15 reasons to visit Deptford High Street, SE8

You can’t miss Deptford High Street. At the top end sits its famous anchor, reinstalled by the council in 2018 after it was mysteriously removed five years earlier, supposedly because it attracted street drinkers. Over its quarter of a mile, it runs down to Creek Road, across which lies the Thames. It packs in a street market, a golden-clad library, one of London’s finest baroque churches, lots of Vietnamese restaurants and more history than you can shake a stick at. Stuff changes fast here. Recent years have seen tons of new openings (and a few closings) around the redeveloped Market Yard. Locals fear that SE8’s character will be lost for ever but it sails on. Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was murdered in Deptford after quibbling about his bar tab, described ‘infinite riches in a little room’ in ‘The Jew of Malta’, and that just about sums up the High Street. From the market traders to the post-church Sunday crush it’s some of London’s best street theatre. Stroll past the wet-fish shops and the buckets of giant African snails. Fuss the cats in Terry’s Discount store. All human life is here. Plus a lot of other stuff.

Drink this

Pub chain Antic caused a right hoo-ha when they opened The Job Centre, following their policy of naming pubs after their former uses. ‘Shameful’ and ‘insensitive’ was the social media verdict on the name. They redid the frontage recently and revealed a ghost sign for ‘John Brittans Stores’, so they could have just called it that and avoided all the fuss. It’s a big, shadowy concrete place with good beer and cocktails and a decent small-plates kitchen.

Get a punch or four in Jamaican bar-kitchen Buster Mantis on Resolution Way. There are meaty, jerky things to soak up the rum and a lot of great old-school reggae.

Little Nan’s Bar started in a windowless concrete bunker up on Deptford Broadway. That original venue has closed, but its second SE8 home in Market Yard by the station is impressive, commanding three whole railway arches, and continuing to deliver a winning recipe of cocktails, royal-family kitsch and un-self-conscious fun.

Eat this

Vegans rejoice! Occupying the bit of the venn diagram where metal meets meat-free, The Waiting Room has an ethically fleshless menu, great coffee and Sabbath on heavy rotation.

Pho Hanoi is the pick of the Vietnamese joints: reliably delicious and not as packed as its Kingsland Road counterparts.

If you’re after caffeine and breakfast things, bike café London Velo offers bagels and top-notch coffee (plus they’ll fiddle with your sprocket).

Sister to Peckham’s celebrated Artusi, Marcella, along with cute bistro Winemakers, has brought a whole new level of sophistication to Deptford dining. Stunning small plates, a great wine selection and an always-buzzy atmosphere are its winning combination. 

Grab a guilt-free curry at vegan/vegetarian place Hullabaloo, just on the corner of the market. It’s BYO and decorated with old Indian movie posters in a distinct style departure from most south London curryhouses

Do this

Take a five-minute stroll east to Creekside Discovery Centre, a charity which runs guided low-tide tours of Deptford’s famous Creek, a tributary of the Thames which saw the area become a centre for shipbuilding in Tudor times. 

Or head to the north end of the High Street, over to Deptford Green and visit St Nicholas church. Christopher Marlowe is buried in the churchyard and its skull-and-crossbones gateposts are supposed to have inspired the pirate flag. You know, that one. 

Buy this

An anchor tattoo (at Kids Love Ink). Some art (at Bearspace). Some more art (at Enclave). Some chic vintagewear (at Rag ’n’ Bone).

Everything else (on the market).

If you only do one thing…

Don’t miss the flea market. It’s best on Saturday morning, when it has mountains of old clothes, bric-à-brac and furniture. You’ll have to dig to find the gold, but it is there, and the whole experience is great. At packing-up time, traders ritually smash up stuff they can’t be arsed to take home. 

Get there: Deptford rail, Deptford Bridge DLR, New Cross rail/Overground.

Fancy a change of scene? Here are 12 reasons to go to Shacklewell Lane, E8.

Upcoming small-gallery art shows in London this autumn.