St Paul's Church, Deptford in spring

Image: © Marathon Taken: 13 Apr 2014

The huge, imposing white stone St Paul's was built as a result of an Act of Parliament of 1711 which introduced a Coal Tax in order to fund 50 new parish churches in London. In the end only 12 of these were built. There was already a church in Deptford (St Nicholas at Deptford Green) but a petition for a second church was accepted in 1711. The new church was designed by Thomas Archer in 1713, although the steeple was added to the design subsequently. The fabric and most of the decoration was ready by 1720, but work was not completed until 1730 when the church was consecrated. It is now regarded as one of London's finest baroque churches. The interior contains several interesting monuments to seafarers, and in the churchyard is the grave to Mydiddee, a native of Tahiti who came to England with William Bligh on the HMS Providence and died in Deptford on 4th September 1793. His gravestone bears an inscription written by Edward Harwood, surgeon on the Providence. This view of the churchyard is on the approach from Deptford Church Street.

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