Deptford
What’s so great about SE8? Fast on the heels of Shoreditch and Camden Deptford has been quietly but confidently simmering for sometime with a strong flow of creative residents choosing to stay after Goldsmith's and Laban. Any visitor to Deptford will feel the buzz and enjoy the sense of chirpy community offered by an anytime visit to its uncommercialised high street and street markets. Cheeky traders trading their wares alongside vintage sellers and brocanteurs, street art and the established Albany Theatre are year round winners.
The maritime history evident around the area also makes interesting reading. Deptford is a place with a long history, or rather many histories; shipbuilding, pirates, Peter the Great, exploration, industrial firsts, royal residences and post war decline.
Deptford began to grow into a busy town after 1513, when Henry VIII founded the Royal Naval Dockyard on a site to the west of Deptford Strand. The Dockyard created plenty of jobs and sailors, shipbuilders, carpenters, ropemakers and many others settled in Deptford. By 1544 the Dock had become the most important in England and in the 18th century a Victualling Yard was established alongside, where ships' stores and provisions were assembled.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries Deptford was an important town in its own right, in the same way that Greenwich and Woolwich were. Population expansion in the 1800s led to the development of Deptford New Town. The Royal Dockyard, other shipbuilding yards and maritime industries made Deptford a prosperous place, particularly in time of war. Many fine houses were built, of which some survive in Deptford High Street and Albury Street. Places of particular interest include:
- St Paul's Church – Designed by Thomas Archer in a vigorous Baroque style and built between 1713 and 1730, St Paul's is the most important and prominent listed building (Grade I) in the borough.
- St Nicholas’s Church – Dates from 1697, famous for wood carvings in St Paul’s Cathedral, Grinling Gibbons and a memorial to Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlowe, killed in Deptford in 1593. (Usually open to visitors Mon-Fri 9am – 2.30pm)
Deptford is highly accessible, a mere 15 minutes from central London. It has two railway stations, Deptford Station right on the high street giving access from Central London and Kent/Greenwich, and the DLR at Deptford Bridge giving access to Lewisham and north from Greenwich and Docklands. There is also New Cross Station which is a five minute walk away.
With its burgeoning arts community, Deptford offers many surprises including the fabulous “Made In Deptford” Festival which includes music, art, design, food, dance and heritage and brings visitors the spirit of Deptford. Sparkling fashion shows, frisky french food markets, spanking hot new bands on the open air stage not to mention poetry, comedy, spoken word, open air dance events and art trails are just some of Deptford's delights to be enjoyed over the weekend – Ooh La La indeed!
Each Autumn visitors can also enjoy the latest in contemporary art in London at Deptford X. Deptford X as part of the Deptford Design Festival hosts a series of exhibitions and events in venues throughout Deptford, including galleries, public spaces and local businesses. The exhibitions include sound installations, site-specific work and contemporary pieces.
Deptford Market
Deptford High Street, Douglas Way and the junction with Giffin Street, SE8
Overground and DLR stations: Deptford and Deptford Bridge
Streetmap
One of east London's busiest, Deptford market has been in Deptford High Street for centuries. A collection of new and used goods, with a prominence of food stalls spread out on the side streets and pavements, this vibrant market is filled with a hugely diverse range of stallholders. The market is the kind of place you can buy stylish bargain clothes to go dancing in or fresh vegetables for your evening meal!
Weds, Fri and Sat: 7am - 4pm
Website: www.deptford.towntalk.co.uk
Useful Websites:
www.lewisham.gov.uk
www.deptford.towntalk.co.uk
www.madeindeptford.com
www.deptfordx.org.uk