Church of St Nicholas, Deptford
| Deptford | |
|---|---|
 An anchor in Deptford High Street once linked Deptford to its dockyard history (removed in 2012) |
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 Deptford
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| Deptford shown within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ365775 |
| • Charing Cross | 4.7 mi (7.6 km) WNW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE8 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Deptford (/ˈdɛtfəd/ DET-ford) is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham.
From the mid-16th to the late 19th century, Deptford was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first Royal Navy Dockyard. The area declined as the Royal Navy moved out and commercial docks shut; the last dock, Convoys Wharf, closed in 2000.
Historically a part of Kent, Deptford became a Metropolitan Borough in 1900. This became part of Inner London in 1965, within the newly created county of Greater London.
Deptford began life as a ford of the Ravensbourne (near what is now Deptford Bridge DLR station) along the route of the Celtic trackway which was later paved by the Romans and developed into the medieval Watling Street. The modern name is a corruption of "deep ford".
Deptford was part of the pilgrimage route from London to Canterbury used by the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and is mentioned in the Prologue to the "Reeve's Tale". The ford developed into first a wooden then a stone bridge, and in 1497 saw the Battle of Deptford Bridge, in which rebels from Cornwall, led by Michael An Gof, marched on London protesting against punitive taxes, but were soundly beaten by the King's forces.
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Wikipedia