The Valley of the Dry Bones

Riot was volunteering at the Deptford X arts festival over the weekend. She was stationed in St Nicholas' church. I went down to meet her finishing.

St Nicholas' is packed with interesting bits of history. Like the above wood carving 'The Valley of Dry Bones' by Grinling Gibbons. Sadly, as St Nicholas' is a working church, it had a stack of childrens toys and other detritus piled up in front of it. I understand it's a working church which needs to service its parishioners, but sooner or later someone's going to damage this priceless piece of woodcarving and that would be terrible.

The gates outside the church feature two skull and cross bones sculptures, which are allegedly the original inspiration for the Pirate Skull and Cross bones flag. Somewhere in the church yard in an unmarked grave, lie the mortal remains of playwright Christopher Marlowe, author of 'The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr Faustus'.