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Deptford
Deptford Town Hall
Deptford within the County of London
Area
• 1911	1,563 acres (6.33 km)
• 1931/1961	1,564 acres (6.33 km)
Population
• 1911	109,496
• 1931	106,891
• 1961	68,829
Density
• 1911	70/acre
• 1931	68/acre
• 1961	44/acre
History
• Origin	St Paul Deptford parish
• Created	1900
• Abolished	1965
• Succeeded by	London Borough of Lewisham
Status	Metropolitan borough
Government	Deptford Borough Council
• HQ	New Cross Road
Coat of arms adopted by the borough council
Map of borough boundary

The Metropolitan Borough of Deptford was a metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the London Borough of Lewisham along with the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham.

History

The borough covered the same area of the parish of Deptford St Paul, which had been separated from the neighbouring parish of Deptford St Nicholas to its north in 1730. The rateable values of the two parishes had been roughly equal when they were separated, but St Paul contained all the farmland to the south, the majority of which was built on over the next 170 years.

When the Metropolitan Borough was created, consideration was given to reuniting the two parishes, but a closer equalisation of rateable value was served by uniting St Nicholas with Greenwich to the east.

The growth of the London conurbation had reached Deptford by the end of the eighteenth century but it had been a large industrial town well before this time: the Royal Docks and the Victualling Yard, which provisioned the Navy, and the various private dockyards, meant it was a prosperous and cosmopolitan town.

Deptford Town Hall was built between 1903 and 1905 on New Cross Road. The building is in a grand baroque style, featuring carvings of tritons and admirals to emphasise Deptford's maritime heritage. It is now used by Goldsmiths College.

Geography

The borough was in south-east London and bordered Bermondsey, Greenwich, Lewisham and Camberwell.

The borough covered an area of 1,563 acres (6.3 km) and included the localities of St Paul Deptford, Brockley, New Cross, and St Johns.

Population and area

The area of the borough was 1,563 acres (6.3 km). The population from each census was:

St Paul Deptford Civil Parish 1801–1899

Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

Coat of arms

The borough did not have an officially granted coat of arms, instead using a device of their own design.

The three choughs in the first quarter represent the county of Surrey. They were taken from the arms of Onslow family, one-time lords of the manor of Guildford. The fourth quarter showed a white horse on red, representative of the county of Kent. Before 1889 the area of the borough was divided between the two counties. The second quarter showed a quarter ship on the stocks, for the naval dockyard. The remaining quarter of the shield was a portrait of Peter the Great of Russia, who learnt the art of naval architecture in Deptford.

Above the shield was a mural crown, representing municipal government. On either side was an heraldic dolphin entwining a trident.

Politics

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the parish of St Paul Deptford was divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 or North (15), No. 2 or South (21), No. 3 or East (18) and No. 4 or West (18).

The metropolitan borough was divided into six wards for elections: East, North West, North, South East, South West and South.

Borough council

Parliament constituency

For elections to Parliament, the borough was represented by one constituency:

• Deptford

References

1. Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of Deptford
2. Deptford MetB: Census Tables – Vision of Britain accessed 16 Jun 2007
3. The census was suspended for World War II
4. The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3902–3903. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
5. Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1919. 1919. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
6. Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912–14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/

Further reading

• Robert Donald, ed. (1907). "London: Deptford". Municipal Year Book of the United Kingdom for 1907. London: Edward Lloyd.

v t e Local government districts abolished or transferred by the London Government Act 1963
London CC	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green Camberwell Chelsea Deptford Finsbury Fulham Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Hampstead Holborn Islington Kensington Lambeth Lewisham Paddington Poplar Shoreditch Southwark St. Marylebone St. Pancras Stepney Stoke Newington Wandsworth Westminster Woolwich	Constituent parts of Greater London
Essex	Barking Chigwell (part) Chingford Dagenham East Ham Hornchurch Ilford Leyton Romford Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford West Ham
Hertfordshire	Barnet East Barnet
Middlesex, CC	Acton Brentford and Chiswick Ealing Edmonton Enfield Feltham Finchley Friern Barnet Harrow Hayes and Harlington Hendon Heston and Isleworth Hornsey Ruislip-Northwood Southall Southgate Tottenham Twickenham Uxbridge Wembley Willesden Wood Green Yiewsley and West Drayton
Kent	Beckenham Bexley Bromley Chislehurst and Sidcup Crayford Erith Orpington Penge
Surrey	Barnes Beddington and Wallington Carshalton Coulsdon and Purley Croydon Kingston-upon-Thames Malden and Coombe Merton and Morden Mitcham Sutton and Cheam Surbiton Richmond Wimbledon
Transfers	Middlesex to Hertfordshire: Potters Bar Middlesex to Surrey: Staines Sunbury-on-Thames

51°28′31″N 0°02′16″W / 51.4754°N 0.0379°W / 51.4754; -0.0379

• Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London
• Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Lewisham
• 1900 establishments in the United Kingdom
• 1965 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
• Deptford
• Districts abolished by the London Government Act 1963