Description
There has been a church here since at least the C10th, the present church of St Mary's Rotherhithe dating from the early C18th. Rotherhithe had strong maritime connections, with many seafarers among its parishioners. In 1620 The Mayflower sailed from here to pick up the Pilgrim Fathers, and three of its four part-owners were buried in Rotherhithe churchyard. An unusual memorial in the churchyard is that of Prince Lee Boo (d.1784), the son of the King of the Belau Islands, whose monument was erected by the East India Company. The churchyard immediately adjacent to the church was opened to the public in 1909, while the main part of the churchyard had been opened as a public garden in 1901, now called St Mary's Churchyard Gardens.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Parish Church of Rotherhithe; St Mary the Virgin with All Saints |
|---|---|
| Site location | St Marychurch Street/Rotherhithe Street |
| Postcode | SE16 4JE |
| What3Words | ///foal.topic.melon |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (part to north only, rest visible through railings). Church open 7am-6pm |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Events | Concerts in church |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Rotherhithe. Tube: Bermondsey (Jubilee). Bus: 47, 188, 381, C10 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The remains of an earlier chalk and flint building in the form of the base of the medieval tower and church entrance have been found in the crypt of the present church, which dates from 1715. It was designed by John James and built on the site of an earlier church for £4,000 at the expense of the parish. Roman bricks were discovered in 1913 when the 1747 tower was underpinned as part of work carried out in memory of Emily Blanche Carr-Gomm, Lady of the Manor of Rotherhithe, by her son Hubert William Culling Carr-Gomm, MP for Rotherhithe. The village of Rotherhithe had early maritime links and St Mary's was a seafarers' parish. The wooden frame of the present building appears to have been constructed by a skilled shipwright, and when the warship 'Temeraire' was broken up in 1838, famous for her part in the Battle of Trafalgar, some of her timbers were used to make furnishings for the church, including the Communion Table and two Bishop's Chairs. The Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe to pick up the Pilgrim Fathers and thence to the New World, and many of her crew were from Rotherhithe. The sailing in 1620 is now commemorated by a Blue Plaque. Three of the ship's four part-owners are also buried in the churchyard, Richard Gardner, John Moore and Captain Christopher Jones, the Master of the Mayflower (d.1622), who is commemorated by a plaque erected in the church in 1965 and a contemporary sculpture near the church.
An unusual memorial in the churchyard is that of Prince Lee Boo (d.1784), the son of the King of the Belau Islands, whose monument was erected by the East India Company. The King had rescued the crew of the East Indiaman 'Antelope' when it was shipwrecked in 1738 and Lee Boo returned to England with the Antelope's captain at the request of his father. He lived with the Wilson family in Paradise Row, but died of smallpox after 6 months, and was buried in the Wilson family grave in the churchyard.
An additional plot of land was acquired by the church wardens in 1820 when the churchyard was overcrowded and more burial space was needed. This opened in 1821. After it was closed to burial, it was later converted as a public garden in 1901, now called St Mary's Churchyard Gardens (q.v.). The churchyard immediately adjacent to the church was opened to the public in 1909 and both are now maintained by LB Southwark.
An unusual memorial in the churchyard is that of Prince Lee Boo (d.1784), the son of the King of the Belau Islands, whose monument was erected by the East India Company. The King had rescued the crew of the East Indiaman 'Antelope' when it was shipwrecked in 1738 and Lee Boo returned to England with the Antelope's captain at the request of his father. He lived with the Wilson family in Paradise Row, but died of smallpox after 6 months, and was buried in the Wilson family grave in the churchyard.
An additional plot of land was acquired by the church wardens in 1820 when the churchyard was overcrowded and more burial space was needed. This opened in 1821. After it was closed to burial, it was later converted as a public garden in 1901, now called St Mary's Churchyard Gardens (q.v.). The churchyard immediately adjacent to the church was opened to the public in 1909 and both are now maintained by LB Southwark.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ351797 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.275 |
| Site Ownership | Church |
| Site Management | LB Southwark Parks; Rotherhithe St Mary's Association |
| Dates | medieval onwards; 1909 |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Mary's Church. LBII: Memorial to Prince Lee Boo |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | St Mary's Rotherhithe |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone |
| Other LA Designation | Tier Three; Regeneration Area. Thames Path |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
St Mary's Churchyard Gardens were formerly part of the churchyard of St Mary's Rotherhithe, an additional area that was acquired for burial by the churchwardens in 1820 when the churchyard had become overcrowded. It opened in 1821 when the Watch House was built and burials took place here until 1852. It was converted as a public garden and opened in 1901.
King's Stairs Gardens were added to LB Southwark's public open space in the 1980s to the north of Southwark Park on reclaimed building land. The riverside park gets its name from King Edward III who used the stairs to access his manor house on Bermondsey Wall East. The park has lawns and steeply undulating hillocks with fine views over the river, and scattered trees include London plane. On the riverside promenade an obelisk was unveiled on 5 July 2002 by the Duke and Countess of Wessex in commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee.
King George's Field is a small park that was created when Bermondsey Borough Council received a grant of £500 from the King George's Fields Foundation in order to procure the small site for public recreation. It is on the site of the church and churchyard of All Saints, which was bombed during WWII. The church had been built in 1840 on land donated by the Lord of the Manor; its churchyard opened in 1843, the last recorded burial in 1888.