He came he saw, but did not conquer

Right next to Deptford DLR Station is the River Ravensbourne, an 11-mile river that steadily flows northward, draining into the Thames. The name “Ravensbourne” comes from a legend involving one of the most famous Romans, Julius Caesar.

Two years after his unsuccessful invasion of Britain in 55 BC, Julius Caesar, along with 800 ships, landed in Pegwell Bay, Kent. With rumors that the island was rich with gold and silver, he and his troops marched inland. No rich metals were found, and not much food or water either. Desperate to quench the thirst of his legions, Caesar was apparently guided by a raven and found the source of a river, which, thankfully for Caesar, provided much more water than was actually needed. This river was named ‘Raven’s bourne,’ and Roman invaders in years to come would specifically head toward this spot once ashore on our island.

While the accuracy of this story is debated, it is interesting to note that in 1886, construction workers discovered a Roman mosaic floor between Deptford Broadway and Deptford High Street, and a Roman coffin on Vanguard Street—all very close to the Ravensbourne River.

Ravensbourne River today

St. Nicholas Church

St. Nicholas Church was founded in the 1100s, yet none of the original structure still exists. However, the tower, built in the 14th century, still stands today. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and the church is thought to have served many seafarers over the years. Sir Francis Drake, Captain Cook, and Horatio Nelson are all thought to have been blessed here.

Notable Deptford yard ship designers, such as Jonas and John Shish, are buried in the church, as well as the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe met his untimely and controversial death after being stabbed at a private house in Deptford in 1598—historians and conspiracy theorists to this day speculate about the exact motive for his murder, as it remains unclear why it happened.

Sometime between 1697 and 1720, the church authorities commissioned skull and crossbones statuettes to be erected by the entryway of the church. Serving as a memento mori, these monuments functioned as a reminder to churchgoers that death could strike them at any moment, and were hence a stark symbol of humanity’s feeble mortality. Many people tend to associate these as the main inspiration behind the Jolly Roger symbol since Deptford was at that time highly circulated by pirates and privateers. While it is romantic to believe that the ‘pirate flag’ finds its origins in the St. Nicholas Church, most historians disagree, citing that Barbary Pirates from the coast of North Africa flew the Jolly Roger while terrorizing European and Ottoman Turk merchant ships 100 years before the church cast the stoic monuments.

Memento Mori

From Henry’s Humble Yard to Cutting Edge Ship Manufacturing

The Tudors were very familiar with Deptford and the surrounding areas. In 1497, Henry VII and his superior military force crushed rebels from the Cornish Rebellion at the Battle of Deptford Bridge. Henry VIII was born and baptized just down the road in Greenwich, and as a young man, he would go hunting in the neighbouring woodland.

Since Spain and Portugal had a superior naval fleet compared to the English, and recognizing the crucial importance of building a competitive maritime industry, King Henry VIII founded the Trinity House Corporation in 1513. Not exactly using a catchy name, it was officially known as “The Master Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the Most Glorious and Undivided Trinity and of Saint Clement in the Parish of Deptford Strond in the County of Kent.” Unlike his matrimonial commitments, Henry was committed to building a strong maritime force. The Deptford Dockyard was born.

In 1518, the Kateryne Plesaunce, the first ship built at the Deptford Dockyard, set sail. Her purpose was to transport royalty from England to France. During its 350-year time of operation, the shipyard produced several hundred ships that sailed around the world or fought in historic battles. In addition, many world historical individuals visited the yard.

In the 16th century, Deptford shipbuilders produced or maintained ships used by privateers like Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. Both Drake and Raleigh frequented the yard in between bouts of harassing Spanish galleons, setting up colonies, and discovering new shipping routes. In 1581, Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake in Deptford after he circumnavigated his ship, the Golden Hind, around the world. Because she accomplished this feat, the Golden Hind remained on display to the public in Deptford until the mid-1600s.

The spot where Elizabeth I knighted Sir Francis Drake

The Not so Great Tenant

Peter the Great, who was ‘Emperor of All Russia’ and who Saint Petersburg is named after, once worked and lived incognito in Deptford for a few months in early 1698. He went by the name Peter Mikhailov. Traveling with a huge posse called the Grand Embassy, they rented Sayes Court from renowned writer John Evelyn. It seems as though the Czar and his crew enjoyed this fine residence, and there are rumors of using expensive paintings as target practice, large parties, and a drinking game involving a wheelbarrow.

On 5th October 1665, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: “He (John Evelyn) showed me his gardens, which are for variety of evergreens, and hedge of holly, the finest things I ever saw in my life.” Peter the Great used these fine evergreens and the hedge of holly to be pushed through at speed while in a wheelbarrow drunk. When he and the Grand Embassy vacated the property, the garden was totally destroyed, along with most of the house and possessions. According to Sir Christopher Wren: “3 wheelbarrows broke and lost, eight feather beds, eight bolsters, twelve pairs of blankets very much dirtied and spoiled.” Wren valued the damage in today’s money at close to £30,000.

It seems that between partying and drinking games, Peter did actually do some work, the original intention of the trip. Hoping to learn the latest shipbuilding skills and techniques from the English, he grafted as a carpenter, drew blueprints of the English ships, and learned as much as he could to improve the nascent Russian navy. From all accounts, the trip was a success; the Czar took his blueprints, knowledge, and some Deptford shipbuilders back to his homeland and eventually turned Russia into a massive maritime power.

Peter the Great statue on The Thames

The Decline of the Docks

Keeping up with and contributing to advancements in shipbuilding, the Deptford Dockyard expanded even more in the 18th century, where some of Britain’s most famous ships were constructed. A ship named Earl of Pembroke was taken to Deptford Dockyard, modified, and renamed HMS Endeavor. The Endeavor became the first European ship to reach New Zealand and Australia, and was the vessel that Captain James Cook was aboard when he claimed New Zealand and Australia for England. During the Battle of Trafalgar, two ships used by Admiral Horatio Nelson, the Neptune and the Colossus, as well as one used by Napoleon’s forces after capture—the Swiftsure—were also built at Deptford Dockyard.

After the Napoleonic Wars, shipbuilding at Deptford yard began a period of decline. By 1869, the new class of massive iron-clad battleships could not be constructed in Deptford yard, a site for constructing and maintaining mostly wooden ships of a forgone era. Therefore, Plymouth, Sheerness, and Portsmouth Yards absorbed and expanded British ship production. From the 1870s until the early 20th century, Deptford Dockyard transformed into a live animal import dock, where several hundred thousand cattle, sheep, and other livestock were imported and slaughtered each year.

Unfortunately, Deptford Dockyard experienced ongoing decline throughout the 20th century. After the government took control of the yard during the First World War, it ceased operations as a livestock yard and was used as a military supply depot until the conclusion of the Second World War. During the Blitz, Deptford sustained heavy damage, resulting in the destruction of many of the old warehouses and administration buildings.

Today, with the development of nearby educational institutes like the University of Greenwich and Goldsmiths University, along with much gentrification in the area, Deptford has a youthful, artistic feel which contrasts nicely with its maritime history. I am enchanted with Deptford’s history and view it as an important English national treasure.

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