Dead Man's Dock, Deptford
What world does a dead man belong to?
Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend
I glint, I lure,
coax their night-time horrors in
I swallow them, suck them
into my element
Am greedy too for mutilation –
boat propellor, nails on piers
Or I simply scrape them
back and forth along my bed
I make a trade in bodies
30 a year and still counting
Am the master of disappearing,
the mistress of forever
Where is the fallen body?
I hear the diver cry
Too late, too late, I reply
Countless bodies and body parts turn up in the Thames, and many of the place names reflect this sinister connection.
Deptford
Located on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, sandwiched between Rotherhithe and Greenwich and once a Royal Dockyard, Deptford is full of history. St Paul's Church, Deptford was referred as one of London's finest Baroque Buildings by The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.
Deadman's Dock was built by John Winter in 1704 for the Eveyln family, and was described in 1726 as being the best private dock upon the River.
A Mudlark's Diary
Find out about Liz Anderson's 'Mudlark' visit to Deptford Foreshore.
'As we walked down Watergate Stairs onto the foreshore it was easy to imagine the busy wharves and waterfront at the turn of the 19th Century but harder to envisage this area in Peter the Great’s time. What is now Deptford Creek was once the mouth of the River Ravensbourne, overlooked by what would have once been a relatively small fishing village.'
'Along the Deptford waterfront we could see across the Thames to historic Burrell’s Wharf, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument (or S.A.M.) It was here that Isambard Kingdom Brunel watched over the ill-fated launch of his great new ship, the massive SS Great Eastern, on 31 January 1858. '
Walk the Thames Path National Trail
South Bank Section 3b
Follow the National Trail as it weaves past Greenwich’s landmark UNESCO Heritage Site. This walk follows the south bank of the iconic National Trail from Greenland Pier to Greenwich Power Station. The path passes through Rotherhithe and across Deptford Wharf, through Pepys Park, named after one of Deptford's most famous residents, Samuel Pepys, who did much to reform the Royal Navy, as well as keeping his now famous diary from 1660-1669. Head through the streets of Deptford and then back along the Thames Path to Deptford Creek. From here walk across the Greenwich Reach Swing Bridge toward the Thames Foreshore at Greenwich. Make time to visit Cutty Sark and the Old Royal Naval College par of Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Distance 4.5 km / 2.8 miles | Duration 1 hour and 30 minutes
