St Mary's, Rotherhithe

Churchyard of St Mary's Rotherhithe, London

Visited October 2016

This pretty church in Rotherhithe has a fascinating history, mainly associated with seafaring. There's been a church on the site since at least the 13th century, the current one dating from the 18th century. 

It has strong links to the Pilgrim Fathers, as the captain of The Mayflower, Christopher Jones, came from Rotherhithe. He died shortly after The Mayflower returned to London in 1622, and is buried at St Mary's, although the exact position of his grave is unknown. There's a plaque to him inside the church, erected in 1965. 

Also inside the church, the communion table and chairs are made from wood salvaged from the famous Fighting Temeraire, a gunship at the Battle of Trafalgar which was broken up for scrap in Rotherhithe in 1838 (see Turner's famous painting here).

Much of the churchyard surrounding the building is inaccessible behind railings (including some old memorial stones saved from the old church), but some is still accessible. Part of the grounds are now a children's play area, so you might get some odd looks if you're stopping at the gravestones! Note that the cafe in the corner is actually in the old Rotherhithe watch-house, one of the roles of which was to guard against body snatchers!

The most fascinating burial which is easily accessible is the Wilson family grave (bottom 2 photographs), which includes the grave of Prince Lee Boo of Palua, a Pacific island, who was buried there in 1784. For the full story of how he came to be in Rotherhithe, see here.

High speed squirrel!