Penge: The Town at the ‘Edge of Wood’ and Its Memorial

by Christina Most people who live in Penge, south east London who know anything about it’s history have learned it from the walls of the Moon & Stars pub, located on the high street next to Sainsbury’s. There, as well as an impressive selection of real ales and craft beers, you can find a veritable […]

‘Incomparably Grave, Severe and Beautiful…’

by Sheldon I’ll never forget the sight of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s son swinging on a Union flag on the Cenotaph in 2011, as part of the student demonstrations. The outrage that it caused, and the excuse that he wasn’t aware what the Cenotaph was, despite being an undergraduate history student at the University […]

Propaganda Posters of WW1

Please click on all the links as you read through this post – there are hundreds more World War 1 propaganda posters to look at. When Britain went to war in 1914, it only had a small, professional army. There was no policy of national service in place as there was in countries like France […]

One Man and his Dog(s): Stamps, Museums and Steam

I was at the Victoria and Albert Museum recently to see the small section of funerary monuments and an exhibition on the works of the Georgian architect, William Kent. Before viewing, Steve and I wanted a spot of lunch so went out into the beautifully landscaped central square for a coffee and some pastries. It […]

Where Once They Worked, Now They’ll Live

by Sheldon Every family has a museum of sorts to their forbears who previously held their name. It ranges from clan to clan but something, no matter how big or small, usually remains as a reminder of those who’ve gone before us. Although they may be long dead and their graves long forgotten (or simply […]

Flowers Die and Hair Grows

by Christina Let’s start today with some fun facts that will become relevant further on. First of all, did you know that the practice of putting flowers on graves was used in Ancient Rome in order to give the spirits a comforting and decorative environment in which to roam about? (Although the practice of laying […]

Cousins at Kensal and Camera Chaos

By Nick I believe I was first introduced to you as, ‘The third silent member of Cemetery Club’ in Sheldon’s prior post Capturing the Moment. I am Nick, Sheldon’s cousin, graveyard lover, photography enthusiast and not so silent after all. I decided to make my debut post after some gentle persuasion by Sheldon, I was […]

Britain’s Forgotten Mixed Race Composer

A mixed black composer whose work was admired by the likes of US President Roosevelt fought racial prejudice all of his life Bandon Hill is a Cemetery I’ve known since I was a boy as the Goodman family plot is there. Unbenownst to me, so was the last resting place of a man who despite […]

Postman’s Park 2:- Watt’s Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice

by Christina You’d be forgiven for not knowing that Postman’s Park exists, even if you know the area of St Paul’s in the City of London. It’s so SMALL. And out of the way – if you come to it via St Martin Le Grand, the entrance is marked by a big tree and an […]

If You Seek His Monument

Celebrated author Charles Dickens stipulated that his legacy would be his books: yet a memorial was unveiled in Portsmouth in 2014 to celebrate his 202nd birthday. He stated in his will that ‘I conjure to my friends on no account to make me the subject of any monument, memorial or testimonial whatsoever’. This has been […]