Deptford Wharf

Deptford Wharf in London, UK is situated on the Thames Path south-east of South Dock Marina, across the culverted mouth of the Earl's Sluice and north of Aragon Tower. The housing here, completed in 1992, is on the site of former railway sidings and riverside wharves, and before then docks and building slips.

Dock and Shipyard

File:Limehouse Reach (4) - geograph.org.uk - 1492518.jpg

The river wall at Deptford Wharf

The dock built was by John Winter in 1704 and belonged to the Evelyn family. Described in 1726 as having a great depth of water, and as being the best private dock upon the river.

File:Culverted mouth of the Earl's Sluice at Deptford Wharf.jpg

Slipway remains and the culverted mouth of the Earl's Sluice.

William Dudman established the yard. To complete some contracts he went into partnership with Henry Adams of Bucklers Hard and William Barnard of Ipswich. When William died in 1772 his son John Dudman took over. From about 1808 the yard is shown as Dudman & Son. By 1814 the yard had five building slips and two double dry docks.

Between 1783 and 1812 they built 23 war ships and 2 East Indiamen. From about 1825 Gordon & Co ship builders ran the yard. Then in 1838 it was owned by A. Gordon.

By 1807 the wet dock was in use for convict transports by ship to Australia.

Ships built at Deptford Wharf

This is not a complete list of the ships built at Dudman's yard.

• HMS Amaranthe (1804)
• HMS Apollo (1799)
• HMS Calypso (1805)
• HMS Carnatic (1783)
• HMS Duncan (1811)
• HMS Indus (1812)
• HMS Manly (1804)
• HMS Lady Nelson (1798)
• HMS Northumberland (1798)
• HMS Phoebe (1795)
• HMS Renown (1798)
• HMS Royal Oak (1809)
• HMS Sirius (1797)
• HMS Sultan (1807)

Railways

A 1908 Railway Clearing House map showing the LB&SC line from New Cross to Deptford Wharf

In 1846, the board of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) requested Chief Engineer Robert Jacomb-Hood to construct a branchline from New Cross to the River Thames at Deptford, where he was to also design, survey and manage the construction of a new dock system to replace the now closed Deptford dockyard. Jacomb-Hood instructed his recently appointed assistant Frederick Banister to design, survey and manage construction of the branchline and dock, which was completed in 1849.

Further reading

• Building Britain's Wooden Walls: Barnard Dynasty c.1697-1851 by John Barnard, ISBN 0904614638
• Shipbuilders of the Thames & Medway by Philip Banbury, ISBN 9780715349960

External links

• The Grove Street yard under Barnard, Dudman and Adams 1763 - 1795

• Plaque at entrance to Tariff Crescent
• Shipbuilders of the Thames and Medway by philip Banbury, David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1971, ISBN 0715349961, p127
• Greenwich Industrial History, Volume 3, Issue 3, April 2000
• In the 1726 grant from Sir Frederic Evelyn to Sir John Evelyn.
• The Environs of London, volume 4, Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent, Deptford, St Paul by Daniel Lysons, 1796, pp. 386-393.
• A topographical dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis, 1831
• Building Britain's Wooden Walls: Barnard Dynasty c.1697-1851 by John Barnard, ISBN 0904614638
• Deptford Ship Builders circe 1798 forum post at Rootsweb
• London's Changing Riverscape by Graham Diprose, Charles Craig and Mike Seaborne, Frances Lincoln, 2009 ISBN 0711229414
• True Briton (London, England), Saturday, November 17, 1798; Issue 1842