Leafing through the Times this morning my eye was caught by this photograph of the Master Shipwright's House in the Bricks and Mortar property supplement. (link to article) The house is for sale with an asking price of £5,000,000. Marcus Binney refers to the house appearing in John Cleverly's 1747 painting of the St Albans being floated out of dry dock. The painting is here.
This 300 year old building is hidden away at the north end of Watergate Street adjacent to the Upper Watergate. It is the only private house in Deptford, and one of only a handful downstream of central London, that has a garden right on the waterfront.
For nearly 300 years ownership of the house lay with the owners of what was the Royal Dockyard (the Crown), the Foreign Cattle Market (the City Corporation), Reserve Supply Depot (the Crown again) and eventually Convoys Wharf (News International). Back in the mid 1990s when News were still investing in Convoys Wharf the house was regarded as a nuisance and was eventually sold off to William and Chris in 1998.
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The house was actually built in 1708 and it is one of the few remnants of Deptford's old royal dockyards. Its first owner was Joseph Allin, who was a master shipyard. It is a great example of the transition of architecture which makes it more interesting. And one of the greatest things that this house holds are the stories of people who once stepped in it.
ReplyDeleteShane Adams
Jacob acworth lived here and acworth on the deeds
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