Tag: Brompton Cemetery
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Bother the Men! The Grave of Mrs Howard Paul
A prestigious memorial eroded by time betrays the memory of an iconic Victorian woman. Her fine contralto voice was often used to excellent effect in imitating male tenors of the day and she was a master of comedy performance. But Mrs Howard Paul followed the pattern of women adopting their husbands name professionally. Four years…
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Queerly Departed
Beneath those endless rows of stones and tombs of Brompton are stories. Fabulous stories. The first cemetery event of the year is here! I am super-pleased to announce that finally Queerly Departed is now live. The lovely Dan Gilbert from Brompton Cemetery got in touch with me a few months ago in regards to doing something…
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The Magnificent Seven: A Photographic Guide
By Christina Samuel Johnson once said ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life‘. Yawn. We’ve all had that quote shoved down our throats at some point. Yes yes, London is never boring, etc etc. However, if you really are tired of London life, and fancy a slice of London DEATH,…
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The Life and Death of William Terriss
Frederick Lane had not slept well. As the understudy to one of the leading lights of the Victorian acting world, his mind was already fraught with nerves, but the dream he’d endured the night before had shaken him badly. In this dream he had seen: ‘…Mr Terriss, lying in the landing, surrounded by a crowd,…
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The Men in Scarlet
Mention the name ‘Chelsea’ and two things spring to mind; the iconic flower show or the Pensioners who reside in a fine building on the River Thames. Their distinctive red coats and tricorn hats are an iconic part of British culture and Pensioners are often seen sorting their uniform when out and about. In a…
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Get Involved! Tour Schedule 2015
by Sheldon With the summer season firmly in sight it’s time to announce this year’s tour schedule! We kick off this year’s season with the celebration of the 175th birthday of Abney Park Cemetery. An immaculate arboretum in its day, nature has claimed back the once tidy flowerbeds and hidden the people buried here…UNTIL NOW. Come…
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The London Month of the Dead 2014
by Sheldon October! Traditionally the month of ghosts and ghouls, as the veil between the living and the dead becomes that little bit thinner. Naturally cemeteries around this time take on a slightly more spectral appearance as the weather shifts from summer into Autumn: the very trees themselves becoming skeletal as the leaves drop slowly…
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The Uncomfortable Hero
By Sheldon Thousands of mourners crammed themselves into the Colonnades to witness the gun-carriage that bore the remains of a national hero. He was one of the many men who’s lives had been cut tragically short by a new kind of War. Remarkably, as he was laid to rest, film cameras immortalised the moment at…
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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…
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Guide & Seek: The Lost Lives of Brompton Cemetery
by Christina It is just past midday at Brompton Cemetery’s south gate. Sheldon is about to run through his first ever Cemetery Club tour before actual people begin arriving. As we start off for stop number 1 (Jon Snow), two dishevelled looking men with weather-beaten faces, Springsteen T-Shirts and bottles of cider in their hands…
Cemetery Club 