Music Monday: Haim in Deptford

Haim are the quintessential Los Angeles band, so I wasn't expecting to be able to write them into the South London Hall of Fame any time soon. But they are over in Europe on tour and seemingly found time for a trip down to Deptford to film their latest video 'All over me'. If you're familiar with the Master Shipwright's House you will no doubt recognise its distressed decor and garden.

Update 25/6/2025: it seems the Master Shipwright's House is up for sale. A very interesting building dating back to early 1700s, with ten bedrooms and a garden backing directly on to the Thames. Very handy for the Dog and Bell pub too if you have £8 million to spare. 

Deptford Dolphins Thames Swim

I was slightly sceptical about whether the self-proclaimed Deptford Dolphins were actually going to manage to swim out from Watergate stairs to the nearby crane derrick in the Thames (as previewed here). But two of them made it on 22 September, and there's a film to prove it. They are already thinking of doing it again for next year's Autumn Equinox - with the swimmers to be awarded the Deptford Dolphin badge pictured above.

The Dolphins in the Master Shipwrights House garden after the swim

This was another project of the emerging Deptford Alternative Sports Club, as some of those involved with Deptford Three Sided Football Club seek further adventures. The next planned action is kayaking the River Ravensbourne down to the Thames at Deptford Creek from its junction with the Pool river in Bellingham Park - no date has been set because it all depends on there having been plenty of rain to make the river fully navigable.

Music Monday: Sam Lee in Deptford

I was lucky enough to catch folk singer Sam Lee singing a song a couple of weeks ago at a Build the Lenox event at the Master Shipwrights House in Deptford. Sam filmed the video for his song Good Bye My Darling in the garden there last year, sitting by the fishing shack at the end of the garden that overlooks the Thames.

The video also features him walking round various parts of London carrying his boat, and then getting into the river on it by Watergate stairs in Deptford