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 (and rather sad) link to one of our greatest writers whose best known story informs the Christmases we have today. © Sheldon K. Goodman 2020 The Museum The Dickens Museum on Doughty

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 (and rather sad) link to one of our greatest writers whose best known story informs the Christmases we have today. © Sheldon K. Goodman 2020 The Museum The Dickens Museum on Doughty

…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 the works when they could. Two years of dirt being walked into the hallway was enough for her and her partner Michael to decide the driveway was the next thing to be

…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 the works when they could. Two years of dirt being walked into the hallway was enough for her and her partner Michael to decide the driveway was the next thing to be

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. This is just a collection of bones and a wax head. It is often said this man was the founder of the University in which he sits – a claim in itself which isn’t stric

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. This is just a collection of bones and a wax head. It is often said this man was the founder of the University in which he sits – a claim in itself which isn’t stric

‘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 regarding this new form of so-called dark tourism. Many people are willing to give cemeteries a chance and see them as more than just a place to inter someone. They ar

‘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 regarding this new form of so-called dark tourism. Many people are willing to give cemeteries a chance and see them as more than just a place to inter someone. They ar

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 architecturally, because of what the person achieved in life or just for the monument they chose to be remembered by. After nearly four years of going around

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 architecturally, because of what the person achieved in life or just for the monument they chose to be remembered by. After nearly four years of going around

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 start shouting at us. Or more specifically: me. ‘Alright love? Like the tattoos!’ I get this a lot. I thank them and we carry on, but they are still

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 start shouting at us. Or more specifically: me. ‘Alright love? Like the tattoos!’ I get this a lot. I thank them and we carry on, but they are still