492 Scientific Industries. 



ROYAL VICTORIA YARD, DEPTFORD. 



The Victualling Yard at Deptford was established by an Order 

 in Council of the 23rd of March, 1742, owing to the storehouse 

 accommodation on Little Tower Hill being insufficient. It was 

 for many years called the " Red House," the site chosen being near 

 a collection of warehouses built of red brick, of unknown date, but 

 rebuilt in 1665 after destruction by fire. The ground, then about 

 eleven acres in extent, had originally been granted by the Crown 

 to the Evelyns of Wotton and Sayes Court, and was purchased by 

 the Commissioners of Victualling for the sum of 10,000. Soon after 

 its establishment the yard suffered severely from fire, being burnt 

 down in 1748, the King's Mill, too, was burnt down in 1755, the 

 New Storehouse in 1758, and the Red House in 1761. The present 

 extensive row of storehouses was erected by Sir Charles Middleton, 

 in 1780. 



Additional land was taken in from time to time, so that at present 

 the area is upwards of 19 acres, the last acquisition made in 1860 

 comprising a portion of the famous gardens of " Sylva " Evelyn. 

 The whole area covered by it and the former Dockyard was about 

 35 acres. 



The Yard received the name of "Royal Victoria Yard" in 

 consequence of Queen Victoria's visit in 1858. It is the largest of 

 the three Home Victualling Establishments, the others being at 

 Gosport and Devonport. At the Yard are manufactured most 

 of the provisions used in the navy biscuit, chocolate, mustard, 

 etc., and from it, too, the naval depots abroad draw their supplies 

 of clothing, food, tobacco, rum, and medical stores. As an objec- 

 tive for sight-seeing the Yard is not now attractive, except from the 

 extensive capacity of its storehouses. The Museum in the Yard 

 has been deprived of the greater part of its most interesting exhibits, 

 but there is a large library relating to naval matters. 



DEPTFORD DOCKYARD. 



Deptford Dockyard has an interesting history. It was first 

 established in 1513 by Henry VIII., but previous to that date 

 Deptford was famous for its shipbuilding. Whether Henry VIII. 

 himself ever visited his dockyard is not recorded, but in 1549 we 

 find mention made of a visit paid by Edward VI. Queen Elizabeth 

 and James I. were both frequent visitors. In 1576, Francis Drake 

 sailed from Deptford on the " Pelican," on his voyage round the 

 world, and in 1581 Queen Elizabeth went down to the Dockyard 

 to dine with Drake on board his ship, and conferred on him the 

 honour of knighthood. Peter the Great worked for a while in the 

 Yard as a shipwright, and during the Great Plague the office of the 

 Admiralty was temporarily removed from Seething Lane. 



