Deptford High Street


The Deptford High Street is a street in the Deptford area of the London Borough of Lewisham. It begins in the south on New Cross Road and ends in the north on Evelyn Street. Near its "geographic center", Deptford High Street is interrupted by the Docklands Light Railway and Southeastern lines.

History

The previously called Butt Lane got its current name in 1825.
When the social researcher Charles Booth visited the street in July 1899, it was considered the "Oxford Street of the South East of London". However, this comparison offered itself more with the section of the road south of the railroad tracks, in which there are various shops and restaurants and in which a flea market takes place three times a week, than the quieter northern section. Until the 1960s, the area was mainly populated by the white working class.
At the end of the 19th / beginning of the 20th century, Deptford High Street was also shaped by German business people for decades. Booth has identified at least eight stores run by Germans, including a bakery, a butcher and a confectionery shop. With the outbreak of the First World War, an anti-German mood became apparent in England, which also affected Deptford High Street. In October 1914, several German businesses were attacked, looted and set on fire and their owners were driven out. In the case of baker Goebel, not only was the bakery on the ground floor looted, but also his apartment above. An anti-German mob entered and threw everything that fell into his hands out of the window onto the street; including a piano, bed, bedding, tables, chairs, porcelain and clocks.
Towards the end of the 20th century, the street changed once again as a result of migration, which can be seen, among other things, from the fact that today there are only two pubs on Deptford High Street while it used to be twelve. In two former pubs there are now African restaurants, one pub has been converted into a nail salon, and another one is now taking care of problem youth.