St. Pancras Old Church Gardens

by Stephanie Chatfield

St. Pancras Old Church Gardens is a peaceful and verdant space in the heart of London, located in the borough of Camden.

It’s one of the oldest churchyards in England, surrounding St. Pancras Old Church, which itself is often claimed to be one of the oldest Christian worship sites in the country, possibly dating back to the 4th century.

Despite being just a stone’s throw from busy King’s Cross and St. Pancras stations, the gardens feel like a secret oasis. Mature trees, gravestones, benches, and winding paths give it a serene, almost haunting beauty.

IIn 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft was buried at St. Pancras Old Church after dying from complications following the birth of her daughter, Mary Godwin—who would grow up to become Mary Shelley. Her grave became a place of deep emotional significance for Mary, who often spent hours there seeking comfort and connection. It was by this very tomb, at just sixteen years old, that she is said to have planned her elopement with Percy Bysshe Shelley

In 1851, Sir Percy Florence Shelley, the son of Mary Shelley, arranged for the remains of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin to be exhumed and reinterred in Bournemouth. Honoring Mary’s wish to be laid to rest alongside her parents, he had them moved to the family’s final burial site. Along with them was placed the heart of Percy Bysshe Shelley—famously salvaged from his funeral pyre.

As I wandered through St. Pancras Garden, I was deeply moved, knowing I was walking the same ground where Mary Shelley had once spent so much of her time.

July 28, 1968 The Beatles playfully posed for photos at St. Pancras Gardens

St. Pancras Old Church felt like a quiet sanctuary in the middle of the city – I loved the contrast between Mary Shelley’s quiet, reflective visits to her mother’s grave and the playful energy of the Beatles’ photo shoot in the same spot. It’s a place that holds both sorrow and joy, history and pop culture, all layered together.

Index of Adventures

• A Pre-Raphaelite Look at Hitchcock’s Vertigo
• Balancing on the Bridge
• Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Home
• From Tennyson to TikTok: Are We All Living the Lady of Shalott’s Curse?
• On Storms
• Paul McCartney, Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm
• Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
• Pre-Raphaelite Princess of Star Wars
• St. Pancras Old Church Gardens
• The Magic Down the Rabbit Hole
• The Wounded Dove
• Unconventional Beauty
• Visiting Lizzie Siddal at Highgate Cemetery
  • Highgate Cemetery Image Gallery
• Westminster Abbey
• What Grows from Grief