The Queen's Stairs (Drake's Steps) and the Golden Hind Dry Dock

Royalty and Myth

Along the River Thames, numerous stone stairs lead down to the foreshore. Many were historically used by boatmen who plied their trade along the river. While several of these access points remain open to the public, one set is almost always locked: the Queen's Stairs (also known as the Drake's Steps). Located on the Deptford Thames Path along the foreshore area, they sit just south of Deptford Wharf and north of the historic Deptford Royal Dockyard.

The Royal Banquet and Knighting of Francis Drake

On April 4, 1581, Queen Elizabeth I attended a banquet held inside Sayes Court, a major manor house in Deptford near the dockyard. Contemporaries described the event as one of the most extravagant banquets held since the reign of King Henry VIII.

Following the meal at Sayes Court, Queen Elizabeth I processed down to the riverbank, where her party boarded a boat to the Golden Hind, which was moored close by. Sir Francis Drake then hosted the Queen on the ship's deck, where Elizabeth I consecrated the vessel "with great ceremonie, pompe, and magnificence eternally to be remembered," and forthwith knighted Drake in recognition of his discoveries and circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580.

Drake's landmark achievements during this voyage included:

• Navigating open sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific below South America.
• Claiming the western region of North America for England under the name Nova Albion, encouraging subsequent English expansion along the eastern seaboard.
• Opening direct English trade routes in the Far East.

Following the ceremony, the Queen commanded that the Golden Hind be drawn into a nearby creek and permanently moored in a custom-built, earth-lined dry dock at Deptford Dockyard as a perpetual memorial for having "circuited round about the whole Earth." In doing so, the Golden Hind became England’s first public museum ship.

A popular legend suggests that on the road beside these steps, Sir Walter Raleigh laid down his cloak so the Queen would not have to step into a puddle. However, historians generally regard this story as myth rather than documented fact.

Decay and Legacy

Although preserved in the dry dock, continuous exposure to the elements took a heavy toll on the ship. By 1660, the timbers were severely damaged by rot. Workers erected a protective shed roof over the vessel, but this did little to slow the decay eating away at the hull.

In 1662, with the remaining timbers rotted beyond repair, workers broke up the vessel. Craftspeople saved usable oak timbers to fashion souvenir furniture. The most famous surviving piece is the Golden Hind Chair, built by John Davis of Deptford Dockyard. It was gifted to the University of Oxford, where it remains on display inside the Bodleian Library today.

What Remains of the Golden Hind Dry Dock?

Today, nothing visible remains on the surface of the original dry dock. Centuries of redevelopment along the Deptford foreshore have buried or built over the dock structure and any fragments left within it.

• Site Evolution: The original dock was situated within the former Deptford Royal Dockyard, later Convoys Wharf, near the mouth of the tidal creek and the River Thames.
• 17th-Century Overbuilding: In 1667, shortly after workers dismantled the decaying ship, a new dock facility was built directly over the area, likely disturbing or burying the lower sections of the original brick-and-earth structure.
• 19th and 20th Century Infilling: Workers progressively filled in the natural inlet and Tudor dock channels during 19th-century expansions of the Victualling Yard.
• Archaeological Investigations: In 1977, archaeologist Peter Marsden led trial excavations at Deptford Wharf to trace the dock. While the dig uncovered 17th-century shipwright debris, including tar, wood shavings, and waterfront timbering, it did not locate the precise brick footprint of Drake's dock.
• Sub-surface Potential: Because the ground along the Deptford riverside remains heavily waterlogged, archaeologists believe the bottommost foundation timbers of the dock and potentially portions of the ship's keel or ballast stones may still survive deep below modern ground level.

Visitors who time the low tide correctly can reach the foreshore via a set of stairs just south of Convoys Wharf. These stairs are roughly 500 metres (1,640 feet) south of the dry dock. Standing at the former entrance where the massive lock gates once operated, you can look toward the back of the lock to see the bricked-up entry of the Tudor dry dock.

The Golden Hinde II

The Golden Hinde, often referred to as Golden Hinde II, is a full-scale, functional replica of the 16th-century galleon in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580.

Built in Appledore, Devon, between 1971 and 1973, the vessel was commissioned by American businessmen Albert Elledge and Loring Dales. It was designed by naval architect Loring Lincoln using traditional methods and materials, primarily traditional English oak, to ensure maximum historical fidelity to Drake's flagship.

In 1996, after years of touring ports across the UK and North America as an educational vessel, the ship was berthed permanently at St Mary Overie Dock in Bankside, Southwark. It now operates as an educational museum ship, living history site, and venue, offering visitors a hands-on look at Tudor maritime history.

Golden Hinde