Kensal Green Cemetery, London

'For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.' 'The Rolling English Road' (1913) G. K. Chesterton The spectacular monuments at Kensal Green Cemetery.  Imagine London, 1830s. The population has more than doubled from around 1 million in 1799 to approximately 2.34 million. There have been, and are to come, medical epidemics...

Golders Green Crematorium, London

I will make no secret of it, I wanted to visit Golders Green Crematorium because this is where Bram Stoker's mortal remains are kept. I wasn't sure how to go about visiting here because it is a working crematorium and I wanted to be respectful. I couldn't find much in the way of information regarding Golders Green Crematorium, so I just decided to go down and see what happened.  The...

Warstone Lane Cemetery, Birmingham

The past few weeks in England have been quite sunny and warm. However, today it was dull and gloomy: perfect weather for ambling around a cemetery and discovering its hidden secrets. I have a lengthy list of graveyards, cemeteries and crematoriums that I would like to visit but the majority of them are quite far away from where I am based so I decided to venture to a cemetery that was a bit...

The Non-Catholic Cemetery, Rome.

Visiting graveyards/cemeteries is an undeniable staple of a Dark Tourist's diet. I like to visit cemeteries because they are tranquil and offer peace from often busy schedules. The beautifully stylised monuments and headstones are particularly pleasing to read. The Historian inside of me enjoys pondering the lives of those interred within the earthy vaults below the moss and fauna.  It...

Moreton Corbet Castle, Shropshire.

Not many people have heard of the county of Shropshire. Not many people know where it is. I know where it is because it is my home county, and what a fantastic county it is. Most Salopians would argue against this because there is hardly anything to do here. However, Shropshire is a county flooded with ruined buildings, country estates and crumbling castles. And from a Dark Traveller perspective,...

What is 'Dark Tourism'

It is no secret that people are interested in strange things. Some people are interested in baking, some people like to dance and some people enjoy nothing more than a fine cheese. I am neither inserted in baking, dancing nor cheese. I am interested in Dark Tourism.  Dark Tourism is the act of visiting a location that is associated with tragedy, misery and death. If you think...

Tyburn Tree, London.

Tyburn - A name synonymous with death. Sounds a bit like a rather shit Hammer film (not starring Christopher Lee). Tyburn's link to death is because it was used as a site for executions in London. The first recorded execution in 1196 was of a William Fitz Osbert, who was arrested for riling up the poor. He was dragged naked, behind a horse, to Tyburn where he was hanged. Henry VIII, the notoriously...