James Ashton asks the following questions and help.
Dear Sir:
I was very interested to find your Deptford History web site. I have a
question rather than a story that I was hoping you might be able to help
me with. The C.S. Forester Hornblower novels refer to Deptford and
there are mentions of a couple of names that I can't find any references
to online.
The first is "Deptford Hard". I know what a "hard" is (a firm, gentle
slope allowing vessels to be launched or careened, usually with the help
of the tide) and it seems reasonable that there would have been one in
or near Deptford Yards. Does anyone know where it was, or if it existed
historically?
The second is "The George," apparently an establishment with
accommodation in Deptford. I suspect this will have been an invention
of the author but I'd be pleased to discover otherwise. There is one
online reference to someone living at "The George", George-row, Deptford
in 1852 but the nearest George-row I can find is in Bermondsey. Also,
the National Archives hint at a "George" in Grove Street, near Cornish
Place, in 1852:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/a40e0301-50ce-4ebf-b0f9-b783761edc6b
Thanks for providing such an interesting online resource.
James Ashton
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