The historian and the baron: tales from two churches in a Lancashire village

July 31, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline7 Comments

I visited the Lune Valley again recently, that picturesque corner of Lancashire that I’ve found to be rich in history and fascinating old churches. This visit was no different – driving into the village of Hornby, a striking octagonal church tower caught my attention. Stopping to explore this church and the church situated opposite uncovered the stories of two men with strong links to Hornby who both made their mark on history.

Continue reading “The historian and the baron: tales from two churches in a Lancashire village” →

19th Century · 20th Century · Mile End

Novo Beth Chaim: an old Jewish cemetery marooned on a university campus

July 24, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline11 Comments

It’s one of the last places you expect to stumble across an old graveyard, but in the middle of the Mile End campus of Queen Mary, University of London, is a remnant of an old burial ground with many stories to tell about the history of East London and the people who settled there.

Continue reading “Novo Beth Chaim: an old Jewish cemetery marooned on a university campus” →

19th Century · 20th Century · Bow

Tower Hamlets: a neglected cemetery reborn as a nature reserve

June 19, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline10 Comments

Many of London’s big Victorian Cemeteries have suffered over the years. Originally set up and run by private companies, many of these companies ran into financial difficulties after the Second World War, effectively abandoning cemeteries or selling them cheaply to local authorities. As a result, these cemeteries became overgrown and vandalised. Tower Hamlets, one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” Victorian cemeteries, was one of places that found itself derelict and unloved in the late 20th Century. Thankfully, today all of that has changed.

Continue reading “Tower Hamlets: a neglected cemetery reborn as a nature reserve” →

18th Century · 19th Century · 6th Century · 7th Century · Bronze Age · Greenwich

An ancient cemetery in the heart of Greenwich Park

June 12, 2015October 30, 2019 Caroline18 Comments

Not far from the famous Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is a field that was once a large cemetery. Today, all that remains are a few modest mounds that mark where the burials took place, and it’s unlikely that most people who walk past them, or sit on them, have any idea what they are. This is perhaps not surprising, as this old burial ground is over 1,000 years old.

Continue reading “An ancient cemetery in the heart of Greenwich Park” →

19th Century · 20th Century · Kensal Green

A walk among the stone saints and angels: St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green

May 15, 2015March 17, 2021 Caroline13 Comments

Next door to the well-known Kensal Green, one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries, is another vast necropolis. The two cemeteries are separated only by a tall brick wall, and although they are similar in age, and include many similar memorials, there are differences between the two cemeteries – some subtle, others less so. St Mary’s Cemetery at Kensal Green is one of only two burial grounds in London that caters exclusively for Roman Catholics, and around the cemetery the visitor can see many symbols that reflect the faith of those buried there.

Continue reading “A walk among the stone saints and angels: St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green” →

17th Century · Isleworth

A plague pit by the Thames: All Saints, Isleworth

April 26, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline19 Comments

London’s many plague pits have a certain dark allure – they’re mysterious because so many of them lie unmarked, hidden and forgotten under the city’s streets, buildings and parks. We’ve seen pictures of archaeologists excavating long-lost mass graves uncovered on building sites, with huge jumbles of bones emerging from the soil and centuries-old eye sockets peering out at us. We’ve heard dark tales of homes built over old plague pits, haunted by restless spirits. But upstream of the old city, in a quiet suburb by the Thames, a plague pit lies in plain sight – marked by a yew tree and a little memorial. This is the plague pit at All Saints church, Isleworth, where local plague victims were laid to rest in a mass grave in 1665.

Continue reading “A plague pit by the Thames: All Saints, Isleworth” →

11th Century · 16th Century · 19th Century · Arkholme · Kirkby Lonsdale · Whittington-in-Lonsdale

Exploring the ancient churches and fortifications of the Lune Valley

March 21, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline17 Comments

Last summer, I visited a part of my native Lancashire that I’d never been to before – the Lune Valley. It’s a beautiful part of the world which probably gets overlooked due to its proximity to the famous, dramatic landscapes of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. The valley is probably most famous for Ruskin’s View, the stunning vista – immortalised by John Constable – that can be observed from Kirkby Lonsdale (just across the county border in Cumbria). But the Lune Valley also has a fascinating, half-forgotten history, and is home to some wonderful old churches.

Continue reading “Exploring the ancient churches and fortifications of the Lune Valley” →

19th Century · Kensal Green

A taste for the dramatic: the grand monuments of Kensal Green

March 15, 2015February 5, 2019 Caroline14 Comments

One of the things that has always appealed to me about the big Victorian cemeteries is their sense of drama, and their grand, elaborate memorials. Of course, there’s nothing new about the moneyed commissioning ostentatious memorials for themselves and their loved ones, but in the grand cemeteries of the big cities, like London, it’s possible to see lots of dramatic memorials clustered closely together, all vying for prominence in burial grounds that were designed to be visited by the living as well as being places for the dead to rest.

Kensal Green, one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries, is home to many wonderfully dramatic monuments. Opened in 1833, it was inspired by the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, and the burial of one of King George III’s sons, Prince Augustus Frederick (died 1843), made Kensal Green a fashionable place to be laid to rest.

Continue reading “A taste for the dramatic: the grand monuments of Kensal Green” →

19th Century · Camden

The abandoned Temperance Hospital in Euston

February 13, 2015February 4, 2019 Caroline25 Comments

Not far from London’s Euston station is a slightly spooky old derelict building. The former London Temperance Hospital on Hampstead Road has been closed for many years now, leaving a shell of mismatched buildings falling into disrepair. The idea of a hospital set up by members of the temperance movement intrigued me, so I decided not only to have a closer look at the old hospital itself but also dig into its history.

Continue reading “The abandoned Temperance Hospital in Euston” →

18th Century · 19th Century · Fulham

The final resting place of the Bishops of London

January 30, 2015February 4, 2019 Caroline15 Comments

I’ve lost count of the number of times I walked past this church and its burial ground before finally stopping to explore it. All Saints, Fulham, is situated close to the River Thames, and is the twin to the more famous church on the other side of Putney Bridge – St Mary the Virgin, Putney. St Mary’s was the home of the Putney Debates, a series of discussions amongst members of the Parliamentarian New Model Army, in 1647. But All Saints also has an interesting history, and has a churchyard full of fascinating graves – including the tombs of many of the Bishops of London.

Continue reading “The final resting place of the Bishops of London” →