History Archives - A Morbid Tourist

The Living Churchyard at Bridlington Priory

Posted on 19 August 202419 August 2024 by Kayleigh

The current churchyard at the Priory is a nice idea. To survey wildlife and conserve the area, the Diocese of York teamed up with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to create a ‘living churchyard’. Essentially, they let the local grasses and wildflowers grow all over the place. In turn, this encourages flora and fauna to stay in the habitat. The local plants benefit important pollinators like bats and bees, as well as enticing birds and insects of all kinds to hang out there.
In addition, they’ve made various hides for local critters including a stone pile, wood pile, and compost heap.

Imagining all the little hedgehoggies nestling in the wood makes me so happy!

St. Bride’s Church, London: The Ripper, The Fires, and the Wedding Cake

Posted on 4 July 20244 July 2024 by Kayleigh

From this same spot at the rear of the nave, you can see many of the hallmarks of Wren’s original designs. For example: the symmetry and clean lines, the bold black-and-white marbled floor, and the emphasis on natural light are all very Wren-esque features. There are delicate gilded patterns on the ceilings and columns, and the rounded windows give the whole place a very soft, inviting look.

I was momentarily frozen in place by how neat and well-kept St. Bride’s looks. It’s a beautiful church, with a calm aura that feels deeply spiritual (even to me, an agnostic with no religious affiliation).

Highgate Cemetery: Writers & Revolutionaries in the East Side

Posted on 2 May 202429 April 2024 by Kayleigh

I spent some time looking for the original grave of Karl Marx. It was marked (Marxed?) on the map but only approximately, as it’s located in a very crowded and old part of the cemetery. Try as I might, I couldn’t see it among the many headstones and long grasses growing hither and thither. So there’s a challenge if you ever visit Highgate: try to find Marx’s ‘real’ grave site! (If you have managed this, please comment and feel free to gloat)

The Charterhouse and its Plague Skeleton

Posted on 18 April 202418 April 2024 by Kayleigh

I’ll be honest with you – I originally only went to the Charterhouse for the skeleton.

Let me explain. The Charterhouse as a building began its life in 1371 and was a monastery. However, before any structure stood there, the area was used as a plague pit. During the Black Death, which began in 1348, London was overwhelmed with the dead and churchyards filled up fast. The solution was to dig enormous pits to inter piles of corpses all at once.

One of these pits was established in what is now Charterhouse Square, and it was upon this ghoulish site that The Charterhouse was built.

Crossbones Graveyard and its Outcast Dead

Posted on 21 March 202411 April 2024 by Kayleigh

What struck me most about Crossbones is how much it’s retained a graveyard’s tranquillity. There are still many remains beneath the ground, but they aren’t marked out or named like a more traditional cemetery. Despite this, the place still has the muted peace that seems to cut off the usual noise and hustle of the city around it. The atmosphere was added to by the soft smell of incense burning nearby. Wandering around Crossbones put my mind in a calm, reflective place that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Real Mary King’s Close: Subterranean History

Posted on 14 March 202411 April 2024 by Kayleigh

Unsanitary conditions and small, densely-populated spaces made the Close a perfect breeding ground for Yersinia Pestis, better known as the Plague. It broke out in Edinburgh in 1645, and Mary King’s Close was struck hard. The council moved away the people who were healthy and able (or willing) to relocate. The remaining sick and poor were instructed to stay in their homes, and the Close itself was sealed to stop the infection from spreading further. For many, their homes became their tombs as they succumbed to the pestilence.