River Wall to former Naval Victualling Yard, Deptford

The River Wall to the former Naval Victualling Yard in Deptford is a structure approximately 6 meters high, featuring a curved design in both plan and section. It is constructed from purple-brown stock brick laid in English bond, topped with granite copings and a stone plinth. Stone ashlar bands, likely made from Dundee or Craigleith stone as noted in Rennie’s work on the Dockyard walls, are positioned just under mid-height. Some of the brick courses beneath the coping have been replaced with yellower brick.

At the angles of the landing recess to the Queen’s Steps, there are carefully mitred stone quoins, with those on the north side marked with tide-measuring heights in Roman numerals, starting from IV at the lowest visible point and rising to XX. The brickwork features vertical recesses for timber fenders at intervals of about 6 meters, with cast-iron pockets set into the plinth at the base of each, although some towards the south end have been removed. Below the plinth and the foreshore gravel, there are courses of finely pointed yellow-stock bricks.

At the south-east end, a quadrant curve returns the wall to its original line, connecting with the dockyard wall about 12 meters further along. Another curve at the north-west end defines the northern boundary of the victualling yard. Above the copings, there are 20th-century flood-prevention additions made of concrete and engineering brick, which are not of special interest.