Two centuries had transformed Deptford from a fishing village into an industrial town, still separated from London by the marshy land towards Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.

In Deptford itself the areas west of the High Street and south of New Cross Road were still mainly agricultural.

The town had reached its highest point of prosperity during the Napoleonic Wars, but was now facing a serious slump, with the mothballing of the Royal Dockyard (the main employer) and the closure of several private yards.

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George Crutchley, 1833.