Author: Kate Cherrell
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Monuments and Medieval Minstrels at Beverley Minster
At the heart of the community lies Beverley Minster; an enormous, gleaming monolith surrounded by little rows of houses, tightly packed like rows of teeth.
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Stacked Headstones and Forgotten Burials : St Mary’s Old Cemetery, Louth
Nestled between a small car park and a bridge over the river Lud, sits an old, sparse burial ground, dating back to the 13th Century.
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More Adventures in Highgate East!
Between pianos, dogs, and enormous mausoleums, cemeteries such as Highgate hold thousands of stories and works of art around every corner.
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Jay’s Mourning Warehouse
Due to the superstition of not holding mourning clothing in the household for longer than necessary, when a death occurred, you needed to act fast…
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Whitby Jet: What, Why and When?
With Halloween knocking on our door and Whitby goth events calling our name, many of our minds turn to jet, indulgent dark jewellery and the…
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Adventures in Highgate West Cemetery
The self-titled ‘magnificent seven’, is the informal name given to a group of large, privately-owned Victorian cemeteries within London. One of these is Highgate. Between…
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The Curse of Robert the Doll
His sailor suit is pressed and clean, a faint smile dancing across his pockmarked face. He’s remarkably well-preserved for being over 114 years old…
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Hoddesdon Cemetery: Table Tombs and Chapels for Ants
Hoddesdon cemetery is much like any other cemetery close to the capital. Sitting in Hertfordshire in the home counties, Hoddesdon cemetery is flanked by trees,…
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The Yew: Tree of the Dead
While flora and fauna in cemeteries is a fascinating topic of its own, today’s post will just be focusing on one. The granddaddy of all…
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Timothy Clark Smith: The Grave With a Window
Instead of considering glass coffins and mausoleums, physician Timothy Clark Smith had rather more practical ideas…
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Poppyland – Churchyard Treats in the Heart of Norfolk
When travelling through the Norfolk countryside, if you were to stop at every church you passed, you’d be forced to invest in property and inform…
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St Swithin’s Day
The 15thof July, St Swithin’s Day. The day when we celebrate our favourite historical Bishop of Winchester and plan our umbrella usage for the next…
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Grieving Angels and Tudor Tragedies at St Andrew’s Church, Blickling.
However, in my experience, I have found so many of these tiny parish churches filled to the rafters with historical artefacts, sculptures, artwork and more…
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Victorian Iron Mummies: The Fisk Casket
Fisk’s patent explains that ‘the air maybe exhausted so completely as entirely to prevent the decay of the contained body on principles well understood; or,…
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The House of Faces
Over a period of seven days, the mysterious stain turned into the clear image of a face. A face that would not disappear, no matter…
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Hidden Curses and Witch-Graffiti at Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral, for all its kagools and bored schoolchildren, has some truly fascinating memorials and hidden stories. Trust me.
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The Tulip Staircase Ghost
There had been no one near him when the photograph was taken, the staircase was also inaccessible. But on the print and the negative, was…
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Quaker Burial Grounds and City Centre Hermits
Beside the towering shadow of Bristol’s St Mary Redcliffe church, sits an unassuming patch of grass, surrounded by trees and overlooked by an impressively unchanged…
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Hélène Smith: The Medium Who Spoke to Martians
Scientists and social reformers may be all well and good, but what about a young woman who spoke to aliens?
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Sheffield General Cemetery: The Good, The Bad and the Granite
In its relatively small grounds, it boasts ten listed buildings and monuments ‘including Grade II listed catacombs, an Anglican chapel, with the gatehouse, non-conformist chapel…
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Hidden Pre-Raphaelites and Tiny Women at Birmingham Cathedral
In the centre of Birmingham, flanked by pubs and fashionable wine bars, stands a dinky cathedral and a handful of sporadically placed headstones.
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Nottingham Rock Cemetery and the Doubtful Catacombs of Robin Hood
…this large pit can be seen from above as a 20ft sheer drop, and a health and safety nightmare. Previously, this hollow was open to…
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The Shrieking Pits of Norfolk
Framed by poppy fields and arable farming, these chocolate-box villages conceal an ancient evil, deep within their land.
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Buried Alive! A short history of premature burial and safety coffins
Taphophobia. The fear of being buried alive. The subject of nightmares since time immemorial. With today’s modern medicine, there’s little chance of these fears becoming…
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In Praise of Death Stationery
Memorial cards were often one of the first indicators of grief and one of the last reminders…
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Hidden Treasures of Arnos Vale – A Visitor’s Perspective
Arnos Vale is simultaneously a working cemetery, a heritage site, a habitat and a veritable art gallery of historical remembrance.
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The Spectre of Newby Church
Newby Hall, an 18thcentury house near Ripon in Yorkshire, is both a family tourist attraction and the scene of one of the most captivating (supposed)…
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Elizabeth Siddal – The Exhumed Muse
The 11th February marks the 157th anniversary of Lizzie Siddal’s death. While not exactly a household name, she is an icon, a muse, an artist and…
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Introducing Immortelles
Plastic flowers may last longer, but discolour and weather over time and similarly must be replaced. However, Victorian ‘Immortelles’ (from the French word for ‘everlasting’)…
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The World of Victorian Grave Dolls
After experiencing the death of a loved one, our mourning practises may include collecting mementos…and a full-sized effigy of the deceased.
Burials & Beyond 