Church of St Julien, Southampton

St Julien’s Church stands on Winkle Street in the centre of Southampton. Founded around 1197 as part of an almshouse and hostel for pilgrims on the Canterbury road, it later became known as the French Church because French Protestants worshipped there from the 16th century until 1939. The name is officially St Julien’s, as confirmed by the city’s heritage records and Ordnance Survey maps. In 1343 the building passed into the care of The Queen’s College, Oxford, which still owns it today. The church is listed Grade I and has a low square tower, stone walls and a tiled roof. Inside, a 19th-century monument marks the Leper’s Squint Stoup, recalling those executed after the Southampton Plot of 1415. The church’s modest size and plain stonework conceal a long history of service. Richard of Conisburgh, third Earl of Cambridge, lies buried beneath its roof. The building was heavily restored in 1861 yet keeps its medieval character. Its Grade I listing dates from 1953, recognising its national importance. Despite private ownership, the chapel opens occasionally on public days and guided walks led by the city’s tourist guides. Visitors step into a quiet space of grey stone and warm timber. The low tower casts long shadows across the floor, and the Leper’s Squint Stoup stands near the south door. The interior feels cool and still, a place where pilgrims once paused before Canterbury. The city’s guides point out the earl’s tomb and explain the plot of 1415. Outside, Winkle Street runs past old warehouses, linking the church to the waterfront a few hundred metres away.