderful by the way!) and was hoping you might have an idea of where I could at least look for such a thing. I truly appreciate any information you can provide. I hope you're fairing well.

Thank You!

LeAnna

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Hi all

Can anyone help Jonny Mudge please ? Here's  his email to me........

Here's my 2 cents on a house in Deptford--stranger than fiction?  Dunno.

When I was in my early teens in the late 40's there were family discussions going on to which I was only a "seen and not heard" child listening in to the adult conversations.  The gist of the conversations was that there was house that my grandfather owned that was being compulsorily purchased as part of a slum clearance and/or redevelopment.  Nelson/Hamilton had some association with the house.  My grandfather lived at 45 Adolphus St which is close by Abury St.  At the time I was only casually listening and may not have got the story correct.  In the family, it was referred to as "Nelson's house".  He was fairly entrepreneurial and bought a number of houses in the east end of London and it's possible that he owned 34 Albury St.

I noticed from Google maps that 34 Albury St is still there so maybe I got it all wrong or perhaps they were discussing the possibility of it being compulsorily purchased.  In the event, it didn't get pulled down.  He didn't live in the house but I understood that he rented it out.  

I would like to verify, for our family history, if, in fact, he owned a house on Albury St.  Unfortunately, I live in California and so to visit Deptford is not easy, but can be done, but it would be more convenient if I could get on-line access to some house ownership records to verify or disprove my memory of events  My grandfather's name was Joseph Mudge and he was born in 1869 or 1870 in Deptford, probably on Adolphus St.

I am the self appointed family historian and any help you give me would be greatly appreciated,

Best regards.

Johnny Mudge