BNRA Annual Outing 2026

On 18 July, a group of intrepid BNRA members braved the streets of South London and toured the site of the former Royal Naval Dockyard in Deptford, that was active between the time of Henry VIII through until its closure in the Victorian era.

Most of the old buildings are long gone, not helped by the Luftwaffe in WW2. However, amongst the concrete jungle, there remain a few little gems. We started beneath the graceful masts of the Cutty Sark, and had the chance to see the fine work of wood carver Andy Peters. Sites visited included Paynes Wharf, were the boiler manufacturer John Penn & Sons operated, building boilers for navy vessels such as HMS Warrior. We also saw Drake’s steps, and the site of the dock in which the original Golden Hinde was placed as a visitor attraction after Drake’s circumnavigation in 1580, surviving until the civil war in the 1650’s.

The remaining warehouses that formed part of the Vittling yard, and some of the former officers quarters, were amongst some of the most beautiful of the surviving buildings, and the stunning wood carvings supporting the porches of the houses in Albery Street is one of those fine examples of Georgian architecture, that was improved by the wood carvers from the dockyard.

We also had the chance to see the main gates into the vittling yard, some great cannon, and visit St Paul’s and St Nicholas’s churches. The former has the grave of a Tahitian, named Mydiddee, who had returned from the Pacific with Captain Bligh on his second, and successful, breadfruit voyage on HMS Providence.

A big thank you to our Membership Secretary, Susan Amos for organising this great visit. Some pictures from the day below. John Cleverley’s painting of the launch of HMS Cambridge at Deptford in 1755 courtesy of Royal Museum’s Greenwich.

Do get in touch with us if you are interested in more information on our visit, or if interested in joining future adventures.