Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SOME PREFER TO spend their leisure time immersed in music or on the sports field, but for a small group of tombstone tourists, Britain’s graveyards are their playground.
The Cemetery Club shares its appreciation of “these often overlooked and misunderstood places” every Monday on a blog, which is followed by a band of “taphophiles” – the name given to cemetery enthusiasts.
“Stories can be found here: stories of heroes and villains, inventors and actors, people who once lived, laughed, loved and cried,” boasts the blog, which began in 2013.
The group of mostly young people hunts around London for forgotten graves, mausoleums and other monuments to the dead.
“The blog is almost a representation of these libraries of the dead,” founding member Sheldon Goodman, 28, told AFP.
The blog is looking back to those people and kind of bring them back to life almost for a little bit.
“And obviously also at the same time showing the places to be marvellous open spaces” in the urban jungle, he added.
Goodman recognises his hobby, and its association with death, can be perceived as odd.
Strangers are usually “confused or intrigued, or a bit of both” when he tells them that he runs a cemetery blog, he said.
“The standard reaction is ‘What?’, the tilting of the head, the wide eyes,” he added.
I’m just a regular guy who goes over his daily business… I don’t dress in black and sit in a corner holding a skull, or holding a picture of a coffin.
- ‘iGrave’ -
Goodman’s fascination with the cities of the dead began in childhood.
“As a kid I used to walk through the cemeteries and I used to see all these marvellous headstones and graves but I never got the chance to look at them because I was smaller,” he said.
Two decades later, Goodman is making up for lost time by visiting dozens of cemeteries, mainly in the UK, but also around the world.
Detailed accounts if the trips appear on the site and also on the group’s Twitter page.
For example, visitors to the website can read the story of swashbuckling British adventurer and historian Richard Francis Burton, who rests in a grand mausoleum in Mortlake cemetery, southwest London.
“The tomb takes the form of a Bedouin tent, its stone skilfully carved to resemble fabric,” writes Caroline, a member.
It is decorated with gold stars and crescents, symbols that are more readily associated with the Islamic world and therefore rather an unusual sight in a little Catholic churchyard.
It also highlights the unusual, such as the computer-shaped tomb nicknamed “iGrave” by the club, or the story of inventor Hiram Maxim, buried in West Norwood cemetery in south London.
“He is known as machine-gun man because he invented a type of machine gun which was very popular especially in the outbreak of the First World War,” said Goodman.
What is not so known about him is that he was a bit of an eccentric character because he also invented a form of mouse trap.
“They also found him sitting in an armchair with a pea shooter, blowing beans at the Salvation Army people down below.”
- Virtual cemeteries -
These “tombstone tourists” are often driven off the beaten track in their thirst to learn more.
At the foot of London’s Hungerford Bridge, Stephen Roberts has photographed a “skateboard cemetery”, known only to the initiated.
“It’s another form of remembrance, when skateboarders break their deck, they almost give it a ritual funeral and throw over the edge of the bridge onto this pier,” said Goodman.
Christina, another founding member of the club, sings the virtues of the virtual cemetery in Rockstar Games’ blockbusting Grand Theft Auto V, set in the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.
“I found it interesting that I could actually walk round the cemetery in the game, and interact with it,” she told AFP.
“The digital cemetery was almost as real and just as peaceful as real life,” she added. “I felt calm walking around it.”
This type of cemetery perhaps foreshadows the resting places of the future, said Goodman.
“What is the true memorial to people nowadays? Is it cemetery where the person is buried or is it online kind of profile?” he asked.
There might be virtual cemeteries in the future where you can walk through a street-map view, find a headstone, click on it and it comes with a biography of the person.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Cut the ridiculous salaries!
Fully agree… What other broadcaster on this island would pay some of those inflated salaries?
How come TV3 can operate without any licence fee? I think their programs are getting better and they are doing it without the licence fee. Where is the licence fee money going in RTE? Fair Poxy City and towards the Plank, Tubs, doom duffys etc salaries?
As far as I can remember TV3 getting some money from the licence fee. The money that goes to BAI for the Sound a Vision fund, TV3 is getting some of that for its documentaries.
Gee imagine a state funded megalith actually expected to operate in budget noooo waaay : )
Heres what I dont understand.
Pat Kenny, paid in excess of 500k. Personally I like listening to his show the odd time and I think he’s a master of his craft with regard interrogation of politicians ala Frontline (we’ll take as a given the Late Late was a disaster for the chap).
That said, his salary is sickeningly enourmous. I always ask the question, what if his contract was not renewed by RTE? (yes he’s a contractor and not an RTE employee). What would he do, Get snapped up by the competition? TV3 is just about keeping it’s head above water.
Anyone would think RTE beleive they’d lose ‘talent’ if they didnt offer the ridiculous salaries they do.
That’s an absolute disgrace!
If they had good programmes on the station but the fact that they don’t.
RTE should be brought to its over paid knees, however it won’t be. It’s a public broadcaster full of overpaid, unionised wasters. It’s the HSE of media. And sending Pet Rabbitte in to tackle it is like pitting Thomas the Tank Engine against Percy or Emily or Gordon. The choo choo gravy train continues…..
Comment if the week!! +1
Sell it off,there’s a fool out there somewhere.
What a novel idea, the tax payer must get value for money. Any chance of applying that pronciple to other government departments and agencies?
I would like to put Rabbitte up for a “Stateing the bleedin’ obvious award”. Of course the BBC has vastly more resources than RTE. It serves 16 times the population, and, as an international news gatherer and broadcaster is able to generate substantial sums from overseas sales.
Execute fair city.
It’s a national embarrassment.
How about the max salary at RTE is capped at €100,000. If they don’t like it they can go to England and get a job there.
Apparently staff (middle management) at RTE have taken a 5% pay cut over the last few years. Did they even notice it? They don’t live in the real world.
I used to like Pat Rabbitte.
He was always witty and and outspoken .
and now he is only a shadow of himself. I would love to know what
is really going on and what these ministers are being told to keep them
quiet and toeing the line.
But Pat you have sadly lost your ability to stand for the people …
Shame.
cheer up eileen, only 30 years to wait and we’ll all be able to read all about it in the papers.
mind you, we’ll have to get our grandchildren to translate it from the German that it’ll be written in if we keep goin along the present course!!
Increase the licence fee to clear the deficit, and add a bit more for the RTE Chrimbo party!
Abolish the licence fee!!!
Total agree.The only way that we can get the irish tv stations is through sky we live in the republic and we pay our licence for what service
The sicken thing about these salaries is that because these people as not employees of rte and most set up as companies they pay very little tax.
At least if pat Kenny and all the others paid and prsi we’d get a fair slice back
are you serious?!?!?!?!?!
these guys don’t pay PAYE on all that dosh? it goes to “Pat the Plank plc.” or whatever???
call me gullible, but that’s a new low if it’s true!!
I think the pay is to high in fact I think we should look at creating a new generation of tv channels in Ireland. We should have a channel for each one of the provinces and split the rte budgets and reduce the salaries. That way we would create new talent and get more people working. It would also be much more democratic.
Leinster tv (LTV)
Munster tv (MTV
Connaught tv (CTV)
Ulster tv1 (UTV1) including all counties of ulster
I also think that the BBC need to be taken to task for discriminating against the republic in their weather reports considering they are using the term British isles.
In fact they should be including all countries of the British isles including Ireland north and south.
Otherwise they should give the weather for the UK and northern Ireland only.
However that might be a dangerous game considering Scotland might take flight then they would only have to include the weather for England Wales and northern Ireland.
The 2006 census shows that there are 112548 British citizens living in Republic of Ireland I wonder what they think of a missing Dublin Cork Galway etc.
We on the other hand could show we are the better man by giving the weather report for the UK & Ireland lol.
Also we should have our tv signals connected with the European satellite programme so when we are on holiday in Spain or wherever we can watch the home channels how bloody difficult would this be.
Watching the weather forecast for Northern Ireland is like watching the forecast for your back garden. It’s so small.
One solution is to stop paying above and beyond for crap US series that are shown at 3am. Reduce the salaries of our “stars”. They arent going anywhere. Who’d employ them. Scrap Fairly Shitty. Scrap all non-essential programming and radio expenses. Hire someone with a huge stick!
oops,, their’s pat kenny’s 500+ gone,, and ryan tubby’s too,, about bloody time
if tv3 can survive so can rte,just cut the stupid salaries.
Call me cynical, but I foresee a lot of good publicity coming the Government’s way from RTE.
There is no such thing as a TV licence it is an RTE TAX,1.6million people pay it not because they want to but because they have to or they will end up in court fined or jailed,I blame the people for paying it get a million people on the streets demanding the government abolish it or reduce the Fee if RTE don’t produce decent programming but patetically it won’t happen RTE=GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT=RTE the deficit is 25million and the evasion cost due to non payment is 30million hahahahahaha what a coincidence give Pet Rabbite an IFTA,have to go now The ANGELUS is about to start Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong
Sell it or make it subscription based.
In my opinion the licence should be abolished and pay per view system be brought in.
Ladies and Gentleman when you dip your hands into your pockets to pay 160euro for this think of your Esb gas home insurance and more importantly health insurance,imagine your health insurance premiums are going up but you lose 160euro to an rte tax which u are forced to pay with a threat of a custodial sentence hanging over you so you have to drop your health insurance or reduce your health plan,its the one tax I hate,FUCKING PRIVATISE RTE Its a parasitic organization bleeding the taxpayers dry and losing money,ill be delighted to see the back of it
Sell 2fm for a start
No Chris sell the whole damn thing not just 2FM
BBC news breaking news
4.5million dead in Ireland
England discovered her neighbours were all dead this morning when she called in to see why things have been so quiet recently no moaning no whining from ireland.
After sending in a state pathologist it was discovered the 4.5 million dead had naturally all died of boredom watching fairly shitty. Lol
have your say