Author: Kate Cherrell
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St Peter at Markby – The Only Thatched Church in Lincolnshire
Thatch the way, a-ha a-ha, I like it… There are very few thatched churches remaining in England, and only one remaining in the whole of…
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Visiting the Rudston Monolith
Rudston is a tiny village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with a population that barely exceeds 400. Yet, in its churchyard, sits Britain’s tallest…
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Maud Heath’s Causeway
The area known as ‘Maud Heath’s Causeway’ was named after a benevolent local woman who passed away centuries before.
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The Grave of XYZ
In December 1899, the Deep River Savings Bank in Connetticut received a tip-off that a robbery was about to take place.
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The Mourning Letters of George Roe
The mourning letters of George Roe offer a glimpse into a grieving family in 1906.
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The Strange Tale of the Gold Leaf Lady
In 1988, a Floridian housewife began producing patches of gold leaf across her face and body…
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‘Phwoar! Look at that masonry’ St Peter’s at Normanby by Spital
St Peter’s is a treat of a redundant church with interesting graves and terribly fancy stonework.
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‘Grave in a Field at Oldfield’ On the Hunt for a Woodland Grave
A Victorian grave, a field and a garden burial…
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Walt Disney’s Ancestral Knights at Kingerby
The finest treasures are often found in the most unexpected places.
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The Legend of the Chained Oak
An enormous and infamous oak tree in Staffordshire has been bound in huge chains for over a century.
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She’s got the Eye (and teeth) of the Tiger: Hannah Twynnoy’s Grave
Hannah Twynnoy is best known for being the first person to be killed by a tiger in Britain.
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The Weird World of Mummy Parties
In the 19th century, ‘Mummy Mania’ spread through the western world like a colonial Tamagotchi.
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Flayed Saints, Weeping Graves and Robin Hood at St Bartholomew the Great, London
St Bartholomew was founded in 1123 by Rahere (just the one name, like Beyonce…), a courtier of King Henry I.
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Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus
We’re all used to ‘Hocus Pocus’ as a term used to command magic and mysterious forces. But where on earth did this phrase come from?
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Death of a Wombat
In the latter part of the 19th century, some artists developed an obsession with keeping exotic Australian animals as pets.
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The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica
The stone spheres of Costa Rica are one of the most fascinating and enduring mysteries in Central American history.
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The Loveland Frogman
According to local legend, the Loveland Frog was an enormous creature that lived in Loveland, Ohio, measured approximately 4ft tall and walked on two feet.
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Bones in Brooklyn: The Journey of a Wandering Coffin
In 2015, an old coffin, complete with bones, was found dumped on a Brooklyn street. But why, who was it, and who did it?
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Let’s Visit a Finnish Plague Park
‘Ruttopuisto’ means ‘plague park’, and is the final resting place of thousands of Finns who died in the great plague of 1710.
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Whitby’s Hidden Horse Steps
Tucked away in Whitby’s residential streets are small sets of steps that go to nowhere.
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Remembering Evil Elmo
Instead of friendly phrases, the freshly juiced-up Muppet suddenly started to say, ‘Kill James’.
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A Trip to Bunhill Fields Burial Ground
Bunhill Fields is a relic of London’s overcrowded inner-city burial grounds.
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The Whitby Wishing Chair
On the Western outskirts of Whitby, sits an inconsequential little stone seat.
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The Petrol Station Pet Cemetery
Probably the last place one would expect to find a pretty little pet cemetery is a garage forecourt, but such a site existed in Kent…
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The Rocky Horror Coffin Clock
It’s astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll…
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Tea With a Martyr at St Crux
There are few things in life I love more than a good church, a good grave, a cuppa and a slice of cake.
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The Bloody Ceilings of Kyoto, Japan
In Japan’s Kyoto prefecture, five serene temples which harbour bloody secrets within their walls can be found.
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Empress Elisabeth’s Mourning Mask
A closer look at the world’s most famous mourning mask.
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Henry Trigg and the Coffin in the Rafters
Henry Trigg was an eccentric man. A wealthy and successful man. A real character. And undoubtedly, a pain in the rear to his family. At…
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Grand Tombs at St Peter’s Church, Chillingham
In the shadows of Chillingham Castle sits a tiny, unassuming church, framed by woodland and centuries-old headstones.
Burials & Beyond 