Description
History
Deptford's name comes from being a 'deep ford' for the river Ravensbourne and was part of the Roman road from London to the south of England. The road was used by the pilgrims to Canterbury as shown in Chaucer's medieval Canterbury Tales. Deptford's heyday was from the 16th to 19th century when the Royal Dockyards were operating. Started in 1513 by Henry VIII, the dockyard saw the ship Golden Hind and the knighting of Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581. Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's contemporary playwright, was famously murdered in Deptford in 1593 and is buried in St Nicholas church. The dockyards eventually declined and Deptford became a livestock transportation centre providing meat to London and supplying the military. Deptford station was one of the earliest, built in 1836. The loss of the work in the dockyards led to poverty in Deptford but, in common with neighbouring south London districts, there is now increasing investment in regeneration.
Leisure & Amenities
Places to go and things to do:
- Albany Theatre
- Laban Theatre
- Deptford Cinema
- St Nicholas church
- Deptford Market
- Shades snooker club
Active Life:
- Deptford Park
- Dance classes at Trinity Laban
- Creekside Discovery Centre - educational creek walks
Eating and drinking ideas:
- The Waiting Room - Vegan Cafe
- The Job Centre pub
- Pho Hanoi - Vietnamese Cafe
- London Velo - cafe and bike shop
Transport
- Deptford Bridge station for the DLR
- Deptford station for Southeastern trains.
- Numerous bus routes.
- Goldsmiths College is nearby at New Cross
- Trinity Laban Conservatoire - Faculty of Dance
- LeSoCo College