Join us for a unique evening of local maritime heritage and music, exploring the rich history of Deptford’s royal dockyard. Talks will be provided by two of the country’s foremost 17th century naval historians – JD Davies and Richard Endsor.
Why did Deptford have a royal dockyard, and what was its significance in the development of England’s naval power? Who were the women of Deptford? How were women involved in the royal dockyard, and how did they influence it? Discover the answers to all these questions and more!
FREE, no tickets required. Thursday 7th February, 6.45pm Talks and music: 7-9pm St Nicholas Church, Deptford Green, SE8 3DQ
• David Davies is a prize-winning and bestselling author whose books include Pepys’s Navy and Kings of the Sea. David will discuss why Deptford dockyard was important, and the influence of King Charles II, and Samuel Pepys on Deptford’s history . jddavies.com
• Richard Endsor is a British naval historian and maritime artist, author of The Restoration Warship, a comprehensive history of the Lenox. He will explore who were the real women behind the high-profile naval figures; who really wore the trousers in Deptford’s royal dockyard? richardendsor.co.uk
This is a great opportunity to pay a visit to the old parish church of Deptford, St Nicholas, which contains many fine monuments with links to the dockyard, and carvings by Grinling Gibbons. Find out more here.
We are also delighted that South East London Folk Orchestra will be present to entertain us with music during the break, and light refreshments will be available.
Please join us for a fascinating and educational evening – the first in this year’s events programme supported by Tideway. The event is wheelchair accessible.
FREE, no tickets required. Thursday 7th February, 6.45pm Talks and music: 7-9pm St Nicholas Church, Deptford Green, SE8 3DQ
Are you looking for unique christmas gifts made by designer-makers which not only support local businesses but also our heritage charity?
The Lenox Project will have a stall at Deptford Bites at Christmas, which is being held on Saturday 8 December in Deptford Market Yard. Come along to buy Lenox mugs and tea towels made by local company Lush Designs who are in Cockpit Arts in Creekside, as well as historic map tea towels of the area which are produced by My Gorgeous Cards based in Lewisham. We’ll be selling our Lenox Project t-shirts, tote bags and badges at the stall, alongside a selection of other craft and design stalls, ideal for christmas gifts that are a bit different.
The event also features a series of workshops where you can blend your own candle fragrances, learn how to decorate gingerbread, knit a blanket from giant wool, or just chill out with some wine tasting.
We are delighted to announce that we now have specially-designed mugs created by Deptford-based Lush Designs for sale, with all proceeds going direct to support the Lenox Project. The bone china mugs, which are made in Staffordshire, are available for just £15 and would make an excellent christmas or birthday gift.
At this stage we are only offering them for local collection – please get in touch via info@buildthelenox.org if you want to buy one.
Lenox Project volunteers were delighted to welcome almost 700 visitors to the Master Shipwright’s House in Deptford for Open House London on 22nd and 23rd September.
Despite very wet weather over the weekend, the house was still very popular both with local visitors and with those who’d travelled from further afield to visit it.
A wide range of plans, old images and photographs of the house and the neighbouring dockyard were available for visitors to browse inside the house, and the Lenox Project brought its exhibition trailer and restored Saker cannon into the grounds of the house.
The recent demolition of neighbouring buildings on Convoys Wharf meant that the views across the former dockyard from the house were much more extensive than previously, and visitors were fascinated to learn about the rich history of the site and its maritime links. Many thanks to everyone who came to visit, and to our enthusiastic volunteers who worked so cheerfully to welcome and assist visitors despite the wet conditions.
Thanks also to those who donated to our charity, either by buying merchandise or refreshments, or simply by boosting our donations box.
We’re delighted to confirm that we’ll be opening the Master Shipwright’s House in Deptford for the weekend of London Open House on 22 and 23 September.
As usual there will be access to selected rooms in the house as well as the gardens, where visitors can relax and enjoy the river views.
Find out more about the house where the master shipwright of Deptford’s Royal Dockyard would have lived and worked, and discover more about the Lenox, the first of Charles II’s 30 ships, which was built in the double dock right next door.
See our restored Saker cannon and support us by buying refreshments or merchandise. Meet our volunteers and trustees and find out how you can help!
Saturday 22 September 10am-5pm Sunday 23 September 10am-1pm Master Shipwright’s House, Watergate Street, London SE8 3JF Nearest stations: Deptford railway station, Deptford Bridge DLR Buses: 47, 199, 188
We’re delighted to be able to share with you a new cut of our film about The Lenox Project, made by Matthew Lynch and Anna Delaney and shown for the first time last weekend at St Nicholas’ Church as part of the New Cross & Deptford Free Film Festival.
The conference has a great programme of presentations on the theme of Shipbuilding on the Thames, including one by our historian Richard Endsor titled ‘The Deptford Master Shipwright’s Secrets’. For more details and to download the booking form, visit the website http://www.docklandshistorygroup.org.uk/page33.html
The Lenox Project is taking part in the New Cross & Deptford Free Film Festival, supported by funding from Tideway, showing a swashbuckling adventure film that sets the historic context for the construction of Charles II’s thirty ships.
It is a beautifully-filmed adventure movie recounting the life of Dutch Admiral Michiel De Ruyter (Frank Lammers) from the 1653 start of the Anglo-Dutch wars to 1678, (the year Lenox was launched), via the unification of the provinces and birth of the fledgling republic.
It features spectacular and bloody sea battles with plenty of impressive wooden warships, as well as intimate scenes which are skilfully portrayed in the style of a Dutch Masters painting. In the atmospheric opening scene, the congregation in the church in the sand dunes at Huisduinen are terrified by the cannon-fire of the nearby battle of Scheveningen. Cast includes Charles Dance (King Charles II) and Rutger Hauer (Maarten Tromp).
Enjoy this unrecognised masterpiece in Deptford’s own dockyard church, a stone’s throw from where wooden ships of this era were built, and learn about the historic events that prompted Charles II to lobby for construction of a new fleet of warships, the first of which was the Lenox.
Saturday 28th April St Nicholas’ Church, Deptford Green, SE8 3DQ Doors open: 6.30pm. Programme starts: 7pm.
Free entry. Refreshments and merchandise will be on sale.
