Manze's eel, pie and mash shop and outbuilding to rear

Manze's eel, pie and mash shop and outbuilding to rear

A mid-19th-century terraced building on the east side of Deptford High Street at the corner of Lamerton Street, with a commercial shop unit at ground floor and domestic accommodation in two storeys above. The eel, pie and mash shop opened in 1914.

The building is constructed of stock and red brick with a flat asphalt roof. The shopfront features a hardwood timber frame with a fascia of black Vitrolite or similar pigmented glass, displaying gold lettering reading '204, MANZE'S, 204'. This numbering post-dates the 1950s street renumbering which changed the address from 196 to 204. Below the fascia is a large sash window inscribed 'MEAL IN A MOMENT/MANZES MEAT PIES/ALL MADE DAILY', which functioned as a serving hatch for takeaway sales. The window frames and surrounds are hardwood with metal trim, and below is a panelled stall-riser painted green, capped with a projecting section of the marble counter. The entrance is set back from the street, leading to a pair of glazed doors with a fanlight above. Flanking brick columns topped with ornamental consoles frame the entrance. The east elevation has two sash windows with arched brick lintels to the upper storey. The north elevation features irregular metal-framed casement and sash windows set between white concrete cills and lintels. The building extends to the rear with a lower two-storey range, with the final bay added by 1868 according to mapping evidence. All windows are currently painted green to match the Manze's colour scheme.

The interior of the pie and mash shop occupies the ground floor. The walls are clad in white tiles with decorative green and white chevron tiles and large inset mirrors. To the left of the entrance is the main serving area with marble shelves built into the walls behind the counter. A small enclosure behind the large serving window contains a panelled counter door and marble counter, where eels were formerly displayed. The remainder of the space comprises a series of seating booths. Between each pair of benches is a marble-topped table, supported on the wall at one end and by a cast-iron upright at the other. The booth benches have shaped cast-iron supports. Opposite the main serving area are three smaller booths, behind which are seven broader booths. At the back is a door into the tiled kitchen, where fittings have been renewed. The interior also features a pressed tin ceiling and timber and marble fittings, with a terrazzo floor.

To the rear of the building stands an outbuilding of stock brick with a gable end facing Lambert Street. Timber garage doors open to the street, with blocked windows and a taking-in hatch to the gable above, which is set back from the street. Originally a coach house for the building, it has subsequently served as a preparation area for Manze's and continues to be used for this purpose as of 2023.