Czar Street is named in honour of Peter I who visited Deptford in 1698. The young Tsar, drawn to England by his passion for shipbuilding, moved to Sayes Court near the Thames in order to be closer to shipyards. The mansion was actually the home of the famous diarist John Evelyn. Peter and his men wreaked havoc on the house during their three-month stay; they covered the carpets in ink and grease, shot at the pictures, burned the chairs and pushed each other in wheelbarrows through the ornamental hedges that were Evelyn’s pride and joy. Architect Sir Christopher Wren estimated the damage caused by the royal household to be around £350.

Sources: Area Information for Czar Street, Lewisham, London