Deptford and the docks are associated with the knighting of Sir Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I aboard the Golden Hind,[1] the legend of Sir Walter Raleigh laying down his cape for Elizabeth,[2] Captain James Cook's third voyage aboard HMS Resolution,[3] and the mysterious apparent murder of Christopher Marlowe in a house along Deptford Strand.

[10] Trinity House, the organisation concerned with the safety of navigation around the British Isles, was formed in Deptford in 1514, with its first Master being Thomas Spert, captain of the Mary Rose.

[11] Originally separated by market gardens and fields, the two areas merged over the years,[12] with the docks becoming an important part of the Elizabethan exploration.

[19] After the Restoration, Evelyn obtained a 99-year lease of the house and grounds,[20] and laid out meticulously planned gardens in the French style, of hedges and parterres.

After Evelyn had moved to Surrey in 1694, Peter the Great, the Russian tsar, studied shipbuilding for three months in 1698 while staying at Sayes Court.

[30] Deptford experienced economic decline in the 20th century with the closing of the docks, and the damage caused by the bombing during the Blitz in the Second World War – a V-2 rocket destroyed a Woolworths store in New Cross Gate, killing 160 people.

[50] The area referred to as North Deptford is the only part of the London Borough of Lewisham to front the Thames and is sandwiched between Rotherhithe and Greenwich.

[53] There was a start of a demographic shift downwards when the Royal Navy pulled out of Deptford, and the docks moved into storage and freight.

[56] Deptford's northern section nearest the old docks contains areas of council housing, with some concentrations of people experiencing the forms of deprivation typically associated with the poverty of Inner London.

Northern Deptford near the Thames, along with neighbouring New Cross, has been touted as "the new Shoreditch" by some journalists and estate agents paying attention to a trendy arts and music scene that is popular with students and artists.

[57] To the south where Deptford rolls into the suburban spread of Brockley, the previously multi-occupancy Victorian houses are being gentrified by young city workers and urban professionals.

[24][35] However, areas of Deptford are being gradually re-developed and gentrified - and the local council has plans to regenerate the riverside and the town centre.

[61] Much of the area along Creek Road, close to Greenwich, has also been redeveloped, with the demolition of the old Deptford Power Station and Rose Bruford College buildings.

It was burnt down in 1978, but rebuilt on Douglas Way, with Prince Charles laying the foundation stone, and Diana, Princess of Wales opening it in 1982.

[68] Creekside, a regeneration area beside Deptford Creek,[69] is used for educational and artistic purposes,[70][71] such as the Laban Dance Centre, which was designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, and opened in February 2003; and the Art in Perpetuity Trust (APT) gallery and studio space.

[75][76] The area has several pubs, including the Dog & Bell which has a reputation for serving a range of cask ales,[77][78] The Royal Albert which is a Grade II listed building from the mid-19th century[79] that was previously known as The Paradise Bar and saw early gigs by Bloc Party and Art Brut,[80][81] and The Bird's Nest which has live music, film and art performances from local bands and artists.

[87][88] In 1886, he dedicated an acre and a half of the Sayes Court recreation ground in perpetuity to the public and a permanent provision was made for the Evelyn estate to cover the expense of maintenance and caretaking, this was opened on 20 July 1886.

[109] In 2008, Lewisham Council granted permission for the last remnants of the Deptford Ragged School known as The Princess Louise Institute to be demolished and replaced by flats.

[114] These timber-frame buildings have a Grade II listing from English Heritage[115] and are home to established businesses such as bicycle maker Witcomb Cycles.

[117] Deptford's Albany Theatre has a history stretching back over 100 years and is a prominent feature of the South-East London arts scene.

A plaque on the north wall commemorates playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer in a nearby house, and buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard on 1 June 1593.

In the 18th century St. Paul's, Deptford (1712–1730) was built,[120] acclaimed by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England as one of the finest Baroque churches in the country.

[122] It was designed by the architect Thomas Archer, who was a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, as part of the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches with the intention of instilling pride in Britain, and encouraging people to stay in London rather than emigrate to the New World.

[citation needed] From 1932 until 2008 the site was owned by News International, which used it to import newsprint and other paper products from Finland until early 2000.

It is now owned by Hutchison Whampoa Limited and is subject to a planning application to convert it into residential units,[128] though it has safeguarded wharf status.

The Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe was killed during an alleged drunken brawl in Eleanor Bull's house in Deptford Strand in May 1593.

Francis Meres says Marlowe was "stabbed to death by a bawdy serving-man, a rival of his in his lewd love" as punishment for his "epicurism and atheism".

[132] The scholar Leslie Hotson discovered in 1925 the coroner's report on Marlowe's death in the Public Record Office which gave fuller details.

[133] Marlowe had spent all day in a house owned by the widow Eleanor Bull, along with three men, Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley.

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