Henry VIII established Deptford Dockyard in 1513 on a site just upstream of Watergate Street, and ship building and refitting continued here until 1869.

The victualling yard for provisions was just upstream and separate.

The site was taken over by the Corporation of London and became the Foreign Cattle market, where imported beef was landed.

More recently the site has been used for the import of newsprint, but there is now a proposal to redevelop the site as housing.

The houses in this view were demolished during an expansion of the cattle market in 1902. The two yards provided Deptford with a source of employment, especially in times of war, and much of the work was highly skilled.