St Nicholas Church, Deptford
the skulls that may have flown the jolly roger
A riverside Deptford church with chilling skull-and-crossbones gate carvings, said to be Deptford's link to the Jolly Roger.
Free to visit · Deptford · Deptford · SE8 3DQ
Opening: Churchyard daylight · church select hours
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.
Getting there: On Deptford Green near the river, a short walk from Deptford station.
Best time to go: Daytime to see the carved skulls clearly, on a walk through old Deptford.
Insider tip: 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.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide