Author: Kate Cherrell
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Going Out in Style! Ghana’s Fantasy Coffins
Fantasy, figurative or proverbial coffins (abebuu adekai), are unusual, transient memorials, being elaborate representations of the deceased’s interests, dreams and achievements.
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90s Pop Necromancy: S Club 7 and the Occult
S Club 7 have always been brazen occultists, hidden in plain sight…
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Whitby’s Hidden Quaker Burial Ground
Whitby’s Quaker burial ground is impressively well hidden. To most passers-by, it looks like a garden extension to some of the more grander Georgian houses…
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“I did not give them willingly”: The Friesthorpe Window
A small rural church in Friesthorpe, Lincolnshire holds one of the most poignant memorials to the sacrifices of war in the form of a beautiful…
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Ye Olde Eco-Burial: The Trapdoor Coffin
In the 16th and 17th centuries, plenty of rural parishes in Scotland utilised a communal coffin of sorts called a ‘common mortkist’, ‘bier’ or ‘parish…
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D.C. The Demon Cat
The snappily named ‘Demon Cat’, or ‘D.C.’ for short, is one of several reported ghosts that haunt the sprawling government buildings in Washington D. C
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The Russian Gangster Cemetery
Russia’s gangsters were never going to settle for a subtle headstone and floral border.
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Big Surprises and Bigger Vaults at Laceby Cemetery
A village on the outskirts of Grimsby isn’t exactly the typical location for an enormous Norwegian funerary monument.
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The Fertile Grave of Victor Noir
The frankly massive bulge in Noir’s trousers made his memorial a popular destination for women visiting Père Lachaise for over a century…
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The Tiny Grave of Tom Thumb
According to local legend, the Tom Thumb of Tattershall measured just over 18 inches tall and had reached the grand old age of 101 upon…
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Nanette Stocker, the Smallest Woman in the Kingdom
Nanette (incorrectly recorded as ‘Nanetta’ on her stone) is a forgotten music hall star and little person who died with a huge following.
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The Magic Roundabout Grave
The Magic Roundabout was a curious and brilliant children’s TV show that ran from 1965-1977 with relentless repeats throughout the following decades
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The World’s First Ghost Train
The first Ghost Train on record was not a glitzy Disney invention, but a far more humble, home-grown affair.
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The Lion Tombstones of Iran
Known as šir-e sangi in Persian or bardšir in Bakhtiari, the ‘stone lions’ are memorials formed in a simple shape, marking the graves of regional…
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The Mosaic Grave of Rudolf Nureyev
Representative of the dancer’s ‘nomadic life,’ Nureyev’s Kilim rug is a phenomenal memorial to his talent.
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William Mackenzie’s Liverpool Pyramid
The idea of a hunched poker-playing corpse inside a pyramid has a undeniable more public appeal.
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Avast! Here be a Pirate Cemetery
Sainte-Marie was was a haven for pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. Swashbucklers had to be buried somewhere…
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Peppy The Polar Bear: Sweet Treats and Taxidermy
This unassuming clear mint had one of the most bizarre taxidermy-based advertising campaigns of the 20th century.
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A Trip to Avebury Church: Henge Not Included
Sitting in the metaphorical shadow of Avebury’s mystical stone circle is the little modest structure of St James’ Church.
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A Preacher and a Horse Walk into a Bar
I don’t know about you, but when I think about Methodism, the first thing that springs to mind is a horse skeleton.
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The Hexham Heads
In 1971, two young boys were digging in the back garden of their family home in Hexham. Deep in the soil, they unearthed two small…
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“I decided to hide Charlie Chaplin’s body and solve my problems…”
On 12th December 1978, Roman Wardas, a 24-year old Polish refugee took to the stand in Switzerland, accused of stealing Chaplin’s body.
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Andrew Hyslop; Covenanter, Martyr.
One postcard lead to a story of a murdered covenanter who ended his days in a field in Dumfriesshire
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Uri Geller: Spoon Bender
Uri Geller. Illusionist, Magician, Icon. There’s been many more terms hurled his way, but let’s stick with those.
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Corpse Candles
Originating in Wales in the 18th and 19th centuries, corpse candles are an omen of death.
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Kim Cattrall: The Unwelcome Cleopatra
What, so you thought I couldn’t link Sex and the City with bizarre grave controversies? Bet your finest patent heels I can.
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Lancaster Priory and the Headless White Lady
Lancaster Priory and the Parish Church of Lancaster are located right next to a medieval castle, on top of a hill overlooking the city.
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Telling the Bees!
Following a death, the list of duties seem endless. From booking the undertaker to choosing the coffin, plot or crematorium, the list of necessities seems…
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The Curious World of Dollhouse Graves
Sitting like miniature residences between the headstones, these doll’s house graves are a striking example of non-traditional funerary art and changing ideas of grief, innocence,…
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The Hanging Coffins and Burial Caves of Lumiang
The practise of Hanging Coffins is arguably the most famous funerary ritual of the Kankanaey people of Sagada.
Burials & Beyond 