[1] Leave the centre and turn left, then left again and onto Watson Street. Head left towards the Iyengar Yoga Centre until reaching the very busy Deptford Broadway / New Cross Road. At the nearby traffic lights cross and head left towards the Star & Garter pub on Wilshaw Street, passing Addey and Stanhope’s School, with its mixture of old and strikingly new buildings.
[2] Turn right along Wilshaw Street and follow the road round into Pearsons Avenue until you cross Tanners Hill into Vanguard Street. Walk the full length of Vanguard Street, passing, the square factory-like buildings on the left (Harton Street) until reaching the Victorian, Friendly Street.
[3] Turn left here to reach the busy Brookmill Road. Cross here with care, and head right toward a grey steel and glass building, the recently opened Stephen Lawrence Centre, which provides courses and events for young people, especially those wishing to become architects and designers. You will see pedestrian and cycle lanes heading right into Brookmill Park. Follow the sign to Blackheath and Lewisham. There is another path, leading left, through Broadway Fields, back to Deptford Broadway. Do not take it.
Brookmill Park was recently re-developed and was opened to the public in 1998. Here the Ravensbourne follows a natural course, rather than the concrete banks along most of its route. This was done to form a nature reserve on the opposite bank, offsetting the environmental damage caused by building the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
[4] Follow these into the park until reaching a circular pond surrounded by metal seats. Pass by the pond and continue to head in the same direction. On your right is a large pond which you may wish to walk around, keeping the pond on your left. Several types of waterfowl live on the pond; keep an eye out for a heron with its grey feathers and long yellow beak. (It may also be standing in the river.) Rejoin the path and continue ahead with the river on your left. Soon you will reach a metal bridge, which has wheelchair access ramps, leading to Elverson Road DLR station.
[5] Cross the bridge over the river and then over the DLR tracks.
The DLR was opened in 1987 to help encourage growth in the former industrial areas of the Docklands. Today, the line carries over 60 million passengers a year and has been twice extended to cover 39 stations and 19 miles of track.
You will emerge at the junction of Elverson Road and Conington Road, then turn left into residential Coldbath Street. Walk the length of Coldbath Street.
[6] Towards the end you will see street signs for Franklin Close and Franklin Court, which you should ignore. Bear right and then left into a footpath, called Ditch Alley, used by walkers and cyclists. Beware of cyclists. Take this path, and at the end cross the usually busy Blackheath Road, using the traffic lights.
[7] After crossing, head left and then almost immediately right again into Egerton Drive, with a row of handsome double-fronted houses, built around 1830, on the left-hand side. Cross Devonshire Drive, passing the stone Seventh Day Adventist Church on your right. At the end of Egerton Drive cross Greenwich High Road turn right and continue along Greenwich High Road, turning left into Norman Road, past the North Pole pub.
[8] Head towards the white concrete DLR rail bridge. At the bridge, turn left along a path signed ‘Creekside via Ha’penny Hatch’. Continue along the path, first crossing the Ravensbourne River by the new Ha’penny Hatch footbridge, beside the old lifting bridge, whose remnants stand on either side of the railway line, and then the narrow Creekside. Proceed straight ahead, keeping the railway arches to your right.
On reaching the end of the path, pass under one of the arches to reach a tarmac area. Turn right and continue along Deptford Church Street, crossing to Coffey Street using the traffic lights.
(A) As you walk along Coffey Street you can see St Paul’s Church, built in 1711.
St Paul’s Church was designed by Thomas Archer, a famous 18th Century architect also responsible for St John’s Church in Westminster and Birmingham Cathedral, as well as helping to remodel Chatsworth House, as seen in Pride & Prejudice on the BBC. The fabric and decoration of the St Paul's was completed by 1720, but it was to be another 10 years until the church was consecrated in 1730. Unusually for an English church, St Paul's was built in the style of Roman baroque architecture.
[10] Continue along Coffey Street, through the pleasant semi-pedestrianised green space at the back of St Joseph’s R.C. School, and once past the main entrance to the church you will emerge onto Deptford High Street.
Deptford High Street was voted the most diverse in the country in a 2005 survey by the Yellow Pages and hosts a large market on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Cross the High Street and turn left, towards the station.
Deptford station is the oldest passenger-only station in London, and one of the stations on the oldest suburban railway in the world, the London to Greenwich line. This was built between 1836 and 1838 and was carried by a viaduct of 878 brick arches.
(B) As you carry on along the high street you may notice a brightly painted railway carriage on your right. This is the Deptford Project café, with palm trees, outside tables and a wonderful ‘Elvis Shoe Superloo’ (open weekdays, 8.00 to 7.00; Sat. 8.00 to 6.00, Sun. 11.00 to 4.00).
[11] Continue along to the end of Deptford High Street until you come to the large metal anchor at the end. Turn right onto Deptford Broadway / New Cross Road and continue along until you come to Watson Street. Walk along Watson Street, turning right into Comet Street and after a short distance turn right into Speedwell Street to return to the Deptford Churches Centre.
Alternatively, continue along Deptford High Street until you reach until you reach Reginald Road on your right. Follow Reginald Road to the end and turn left into Comet Street. Follow Comet Street until you come to Speedwell Street on your left. Turn into Speedwell Street following the road back to Deptford Churches Centre.