Friday 20 January 2012

Thankfull Sturdee photos at the Deptford Lounge

An exhibition of photographs from the Thankfull Sturdee Collection is now on display at the new  Deptford Lounge. Apparently they are in Room 1, ask the staff if you can't find it. The pictures were intended to be up for just a week, but now be on show until the first week in March, in response to feedback from readers of this blog!
Copies of the photos have also been uploaded onto the Lewisham Heritage Picasa site here.

Attwood's toy shop on Evelyn Street

Thankfull Sturdee was born in 1852 at 209 Evelyn Street; in 1883 he married Catherine Sarah Bland, and at the time was living at 27 Albyn Road, St John's. By 1903 they had moved to 16 Bolden Street, not far from Albyn Road, but in 1910 they were in Brockley, London SE4, where they lived until Sturdee's death in 1934.


Deptford Broadway looking west - not a great deal different from today, except for the traffic!

In 1911 he joined the Daily Mirror as a press photographer. He was a keen photographer and local historian, and he recorded Deptford’s history in images. His negatives and two series of prints with his own notes were donated to Deptford Borough Library not long before he died. These are now held by Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre.

The Lewisham Heritage Picasa account also has quite a collection of other archive images, grouped either by area of Lewisham (New Cross, Brockley, Catford etc) or by subject matter such as 'Lewisham at war', or 'Shops & shopping', where I found this classic image of 119 Deptford High Street.


And if anyone knows whereabouts in Deptford Peter Pan's Pool used to be, please leave a comment!
Thanks to my commenters who pointed out that Peter Pan's Pool was actually in Downham, not Deptford (as the caption in the archive states!) and still endures outside the Homebase store.

12 comments:

Gilbert said...

Peter Pan's Pool was in Downham. It's now the site of Homebase.

Deptford Pudding said...

Yes its Homebase! The pond is still there with a wonderful sculpture of 2 local girls whispering to each other sitting on railings. The park on the other side of the road had a wrought iron sign "Peter Pans Playground'. Apparently it was all provided by a local gent who like children. Couldn't happen nowadays.

Deptford Dame said...

Thanks folks, I was wondering why I'd never heard of this Deptford feature, turns out it was the archivist's mistake.

Anonymous said...

Exhibition not up today – apparently usurped by a yoga class!

Deptford Pudding said...

I went to see it Saturday, disappointedly not on show!

Deptford dame said...

Gah! That will teach me to believe what I read on Facebook! Sorry to anyone who made the trip to see these yesterday, I have asked the Lounge to confirm when they will actually be on show and will report back.

eleanargh said...

I'll definitely be going to the exhibition, whenever it's open. Do you have a date for the Deptford Broadway photo? It shows my building (the one of the right without an awning) and we've been wondering when it was built.

Deptford Dame said...

Apparently it's in Room 1, 'ask the staff and they'll show you'.

@eleanargh try clicking through to the Lewisham archive site, it might have one on there.

Anonymous said...

Great shame that exhibition space in the Lounge is downgraded in status like this ! It should be proudly prioritising such not treating it as a tag on

Anonymous said...

Our apologies to the Dame and anyone who missed the exhibition last Saturday.
All is up and running for tomorrow
enjoy

The Deptford Lounge Team

Unknown said...

has anyone got a photograph of the great man himself?

Unknown said...

It's actually classed as Catford the Peter Pan pool, it's not in downham, although downham is not far up the road, it's right near to Catford bus garage on the Bromley road By catford Homebase