DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Deptford, September, 2022.

Page Updated:- Thursday, 22 September, 2022.

PUB LIST PUBLIC HOUSES Paul Skelton

Earliest 1816-

Bull and Butcher

Closed 1899

9 Old King Street / 97 Watergate Street

St. Nicholas

Deptford

Bull and Butcher 1903

Above photo, circa 1903.

 

The pub was closed in 1899 and has since been demolished.

It was originally addresses as simply King Street in 1826 and later as 9 Old King Street in 1873.

 

Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser, Monday 11 January 1869.

An inquest was held at the "Bull and Butcher," Deptford, on the body of Elizabeth Cole, two-and-a-half years, of 4, Elliot Square, Deptford, who died from injuries sustained by pulling a kettle of hot water over her in her parents absence.

Verdict "Accidental Death."

 

From the http://carolineld.blogspot.com Friday, 15 April 2011.

A Deptford whale.

Whales in the Thames are not unknown, but they're certainly unusual. When one swam up the river a few years ago, the media followed its every move. The public was equally fascinated in 1842 - but the poor animal had met with a very different reception. While efforts were made to save its modern counterpart, the Victorian stray was killed and immediately put on public display.

On Sunday 23 October, a young whale made its way to Deptford Pier. There, it was spotted by watermen who immediately set off in armed pursuit. The Illustrated London News describes what followed:-

Illustrated London News, 29 October 1842, 'catching a whale off Deptford Pier'

Five of them put off in their boat, and one of them, armed with a large bearded spear, commenced the attack upon the monster, which soon showed symptoms of weakness, and threw up large quantities of water from the aperture on its back. The other boats surrounded the animal and pushed it along with their boat-hooks close under the pier, where they finally despatched him, and with strong cords and pullies raised him, with much difficulty, upon the pier. In a short time afterwards such immense numbers of persons congregated to gratify their curiosity, that Mr John Taylor, the high constable of Deptford, was compelled to call for the aid of the R division of the police to keep order.

The gory spectacle over, the whale was moved to the "Bull and Butcher" pub in Old King Street and put on display. No time was lost in circulating publicity material:-

London Whale 1842

EXTRAORDINARY AND SURPRISING NOVELTY! MAY BE SEEN, On the Premises of Mr. Williams, BULL & BUTCHER, Old King Street, Deptford, A FINE YOUNG WHALE, WHICH WAS KILLED OFF DEPTFORD PIER, Yesterday, (Sunday,) October 23rd 1842, By a Number of Watermen.

The above measures in length above 20 Feet; in circumference 10 Feet, and weighs above 2 Tons.

May be viewed daily, from 9 o’Clock in the morning till 10 o’Clock at Night.

The Illustrated London News account identifies it as a finback whale, 14 feet 6 inches long (it seems to have grown in the flyer quoted above). It also suggested how the whale came to be in such an unlikely location: 'He is supposed to have gone blind in the river while in pursuit of herrings.'

In 1891, a writer to the Kentish Notebook suggested that after being displayed in Deptford, the whale went on to be shown at the "Half Moon Inn" in Borough. Finally, it was dissected and its skeleton given to the British Museum.

Perhaps even more strangely, this was not the first Deptford whale. John Evelyn described one meeting an equally brutal end there in June 1658:-

A large whale was taken betwixt my land butting on the Thames and Greenwich, which drew an infinite concourse to see it, by water, coach, and on foote, from London and all parts. It appeared first below Greenwich at low water, for at high water it would have destroyed all the boats; but lying now in shallow water, incompassed with boats, after a long conflict it was killed with a harping yron, struck in the head, out of which it spouted blood and water by two tunnells, and after a horrid grone it ran quite on shore and died. Its length was fifty-eight foote, height sixteen, black skin'd like coach-leather, very small eyes, greate taile, and onely two small finns, a picked snout, and a mouth so wide that divers men might have stood upright in it; no teeth, but suck'd the slime onely as thro' a grate of that bone which we call whale-bone; the throate yet so narrow as would not have admitted the least of fishes. The extremes of the cetaceous bones hang downwards from the upper jaw; and was hairy towards the ends and bottom within-side; all of it prodigious; but in nothing more wonderful than that an animal of so greate a bulk should be nourished ony by slime through those grates.

 

LICENSEE LIST

BERRY Matt 1826+

SEABROOK William James 1832+ Pigot's Directory 1832-34

WILLIAMS William 1840-Aug/50

ROFF John Clayton Aug/1850-Sept/54 dec'd (age 48 in 1851Census) West Kent Guardian

ROFF Elizabeth Sept/1854-58+ West Kent Guardian

BROMLEY David Mathew to Mar/1860

STEWARD William George Mar/1860-Feb/62 (widower age 49 in 1861Census)

WILLIAMS Charles Henry Feb/1862-Jan/63

DYE James Edward Jan/1863+

WEAVER Henry Aug/1866+

WEAVER Alf Hen 1869-74+

ELLIS Thomas Henry 1881-84+ (age 38 in 1881Census)

HITCHCOCK William 1891-99+ (age 40 in 1891Census)

https://pubwiki.co.uk/BullButcher.shtml

 

Pigot's Directory 1832-34From the Pigot's Directory 1832-33-34

CensusCensus

West Kent GuardianWest Kent Guardian

 

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

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