Tag: Museum
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The Mausoleum in a Picture Gallery
On a long, leafy road by a prestigious school, death hides in plain sight. It’s actually a slightly more embellished version of a building that once stood elsewhere. The Dulwich Picture Gallery is the world’s first purpose-built exhibition space. It houses paintings by Canaletto, John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough as well as lesser known works…
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Execution: 700 Years of Punishment in London
Death as a form of entertainment is nothing new to the history of London. From the 12th to the 19th centuries, watching someone die was one of the hottest tickets in town. Who knew that the class system informed how you would meet your maker? Beheading was often the preferred method of dispatching the upper…
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Why Is There a Headstone in the Dickens Museum?
Visitors to the Dickens Museum may be surprised to see a gravestone in the back garden. Of course it is perfectly legal to be buried in your own garden if you’re lucky enough to own one. But this headstone is a cenotaph: no bones lay beneath it. The actual person it commemorates has a fascinating…
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Bones in a Library
…after being found under a driveway. In 2014, Alison Carpenter just wanted her driveway finished. A new home came with the associated building work you’d expect as she and her partner wanted to make their home their home. It took longer than expected and cost more than was anticipated; so it was decided to finish…
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Talking Heads
Sat quietly in his wooden box, within the hallowed halls of a leading London University, is an aged gentleman. His wide brimmed hat and slightly battered jacket betrays the fact that he is a man from another time, watching over students going about their daily business. What you see is not the whole man; however.…
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Big Fat Goths Explore Arnos Vale
‘It seems that there is a rise in tombstone tourism’ started the article. Within the past month or so, awareness to cemeteries as places to visit in the capacity of a social/educational form rather than as a place of remembrance has hit the headlines and I (as well as others) have spoken to various news outlets…
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The Alternative Top 10 Graves of London
Google ‘famous graves in London’ and you’re assaulted by the usual suspects – these lists generally include Emmeline Pankhurst, John Bunyan and perhaps the best known of them all – Karl Marx. There’s no denying the above named peoples influence and legacy but there are others whose graves are just as interesting – be 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 