© Jim Rice
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The Deptford Creek Project started back in 1990 when I was just shooting in the place where my family all lived and I grew up ..Historic, South London ..DEPTFORD.
Deptford has a vast naval history going back well before King Henery VIII and his Deptford Built, "Royal Navy".
A very chance visit to Barge Repairers ..” POPE & BOND” and meeting welder Ron Richards. Through Ron I found out that the “Creek”, was to be demolished and replaced by yet another.... “Exclusive Housing Project”.
Crossing over the creek and into the HOY pub, I met Landlady.. Jean Hingston.
A quick chat and she not only confirmed that news but suggested, a photographic record of that area and the working people it would affect.
Portrait lead, the shoot recorded the creek workers, through to demolition, archaeological dig and the start of rebuilding.
So I did, with all my spare time spent on this project, not realising what I had really taken on or, where it would end..... I do now!.
With support from Ilford Photographic and Agfa UK and numerous exhibitions, TV UK and European press coverage then ..The major exhibition at The Museum of London with accompanying Book.
Because of B/W printer Ken Ashby, this project also won the very prestigious “ Ilford Photographer Of The Year”.
All thanks to that chance meeting with Ron Richards and all the people that put up with me, poking a Nikon or Rollieflex in their face and not one person, ever objected.
Deptford Creek is on the south of the river Thames and a very short distance from, King Henry VIII Royal Dockyards. Once a Medieval fishing settlement with is crowning glory, St Nicholas Church with the locally murdered and burial place of playwright, Christopher Marlow.
Other famous names associated with Deptford are, Sir Francis Drake..Knighted in Deptford on the Golden Hind, and Frobisher. The East India Company also had its extensive “storage” facilities around this area and still today called, The Stowage!.
Deptford Strand...The Stowage..was also the original HQ of Trinity House Corporation 1514-1787, responsible for Pilotage and Navigation Lights around the British coast.
The General Steam Navigation had their repair yard at the “Stowage”, between 1824 till the 1970's. The worlds first high- tension generating station was build here by Ferranti to supply electricity to London.
The Stowage . St Nicholas Church
Stowage
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