I’m rather fond of gin, and when I found out via Showfilmfirst about a special event involving gin, London, and a rather special bus I knew I had to go. The Hendrick’s Gin Ministry of Marginally Superior Transport was obviously designed as a way to promote the Hendrick’s brand, but to be honest as the tickets were only £2.50 this really didn’t bother me.
The event involved a bus journey around London in which we were served G&Ts and delicious gin cocktails with a bonus gin macaron. The bus was beautifully decorated with bizarre mock-Victorian wallpaper and we got a few freebies including a rather awesome fan, which I’m sure I’m going to make plenty of use of during the summer.
During the journey we were entertained by bearded bartenders and challenged to complete a number of tasks including writing a poem: I’m rather proud of my brief effort, considering I haven’t written a poem since school.
I had an identical twin, Who had a grand passion for gin. At the hint of a frolic, She’d pour gin and tonic, And begin her descent into sin.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, and as such there are several special events going on. One such event, Shakespeare’s London, taking place at the Museum of London Archaeological Archive in Hackney, is a tour of the archive which includes a look at artefacts discovered at London’s Elizabethan theatres. I booked this pretty much as soon as I heard about it, as I love both history and Shakespeare.
Mortimer Wheeler House
The Archive is held at Mortimer Wheeler House; I looked up how to find it and I’m glad that I did, as it isn’t the easiest building to find. It’s located in east London, north of Old Street, just below the canal. We waited in the foyer for the tour to begin; there were quite a few of us, so we were taken around in two separate groups. As we explored the Archive, we were able to learn more about it, as well as the history of theatres in Shakespeare’s day.
The Museum of London Archaeological Archive is part of the museum’s Department of Archaeological Collections and Archive. Over the past century, nearly 8,500 archaeological sites have been investigated in Greater London: this archive holds information relating to all of these, with full archives for over 3,500 of them. There is also an archaeological library collection. It has been officially recognised as the largest archaeological archive in the world.
The Archive is of international significance, the primary source of evidence for early London. As archaeology itself is a destructive process – accessing one layer usually involves removing another – the only evidence of its existence is in the archive. There is an online catalogue containing information about object collections and archive records, and the Archive can also be visited for research purposes. This is free, but you need to make an appointment.
Early in the tour we got to play “archive lottery” – choosing a number and taking the relevant box off the shelf to see what it contained. Our box wasn’t particularly exciting, containing bits of pottery – however, as our tour guide (one of the Archive’s volunteers) explained, pottery is actually a really valuable tool for dating a site. We were subsequently introduced to some very special artefacts relating to the theatre.
Theatres like the Globe, the Rose and the Curtain, popular in Shakespeare’s day, were actually known as playhouses: the term “theatre” tended to refer to indoor, private theatres located in houses (similar to the Globe’s new Sam Wanamaker Playhouse). However, for the purposes of the tour they were referred to as theatres. We saw a cannonball that was found on a theatre site, once used to help create the sound of thunder (a similar item from the Rose Theatre is about to go on display at the British Library as part of their Shakespeare exhibition). Some of the smaller artefacts that we got to handle included copper pins, seals for rolls of cloth, and fragments of tobacco pipes. We also saw – but because of its fragility, understandably weren’t allowed to touch – an almost complete leather boot from the Elizabethan period: an incredible sight.
Many of the small items recovered were things which could have been dropped easily in the tightly packed, busy atmosphere of the playhouse. Gambling dice and makeup brushes were also found, as were tokens used to gain admittance into the playhouse. Money boxes were used to collect payment; when they were full, they were smashed, and the contents counted. They were kept in the money box office – what would later become the box office.
The area around Southwark where most of the theatres were situated was also known for bear-baiting, and the skull and bones of a bear and of a dog, possible rivals in the ring, are testament to this. The bear bone that we saw had tooth marks on it – possibly chewed by a dog after the poor dead or dying bear was discarded.
In a small room with a table, we were able to look at newspaper cuttings and letters related to the discovery and excavation of the Rose Theatre in 1988. When an archaeological excavation began on this site, no one had any idea just what an incredible find would be unearthed. The discovery sparked a campaign to retain and restore the site (the original developers just wanted to cover it over), and inspired a change in the law, meaning that excavations are now required when developers take over a site in London.
It was once thought that the hazelnut shells found at the Rose site indicated that theatregoers ate hazelnuts during performances, in the same way we might eat sweets or popcorn today. However, it is now thought that the thick layer of hazelnut shells would have provided cheap and effective flooring – especially as, with long performances and no toilets, groundlings would often just go where they stood – it makes me cringe to imagine walking over a spongy, urine-soaked floor of shells, but I guess they would have been used to it!
Finally, we ended up in a ceramics room, looking at some of the Shakespeare-related items held in the Archive. These included whole, and nearly whole, money boxes (which were always green, seemingly), and a figurine of Othello and Iago. We got to have a look around the room for a while before leaving, at some of the impressive collections which ranged from Roman amphorae to Victorian hot water bottles.
I absolutely loved my trip to the Archive and would recommend it for all those interested in London’s history. The Shakespeare tours are taking place again on 16 April, so it’s not too late if you want to take part.
When my mam came to London recently, she came with my auntie and several other relatives, one of whom was celebrating her birthday, so the plan was to do something exciting. We ended up booking on a bus tour of London with a difference – a tour that includes afternoon tea.
Our bus
The tours are run by BB Bakery, a traditional French bakery which is based in Covent Garden. We arrived at Victoria Coach Station on Sunday afternoon in plenty of time to board our bus, which was one of those awesome heritage Routemasters. We headed upstairs where our tables had been set out for us (we were a party of six, so we actually took up two tables).
The afternoon tea consists of sandwiches, scones and cakes, as well as orange juice and, of course, tea. They do cater for different dietary requirements: as a vegetarian this is very important to me, and I’m happy to report that my veggie selection was utterly delicious (the standard sandwiches were pretty nice too, according to the rest of my family). I enjoyed my scone, and the cakes in particular were incredible. If you get too full, you are given a little box to take any uneaten cake away with you.
Yummy afternoon tea
I had been curious as to how you avoid spilling hot drinks all down yourself on a moving bus. Not to worry, you are actually given a solid takeaway-style cup with a lid which fits into a hollow on the table (you are able to take this cup home with you). The cake stand is fixed securely to the table, and the cutlery, while it looks metal, is actually plastic – all health and safety bases have been covered!
Wearing my highly appropriate, London bus-themed, Tatty Devine “Not In Service” necklace
The bus takes a roundabout route through central London, passing Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and other notable landmarks. It should be noted that you don’t get actual commentary, as you would with a “normal” tour bus. However, the staff – who are very friendly, helpful and chatty – do provide random commentary which is often quite funny. As a London resident, I didn’t feel the need for a proper commentary anyway, particularly as I was enjoying my food too much to care!
The tour takes a good hour and a half, so make sure you go to the loo before it starts! Tours cost from £45 for adults and £35 for children, which sounds pricey but it really is a fantastic experience and the food is yummy. I definitely recommend this for a special occasion, and I’ll be heading to Covent Garden to check out the bakery in the near future.
After visiting Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End for a show last year, I became interested in this beautiful building, and was keen to explore it in more depth. I signed up for a tour, organised by Crouch End Walks, to learn more.
We met in the building’s foyer at 2pm and our guide began the tour by taking us outside to observe the front of the building and its beautiful façade, which harks back to the area’s rural past. Inside, we admired the modernist style of the foyer, which still has the original ticket desks and glass panels designed for function rather than form. The building was designed by R. H. Uren, a New Zealand-born architect who was only twenty-seven at the time of the design in 1933. It was influenced by European modernist architecture and radically broke away from the traditional Victorian design of previous town halls.
We were taken through the building, starting with the ground floor space currently being used as a cafe, into the large hall which has been used for concerts, dances and shows. The Kinks were one of the bands who played here in their early days. Our guide told us of her own memories attending a pantomime here as a small child. Today, the hall is very cold and clearly needs work done to it, but it’s easy to see that with a bit of TLC it could be a lovely space once again.
The open staircase and foyer spaces of the building are lovely, being ornate but spacious, well lit and stylish. The Art Deco influence is particularly strong here. We were able to see inside the former Mayor’s parlour, a very comfortable-looking room indeed.
Along the corridor, we found ourselves in a large space with a fine view over the front of the town hall. This room can be divided into three, or left as one large space. We also got to see inside the council chamber, which still has the original (very comfortable) seats.
The future of the Hall is uncertain: it is currently used by a variety of arts organisations, but whether it continues to be used for performances and events or sold off to be converted into luxury flats, only time will tell. It would be a shame if it stopped being a public building, as it is beautiful and unique, a valuable community asset for the people of Crouch End and beyond.
I signed up for a Christmas ghost walk to explore Southwark, run by poet John Constable who wrote The Southwark Mysteries. The walk began near Borough Station and ended at Cross Bones Graveyard.
There was a Dickensian element to much of the walk: it began at the St George the Martyr Church, where Little Dorrit once fell asleep in Dickens’ novel of the same name.
St George the Martyr
Nearby was the site of the Marshalsea prison, in which Little Dorrit’s father lived: Dickens’ own father was imprisoned here for debt when Dickens was a child. The wall used to be the original wall from the prison, but it has been rebuilt recently.
Wall of the Marshalsea prison
We were shown a pub nearby that is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a woman murdered by her husband. The ghost of a crying baby has also been heard there, although no one is quite sure what connection the baby has to events.
Haunted pub
On the same street that Dickens lived when he was a young boy and his father was in prison, we saw the National Trust houses established by Octavia Hill.
National Trust houses
Travelling towards London Bridge, we passed the location of the inn at which Chaucer’s pilgrims set off on their travels.
Chaucer plaque
We then popped into the George Inn, London’s only surviving galleried inn, and heard a few more ghost stories.
The George Inn
We stopped off by Southwark Cathedral after walking through Borough Market.
Southwark Cathedral
By the Golden Hind, we heard a story about the land surrounding Southwark.
The Golden Hind
We stopped to admire the remains of Winchester Palace.
I’m a librarian, and recently I went on a visit to the British Library organised by a group I’m a member of. The visit comprised a library tour, which really interested me because although I have visited the BL several times, it’s always been as a visitor to the exhibitions: I’m not a member and I’ve never been in the reading rooms or behind the scenes.
The British Library Piazza. Source: Jack1956 on Wikipedia
The British Library, which is a relatively new institution that only came into being during the second half of the twentieth century, is the national library of the UK and the largest library in the world in terms of items catalogued. The building holds around 170 million items from numerous countries and in every language in the world. Information is held in multiple formats: print books and ebooks, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, audiovisual recordings, playscripts, patents, databases, maps, prints and drawings. The collections include around 14 million books, and the Library holds ancient historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC.
British Library Foyer
Our tour, which was delivered by a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide, began in the foyer where we learned about the library’s beginnings. The BL originally started out at the British Museum: the famous Round Reading Room is where people including Marx used to study. The British Library Act of 1972 enabled the BL to be established in 1973, although materials were dispersed around London and around the country for several years. When deciding upon a location for the eventual library site, there wasn’t much choice available: it would have to be within walking distance of the British Museum in Bloomsbury, so that the rarest and most valuable books could be carried there by hand, as they were not permitted to be transported on vehicles. Eventually the site at Euston Road was decided upon: located next to St Pancras Station, it used to be a goods yard.
The Library is a Legal Deposit Library (the others are the Bodleian at Oxford, the University Library at Cambridge, the Trinity College Library in Dublin and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales), meaning that it receives a copy of each book produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including several overseas books distributed in the UK.
The Library was designed by Colin St John Wilson, and the building has met with a mixed reception (apparently Prince Charles hates it, but the Queen is a fan). Looked at from the right angle, it resembles a ship. It was made a Grade I listed building earlier this year, so it is now recognised as a landmark of design: however it is not without its problems. Wilson spent so much of the Library budget on expensive marble, containing fossils, to be laid outside on the piazza (meaning that it is extremely slippery in the rain) that there wasn’t enough left for decent shelving, resulting in some collapses as the second-hand shelves couldn’t bear the huge weight of the books.
It is impressive, however, that most of the books are stored underground: the stacks run several storeys beneath the ground, stopped only by the tube that is even further down. The Fleet River also runs nearby, so that the lowest floor does flood on occasion.
From the foyer we were taken to the Members’ Area in which you can register to become a member of the Library. Anyone can register so long as they have the appropriate ID: you don’t have to be an academic. Near here, there is a book handling system which delivers books users have ordered to the surface by means of a conveyor belt. Staff collect book requests, remove them from the shelves and send them up to the Library.
The book handling system
We went upstairs and were able to get a brilliant view of the King’s Library, made up of 65,000 printed volumes and numerous pamphlets, manuscripts and maps collected by George III between 1763 and 1820. The glass tower was inspired by a similar structure in the Beinecke Library in New Haven, Connecticut.
The King’s Library
From the old to the new: our next stop was the news room where readers can view newspapers and watch a live news feed. We explored the Library considerably, taking a look at the many busy – but extremely quiet – reading rooms.
Reading Room
Before leaving, we had a quick look at a Library video in one of the quietest corners of the building – left “unfinished” to show off the brickwork.I really loved my tour: I learned a great deal about the British Library that I hadn’t known before. Public tours are available and I do recommend signing up.
Somerset House is one of the most interesting buildings in London, but the history of the site itself is just as fascinating. The current building was completed in 1780, but the site has a long history before that. It’s possible to go on an Old Palaces Tour to learn about the history of the site before the current building existed.
The site was a prime spot from the early days of London, being located on the banks of the Thames in between the financial heart, the City, and the centre of Government, Westminster. When the Duke of Somerset became Lord Protector on the accession of the boy-king Edward VI in 1547, he decided to build himself a palace on this very spot, even though it meant demolishing several churches and chapels that already existed on the land. A few years later, Somerset Palace – architect unknown – was complete, but the Duke was executed for treason in 1552 and it passed into the hands of the Crown. Elizabeth used the Palace on occasion, both as a Princess and later as Queen, but it was more heavily used after her death in 1603.
From then until its demolition nearly 200 years later, the Palace was most notable for being the home of three Catholic queens: Anne of Denmark, Henrietta Maria and Catherine of Braganza. Anne, wife of James I of England and VI of Scotland, renamed the building Denmark House, hosted numerous lavish masques, and commissioned elaborate extensions to the palace. A similar policy was followed by Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, and her addition of a Catholic chapel did not help improve relations between the King and his Parliament. On the outbreak of the Civil War, Henrietta Maria fled to France, Charles of course was defeated and executed, and Denmark House became the headquarters of General Fairfax, commander of the Parliamentary Army. The contents of the house were inventoried and sold – to this date only one picture remains as a record of what the interior looked like – and Inigo Jones, responsible for much of the seventeenth century redesign of the building, was fined by the Parliamentarians who viewed his work for the royal family with suspicion. He died at Somerset House, his estate confiscated. However, on Oliver Cromwell’s death – his body lying in state at Somerset House – Charles II was restored to the throne and Henrietta Maria, now Queen Dowager, returned to Somerset House.
The final Roman Catholic queen to inhabit the house was Catherine of Braganza, who moved in after the death of her husband Charles II and remained there during the reign of William and Mary, a difficult situation as the monarchs were Protestant. After Catherine left in 1693, the Palace was used by various government departments before falling gradually into disrepair. George III agreed that the building should be demolished and replaced by a new building for the purpose of government offices, on the condition that Buckingham House, further to the west, should be given to the Crown.
We were taken round the existing Somerset House during the tour and the history of the old palace was explained to us: it was fascinating considering that hardly anything of the old palace still exists and we had to rely on our imaginations. Our guide was really knowledgeable and enthusiastic and really brought the old palace to life.
Overlooking the Thames, the main transport thoroughfare at the time of the old palace
After spending some time in the courtyard, we ventured downstairs to where the nineteenth-century embankment is visible as well as the level of the Thames waterline. Originally, boats could come right inside the palace, and these days one of the royal barges is installed behind a pane of glass (one of a pair, the other barge is at the National Maritime Museum).
The embankmentThe barge
Next we visited my favourite part of Somerset House – the Deadhouse, underneath the courtyard. When the old palace was demolished, the only bits saved from it were some of the graves from the Roman Catholic chapel, which have been installed here. They include the grave of a doctor, the wife of a gardener, and a diplomat.
Finally, we visited the Strand Lane Baths, which are located next to Somerset House. During the nineteenth century, it was widely thought that these dated back to Roman times, and there is a worn Victorian sign inside the building stating this. Indeed, the National Trust sign outside calls them the Roman Baths. However, it is now generally accepted that the baths date from no earlier than the beginning of the 17th century. An intriguing theory claims that the bath was originally the feeder cistern for a magnificent fountain in the grounds of the old Somerset House, built for James I’s queen, Anne of Denmark, in 1612. The Hidden London website has a very informative piece about this.
Looking down Strand LaneThe original National Trust sign which still says Roman BathsThe buildingThe bathsThe bathsVictorian sign
By the late eighteenth century, the baths were being used as a public bathing facility. Charles Dickens reportedly bathed here, and made his character David Copperfield take the plunge here as well. Whenever they date from, they are a fascinating little feature of the embankment. Apart from these tours, access is only possible on Open House Weekend or by making an appointment with Westminster Council.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Old Palaces Tour. Tours take place each Tuesday at 12.45 and 14.15. They are free, but are popular so don’t arrive too late. I turned up at a quarter to twelve and the first tour was full up, but I was the first person to register on the second. It’s definitely worth making the effort to go on this tour.
I was lucky enough to snap up a ticket to the Hidden LondonAccess All Areas Subterranean Shelter: Clapham South tour in association with the London Transport Museum. This was a unique opportunity to go underground and explore one of the shelters that was built during the Second World War as a refuge for Londoners to stay safe from the Blitz. I arrived at Clapham South station on Sunday morning and excitedly awaited my turn.
Entrance to the shelter
We were given wristbands and taken down the road to an imposing white cylindrical building, set into the side of a housing estate. I am sure the residents were bemused by all these people going in and out all day. We were taken around the space by several guides, all of whom were really knowledgeable and helpful. This is just as well as the shelter is a big place, and it would be very easy to get lost if you were separated from the group.
Inside the shelter
Clapham South subterranean shelter was one of eight shelters built between 1941 and 1942, 120 feet below ground and underneath even the tube itself. Previously, people had been sheltering in tube stations but even they were not safe in case of a direct hit: for instance, an bomb at Balham tube station in 1940 killed 66 people. The eight shelters together could hold 64,000 people, though in reality the total was never much more than 12,500.
One of the long tunnels making up the shelter
The shelter at Clapham South was dug out by hand by workers on 12-hour shifts, with no protection from the conditions. Once the death toll reached double figures they were finally provided with a shield. The resulting tunnels were made of cast iron and concrete, with two entrances: one at Balham Hill, the other at Clapham Common. The excavation caused a huge mountain of dirt to appear on the Common.
Photograph of a newly-opened deep shelter
Once construction work had finished, the worst of the Blitz was over and the shelters were initially used for other things, such as military occupancy. In 1944, however, the V1 and V2 raids began, and the shelters were hurriedly converted to their original purpose. Up to 8,000 people could be accommodated at Clapham South, though in practice the shelter never held more than 4,000 at once.
Former bathroomRemains of what was once a bathroom
Clapham South shelter was well-organised. On entering, a shelterer would be allocated a ticket to a dormitory; these dormitories were typically named after admirals. The shelter had a superintendent and a small hospital, with a doctor, nursing staff and a consulting room. For entertainment, music was played over the PA system, and sometimes dances were held. Chemical toilets were provided, with an innovative air compression system to shoot waste to the surface every few days. There were eight canteens dotted around the shelter, staffed by volunteers, with food provided by London Transport. The food was off the ration, but more expensive than it was at the surface: a cup of tea, for instance, was tuppence.
DirectionsThis area of tunnel was once a surgery
The shelter was connected to the Underground via a tunnel designed, but never used, as an emergency exit. Sometimes, shelterers were allowed to leave this way to hop on a train and get to work in the morning. Plans to convert this and some other shelters to an express Northern Line after the war never happened, owing to lack of funds. Instead, another function had to be found for the shelters once the war had ended in 1945.
Entrance to the Northern Line
After the war, Clapham South was used as a penny hotel, cheap accommodation for those visiting London on a budget. It was also used to house some of the arrivals from the Windrush once they arrived from the West Indies. During the 1951 Festival of Britain, the shelter was transformed into the Festival Hotel, costing three shillings a night. Used mostly by young students, female guests got sheets for their beds while men had to content themselves with blankets. The shelter was also used to house troops during the funeral of George VI and the coronation of Elizabeth II.
Sleeping quarters in the shelter
After a fire took place in another shelter, it was decided that the shelters were no longer safe for accommodation. What then should they be used for? TfL took over the shelters in 1998, and many were used for archive storage. Here, the last archives left in 2008, but they are still in place in some other shelters, such as Goodge Street. Another is now used for growing micro salad for an upmarket restaurant.
I loved my fascinating tour of the Clapham South shelter. Everyone was really knowledgeable and it was amazing to be in such an atmospheric place.
I’m a librarian by profession, and of the many things I like to do in London, one of the chief ones is to explore all the different libraries in the city. The Guildhall Library is a public reference library – though books cannot be borrowed, the collection is open to all – specialising in the history of London. It has a printed books collection of over 200,000 titles dating as far back as the fifteenth century, and also has items such as pamphlets, periodicals, trade directories, maps and poll books. The History and Treasures of Guildhall Library is a talk and tour that takes place every month or so. It is free and can be booked by individuals: you do not have to be part of a group. The Library is located at Aldermanbury in the City of London; the nearest tube station is St Paul’s. It is next to the Guildhall complex, but the Library itself was built in the 1970s.
We were given an introduction to the Library by one of the librarians. The first Guildhall Library was founded in 1425: this is recorded in John Stow’s Survey of London (1598). Known as the “Common Library” at Guildhall, its collections were mainly theological. Sadly, the Duke of Somerset stole borrowed the Library’s collections for his own house by the Thames during the sixteenth century. In the 1820s, the City of London Corporation decided to found another library: in 1828 there were around 1700 volumes, all concerning London, and the library was deemed very successful. By 1873, the “Old Library”, in the Guildhall complex, had 60,000 volumes. Sadly, 25,000 volumes were destroyed in only one night during the 1940 Blitz.
After the war, it was decided that another library should be built. The new building was opened on 21 October 1974. Today, the Guildhall Library focuses on the history of London, with a special collection relating to food and drink as well as three archive collections: the archives of London livery companies, the Stock Exchange archives, and the Lloyds Marine Collection. Below this library is the City Business Library, a valuable resource for anyone running a business.
We were shown some of the items from the collection, a fascinating and motley bunch. One volume, a Bible originally belonging to the Worshipful Company of Tilers and Bricklayers, was part of the original Library and ended up in the Duke of Somerset’s collection before finding its way back to the Guildhall. A third folio of Shakespeare’s works contains many plays no longer attributed to him. Nineteenth-century pictures of medieval floats from the Lord Mayor’s Pageant are fascinating, and a book with its original chain attached reminds us that books were so valuable hundreds of years ago that they had to be chained up to prevent theft.
Other items included a first example of a stocks and shares book, published in a coffee house; a collection of botanical illustrations; and, on a macabre note, a catalogue of the sale of items from Newgate. When the prison was closed in the early 1900s, the doors, fixtures and fittings were auctioned off: who knows where they have ended up?
We were then taken on a tour of the Library, observing the quiet reading room with easily-reachable reference works, freely browsable by readers. The books concern such wide-ranging subjects as gin, Jack the Ripper, and theatre. Other items can be requested from the basement, and are usually delivered within 15 minutes. We were able to tour the basement, complete with rolling stacks, and examine the riches stored within, including a collection of 21st century bound manuscripts, lavishly decorated, and editions of the Illustrated London News. The Food & Drink Collection, which is of national importance, contains some gems including Dinners for Beginners, Vegetables for the Epicurean, and Eat, Drink and be Wary.
The Guildhall Library is a fantastic resource and is well worth a visit. If I ever want to do some research about London, I know where to go.
As part of Open House London 2015, I paid a visit to the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium for a Heritage and History Tour. After having visited so many cemeteries this year, I thought I might as well go for one more. I turned up on Sunday morning in time for the tour, having travelled right across London: despite the name, the Cemetery is actually located in the east, near Epping Forest. Manor Park is the nearest station.
Cemetery gates
The Cemetery was opened in 1856, as a burial place for residents of the City of London, who prior to this had been buried within their own parishes. The overcrowding issue which led to the establishment of the “Magnificent Seven” also led to the formation of this cemetery, laid out by William Haywood on land purchased from the second Duke of Wellington. The Cemetery is nearly at capacity for burials, although former plots are re-used (sensitively, and only in particular circumstances). The remains from over 30 London parish church yards were also relocated here. Today, the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a Grade I listed landscape, open for burial to anyone regardless of religious belief or connection to the City. There are two crematoriums, one built at the beginning of the 20th century and one constructed in 1971. There are Grade II listed chapels and catacombs, a Garden of Rest, and memorial gardens.
Into the Cemetery
Our tour began with a look at some of the documents from the Cemetery’s 150-year history, including fascinating burial and cremation registers. We were then taken on a long, thorough and fascinating tour of the site. Several notable personalities are buried in the Cemetery, including Catherine Eddowes and Mary Ann Nichols (victims of Jack the Ripper), Dame Anna Neagle, and Edith Thompson (one of the last women to be hanged in the UK). However, what I was fascinated by the most was simply the heritage of the place, the mix of time periods and the story behind the burials here.
Hindu shrineGraves lined upVictoria Cross holderBurial site of a London parish churchDame Anna NeagleA racing driver, killed in an accident, and his familyBurial place of French HuguenotsOld CrematoriumInside the Old CrematoriumMemorial plaque for Bobby MooreRose GardenMemorial plaque for Mary Ann Nichols, buried in a paupers’ gravePlaque for John Joseph Sims, holder of a Victoria CrossBeautiful grave of a piano-loving ladyCatacombsInside the Dissenters’ ChapelInside the Dissenters’ ChapelThe Dissenters’ ChapelThe Anglican ChapelInside the Anglican ChapelBeautiful tomb carved of solid marbleThe New Crematorium
After being taken round the Cemetery, we were offered the chance to go “behind the scenes” at the Crematorium, and find out what happens when someone is cremated. While this part of the tour was entirely optional, every single person on it opted to go ahead. We were taken through the process by which bodies are cremated, the measures taken to ensure that individuals are correctly identified, how remains are turned into ashes and – most fascinatingly – the bits and pieces left over once the ashes are retrieved. These include things like metal hip and knee replacements, jewellery and anything else that is not combustible. I was hugely impressed by how hard the staff work to make sure everything runs smoothly.
My visit to the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium was one of the most fascinating and enlightening tours I have ever done. I enjoyed the tour of the Cemetery but I feel particularly privileged to have had the tour of the Crematorium, which really helped to demystify the cremation process. Death can be a taboo subject, but I honestly feel it’s important to be prepared and understand how burial and cremation work. Even without a tour, this is a lovely place to visit for a quiet walk.
FACTS
Address: Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park, London, E12 5DQ
Founded: 1856
Size: 200 acres
Still in operation?: Yes
Official website: cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/cemetery-and-crematorium
Owners: City of London
Tours: Tours take place at selected weekends throughout the year.
