Deptford High Street
This little book is the outcome of a 18-month project (2009-2011), which aimed at utilising photographic research to meet local people, gain local knowledge and create my sense of belonging to the area I had just moved to. I photographed and spoke to shopkeepers, customers and residents on the High Street, asking them to share their experiences of this street and Deptford in general. Lived experience is deeply embedded in history; even if interpretations are subjective, as psychological truths these accounts are just as important as factually reliable accounts. Story-telling reduces the gulf between the researcher and participants, which is necessary in building relationships with the people whose history is being talked about. In the pursuit of more uninhibited responses, participants were assured that comments would remain anonymous and that images would not correspond to the comments. Through these stories of lived experiences I gained a better understanding of the social and political history of Deptford and how different people perceive the changes taking place in the area. This project formed the basis of lasting friendships and relationships and led to other projects in the local area which can be viewed on my website (anitastrasser.com). The project was also a precursor to Deptford is Changing: a creative exploration of the impact of gentrification, a book I published in 2020. The book is available for reading in Deptford Lounge, West Greenwich Library, Goldsmiths Library and Special Collections.
This little book is the outcome of a 18-month project (2009-2011), which aimed at utilising photographic research to meet local people, gain local knowledge and create my sense of belonging to the area I had just moved to. I photographed and spoke to shopkeepers, customers and residents on the High Street, asking them to share their experiences of this street and Deptford in general. Lived experience is deeply embedded in history; even if interpretations are subjective, as psychological truths these accounts are just as important as factually reliable accounts. Story-telling reduces the gulf between the researcher and participants, which is necessary in building relationships with the people whose history is being talked about. In the pursuit of more uninhibited responses, participants were assured that comments would remain anonymous and that images would not correspond to the comments. Through these stories of lived experiences I gained a better understanding of the social and political history of Deptford and how different people perceive the changes taking place in the area. This project formed the basis of lasting friendships and relationships and led to other projects in the local area which can be viewed on my website (anitastrasser.com). The project was also a precursor to Deptford is Changing: a creative exploration of the impact of gentrification, a book I published in 2020. The book is available for reading in Deptford Lounge, West Greenwich Library, Goldsmiths Library and Special Collections.
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In the 1960s Deptford was an affluent area with lots of factories, where millionaires
and workers lived together. Education wasn't so important because you knew you'd
get a job. I'll tell you why you like it here: because people communicate with each
other. The feeling of community is disappearing though because the old generation
is dying out.
Deptford was completely self-sufficient at that time; you could earn a good wage
here and live well. There were lots of families living here, there was Marks &
Spencer's, Woolworth's and other good shops, and the High Street was always full
of people.
The shipyards used to be really busy and we used to jump across the barges and
nick sardines off the ships when we were kids.
My grandfather would buy ill ponies off the Russian ships. He'd get them well and
walk them to Wales to sell them. People used to walk in those days.
The amalgamation with Lewisham in the 1970s changed Deptford completely. The
'good people' were moved out and the houses were pulled down, with new highrise
buildings built for 'bad people' from all areas to move in. This turned Deptford
into a dangerous place in which you had to learn to survive.
People had guns, you couldn't look people in the eye, and you would never tell a
girl that you're from Deptford. People built tunnels to burgle - some of these still
exist - and burglaries took place every day. The days were so bad, I still have
nightmares. I've seen things that I can never tell. I needed years to be able to look
people in the eyes again.
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