Eastern Boundary Wall to the former Royal Dockyard, Deptford

Eastern Boundary Wall to the former Royal Dockyard, Deptford

This is a substantial brick boundary wall, built in the late 18th century and extended in the early 19th century, with alterations made in the 20th century. The wall formed part of the eastern boundary to the former Deptford Royal Dockyard.

The wall is constructed of mixed-stock yellow, brown and red brick in English bond, with grey engineering bricks. It runs southward from the Thames along Watergate Street for approximately 200 metres. The wall is substantial in scale, standing around 6 metres high and 1 metre in depth. The eastern face, which faces onto Watergate Street, is the primary elevation.

The wall is divided into two distinct sections by a vehicle entrance at the intersection of Watergate Street and Borthwick Street.

The northern section is around 100 metres in length. At its northern end, the wall terminates at the river wall. The majority of the boundary wall has a coping of angled mixed-stock brick surmounting a course of cogged bricks, though this has been removed from the top for the last 10 metres at either end. Just above road level there is a single course of grey chamfered engineering bricks laid above a 20th-century rendered plinth. There are two former pedestrian entrances with retained brick segmental arches, both now blocked-up with later brickwork. Towards the centre of the wall, an outbuilding of the former Master Shipwright's House is attached to the west face. At the southern end of this section, where the wall kinks to the south-east, there is around 10 metres of timber filet inserted into the brickwork, presumably for attaching market advertising posters. The southern end is terminated by a vehicle entrance with late-20th-century metal gates opposite Borthwick Street. Around 5 metres of wall to the northern side of this entrance is heavily patched, probably resulting from cutting the entrance.

The southern section is also around 100 metres in length, extending southward from the vehicle entrance. Just above road level there is a single course of grey chamfered engineering bricks laid above a 20th-century rendered plinth. Towards the northern end is a run of around 10 metres of timber filet inserted into the brickwork. Broadly at the centre of this section, but offset towards the northern end, there is a projection of two pilasters, which probably correspond with the former 'Clerk of the Checks Gate' entrance to the dockyard. These pilasters extend above the surrounding coping and have been rebuilt. The southern pilaster is formed of London stock brick, probably from the 20th century, whilst the northern pilaster is consistent with the rest of the wall, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century. Between the pilasters towards the top of the wall there is a course of header bricks, and the infill brick below also appears to be late 18th or early 19th century. Either side the wall has a coping of angled mixed-stock bricks; the north side has a course of cogged bricks whilst the south side has a course of flat headers. On the west side of the wall there is a late-20th-century brick storage shed and evidence of a former wall running west.

At the southern end of the southern section, the last 20 metres is clearly of a later phase of construction, probably early 20th century, and does not have a plinth or a course of engineering bricks. It is surmounted by a bed of horizontal tiles finished with a coping of render. Towards the northern end on the east side there is a brick pilaster, and the top of the wall curves gently downward towards the southern end. On the western face of the wall at the point of transition to the later phase of build, there is evidence of a former wall running west and a late-20th-century brick storage shed.