London Free GuideLondon Free GuideLondon Free Guide nazar, warding off the evil eye
ExploreFree A–ZGuidesDay TripsFirst TimeCalendarHire us
the skulls that may have flown the jolly roger

St Nicholas Church, Deptford

FreeHidden gem
Deptford · Deptford
Get directions

A riverside Deptford church with chilling skull-and-crossbones gate carvings, said to be Deptford's link to the Jolly Roger.

Getting there. On Deptford Green near the river, a short walk from Deptford station.
Free historic church
ALWAYS
FREE
Deptford · Deptford
LONDON FREE GUIDE

The lowdown

Guarding the gateposts of this old Deptford church are two carved stone skulls, grinning over crossed bones, a stark memento mori warning all who enter to remember death. Deptford was a great naval dockyard, and legend has it these very skulls may have inspired the pirates' Jolly Roger flag.

The playwright Christopher Marlowe was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard after his mysterious killing nearby in 1593. Battered by the Blitz and lovingly patched up, the church and its eerie gate are free to find, a genuinely gothic corner of riverside south-east London.

Locals only

The insider tip

The bit we only tell the people on the list. Join free and every insider tip unlocks on this device.

The carved skulls sit atop the churchyard gateposts, so look up as you go in. A plaque in the churchyard remembers Christopher Marlowe, buried here after his still-debated death in Deptford.
One tap unlocks every insider tip on this device and gets you the weekly free-London email. No spam, leave any time.

More like this

Southwark Cathedral
Free
Southwark Cathedral
London's oldest Gothic church, free to enter, tucked beside Borough Market with a Shakespeare memorial, medieval roof bosses and a quiet riverside garden.
Daily · roughly 10am to 5pm · services aside
Southwark · London BridgeGoogle Maps
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Free
St Martin-in-the-Fields
The famous church on the corner of Trafalgar Square, free to enter, with a striking modern altar window, a crypt cafe in the vaults and some of the best free lunchtime music in London.
Daily · check times around services and concerts
Trafalgar Square · Charing CrossGoogle Maps
Hidden gem
St Stephen Walbrook
Free
St Stephen Walbrook
Wren's most beautiful City church, free to enter, a serene domed interior often called a dry run for St Paul's, with a controversial round stone altar by Henry Moore at its centre.
Mon–Fri · roughly 10am to 4pm · closed weekends
City of London · BankGoogle Maps
Back to Explore

Get it in your inbox

One email a week with the best free things to do in London this weekend. Before everyone else finds them.

No spam. One tap to leave. We never sell your email.
Follow everywhere, same content
InstagramTikTokSubstackXThreadsFacebook