Our Secret Streets is a six part series for BBC2 exploring the history of London over the last 120 years since the social researcher Charles Booth visited every street in London for his ambitious survey: Life and Labour in London. It took him 17 years to complete his incredible study and we are now updating the survey by focusing on six London streets and areas, including Deptford High St and the residential streets connected to the streets.

We are now well underway with filming the series but would still love to hear from people who have any old photographs or film footage of this area, especially if this shows Deptford before or during the clearances in the 1950s - 1970s, which saw many streets reduced to rubble. Similarly, if you lived in Deptford at the time, and had to leave your home because of the demolition taking place, it would be great to have a chat with you. We are particularly interested in speaking to people who lived in the streets directly connected to the High St, where these clearances took place, especially Reginald Road, Albury Street and Giffin Street.

This programme was shown on BBC2 on Wednesday 6th June 1012. The first episode looked at Deptford High Street. You may still be able to watch it on BBC iPlayer.

Comments:

A short video clip from British Pathe news of Midwife Elsie Walkerdine, who delivered 4000 babies and is about to retire, walking down Shere Road, Deptford. Showing the front of house No 56 as she approaches and knocks on the door. Click on the image to view

Comments:

Hide and Seek (1972)- Part 1

Hide and Seek (1972)- Part 2

Hide and Seek (1972)- Part 3

Keith absconds from an Approved School in the hope that his father will take him to Canada. But Keith's father seems more interested in robbing a bank.

An interesting film from the Childrens Film Foundation. Set entirely in Deptford in the early 1970's this shows many of the streets in a state of demolition, with corrugatted tin sheeting lining road after road. Well worth viewing. This film was recently uploaded to Youtube but was removed due to copyright infringement. Anna Home from the Childrens Film Foundation has kindly allowed me to upload parts of the film to show Deptford in 1972. This is not the full film and only shows the outside scenes. It's split into 3 parts of 10 minutes each.

Comments: Thanks go to Jim Rice for discovering this little gem.

Can anyone help to identify some of the locations and buildings in the film please.

Part 1

1:54 Deptford seen from roof of a tower block on the Evelyn estate. On the other side of the railway is Edward street, Kerry Road, St Marks Church and the Old police station in Amersham Grove.
2:00 Flamingo court on the Evelyn Estate near Deptford High street
3:19 Napier Street off Douglas way
3:32 Napier Street again with A school in the background - probabaly Christopher Marlowe Girls School, can anyone confirm.
5:33 Deptford new police station
5:46 Edward street coming out of Kerry Road
7:40 Post Office on Edward Street.
8:23 Waste ground next to ?
9:40 Sweet Shop at Tanners hill, the top of Deptford High street.
9:52 W H WELLBELOVED butchers in Tanners Hill.

Part 2

Start - Petit Cochon street (french for little pig) does not exist. You can see the sign was hung onto the fence surrounding Deptford Park. The road is Scawen Road.
2:12 Comet Street off Deptford High street - quite a walk from Deptford Park.
2:26 Midland Bank Giffin Street off Deptford High street. I don't think the waste ground shown is opposite the Bank though but is necessary for the plot.
4:36 Some crafty editing here. The girl comes out of a shop in Tanners hill and then meets the boy In Edward Street, Kerry road junction. She recognises him but he is now back in Tanners Hill. She tries to use the phone box and he disappears into a road next to the phone box which wasn't there before and appears at the other end of Edward street outside a disused petrol station.
6:00 Amersham grove or Amersham Vale.

Part 3

Start - The old garage at the top of Edward street near the High Street
3:00 Switches to a demolition site somewhere completely different.
3:02 Now in Douglas Way
4:00 Lots of shots from Napier Road
6:00 The Demolition site where the tunnel is located is probably between Mornington Road and Stanley Street.