A Grave Concern: Brompton Cemetery & Underground Catacombs Guided Tour 3pm

The authorities of London had a grave concern in the early 19th century - the gruesome health hazard of the city's overflowing medieval churchyards. The solution was the construction of the 'Magnificent Seven' - a ring of huge new cemeteries around what was then the edge of London. Brompton was the first of these, consecrated in 1840. It grew to hold 35,000 memorials and is the final resting place for over 205,000 souls, including suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, Cholera epidemiologist Dr John Snow, Chief Long Wolf of the Oglala Sioux, John Wisden of cricketing almanack fame, not one but two heroes of the Charge of the Light Brigade and many more. Some 500 were interred in underground catacomb tunnels. These burial chambers display the crumbling caskets and coffins of London's wealthy Victorian middle classes and make for a highly unusual, if somewhat macabre, visit! Our tour will meander through the 39 acre cemetery - by turns neat and orderly, then crowded and overgrown but always beautiful and fascinating - along the way stopping to hear tales of notable burials, before finally descending into the dark catacombs themselves...

Duration: approx 1.5 - 2 hours. Please wear sturdy shoes - no high heels, flip flops etc. Toilet facilities at the cemetery entrance within the North Lodge Cafe (please buy a cup of coffee/ slice of cake!). As well as this 3pm tour, there are also 10am and 12.30pm tours listed separately on Eventbrite - click here for details of both of these, plus tours of many other secret and hidden locations across the UK.

Access Statement: This event is for the able-bodied only. There are steps leading down to the catacombs plus some rough, overgrown areas amongst the graves. Total distance walked approx 1 mile. Aside from the steps and rough areas, the going is largely flat - grass, gravel, stone and packed earth underfoot. If you have any doubts, please contact us at [email protected] before booking, to discuss your individual requirements.

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