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Mohawk fins, dip dyed in red, the school play truant in gray uniform.
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The ballad of the bullhead fish.
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Out of the rubble, a rare flash of Red.
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The grayling fish, with its distinctive red dorsal fin, can be seen in the River Thames in Deptford. Also known as Thymallus thymallus and ‘the Lady of the Stream’, it is found in fast, clean rivers and is a popular ‘game fish’ for anglers.22
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The bullhead fish or Cottus Gobio is a freshwater fish, named for its unusually bulbous, bull-like head. It is also known as ‘the miller’s thumb’, which perhaps tells us something about the physical risks of working in a mill back in the day. At mating time, the male of the bullhead species is said to ‘sing’ (or at least make some kind of enticing, rhythmic sound) by ‘rubbing the bones of his pectoral girdle against those of his skull’.23 Not something you see at karaoke night too often.
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Similar in look to a robin but with a bright orange-red tail, the redstart population is declining in Europe.24 But Deptford is doing its best to conserve the species’ local population by creating environments where they thrive. Trinity Laban boasts the first ‘brown roof’ ever built in London for black redstarts, which includes leftover rubble from the centre’s previous site – the kind of habitat favoured by the birds.25 In fact their population apparently soared in the aftermath of the Second World War.26
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Sown by a berry sorry Tsar?
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The Sayes Court garden of the late John Evelyn, famous 17th century diarist, is home to a black mulberry tree. Whether or not he planted it is unclear, but some claim it was an apology from Russian Tsar Peter the Great, who stayed in Evelyn’s home in 1698 and completely wrecked his house and garden (think wheelbarrow races and burning furniture for firewood). According to the British Library, the £350 9s 6d of property damages – a huge sum at the time – was paid by the treasury, as the Tsar had been invited by the king, William III.
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Rarity of the railway yard, the Deptford Falcon takes off.
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In 2016, the Railway-yard Knotweed (also known as Fallopia x conollyana or × Reyllopia conollyana) was found flowering at Creekside Education Trust, where it was given the nickname The Deptford Falcon. A rarely seen hybrid between a Japanese knotweed and Russian vine, this plant is said to be less invasive than your average knotweed.27
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Queenie of the Swans.
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Deptford Creek is home to a number of swans, and the team at Creekside Discovery Centre is doing its best to make their lives easier. A nesting raft has been built, to help resident female swan Queenie and her feathered friends shelter their eggs from the tidal creek’s turbulent waters. Fittingly, famed choreographer Matthew Bourne, best known for his all-male version of the ballet Swan Lake, is a graduate of acclaimed Deptford dance school Trinity Laban and lived on Friendly Street during his studies.28
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At the centre of discovery, Deptford is in the Pink.
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The Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria) has put Deptford on the wildlife map. This rare wildflower can be found in only about 15 sites in the UK, according to The Wildlife Trusts.29 However its name is somewhat accidental – or at least a horticultural mystery. When 17th century naturalist John Gerard wrote of ‘a wild creeping Pink …[found] in the great field next to Deptford’,30 it is thought he may have actually been referring to ‘the Maiden pink’ (Dianthus deltoides)31. But thanks to Friends of Brookmill Park, Deptford now has its own population of The Deptford Pink.
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This mighty oak was once its crowning glory.
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If you have ever come across a dead tree laying on its side in Greenwich Park, you may have wondered why it hasn’t been carted away. Look closer and you’ll see a sign telling you more about what is known as Queen Elizabeth's Oak. Originally planted in the 12th century, it is said that Queen Elizabeth I took picnics under the tree, and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn danced around the tree in their early (pre-beheading) courtship days. Most bizarrely, the hollow trunk was formerly used to lock up park miscreants.32
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Far from the sea, these humble horses ride our tidal Thames.
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The River Thames is home to all sorts of creatures, including sharks, seals, porpoises and two species of seahorses.33 The weird and wonderful seahorse has been seen in the Greenwich area, behind the Old Royal Naval College – though given the size of the young specimen found (5cm) you would have to get pretty close to spot them. You can find another seahorse at the National Maritime Museum, or rather ship plans for ‘Seahorse’: a 24-gun vessel ordered to be fitted at Deptford Dockyard back in 1748.
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White. Red. Black. In peace. In remembrance. In justice.
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Every year on 11 November, the UK officially recognises the members of the armed forces who have lost their life at war. After World War I, the red poppy was introduced as a symbol of remembrance. Today we also have white poppies (the colour worn by pacifists), and black poppies to remember the Black, Asian and other ethnic minority members of the armed forces whose contribution has historically been sidelined.
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