St Nicholas, Deptford

Churchyard of St Nicholas, Deptford

Visited Sept 2020

The first thing you notice about the churchyard are the wonderful skull and crossbones on the gateposts of the entrance. Local legend says they were the inspiration behind the skull and crossbones on the pirate's jolly roger flag, but there's no evidence for that. They were put there in the late 17th or early 18th century as memento mori.

The walled churchyard dates to the late 17th century, ust inside the churchyard is the old charnel house. The site was in use for burials much longer than that. There's been a church on the site since at least the late 12th century, and in 1593 it's where the playwright Christopher Marlowe was buried. The site of his burial is now marked by a modern marble plaque on the wall. The current church dates to the late 17th century, when the old church was pulled down and this larger one built, with modern repairs and additions, although the base of the tower is older.

As with many churchyards, it's been cleared of most of the old burials. Only a few gravestones and monuments survive, many quite weathered, compared to what would have been present in its heyday. There are also some memorial and dedication plaques mounted on the external wall of the church itself. The survival of the 17th century walls, charnel house and skull topped gateposts are unique in London and well worth a visit.

The old charnel house, now used as a storeroom and workshop