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 closer to home.

Warstone Lane Cemetery is located at the heart of Birmingham's jewelry quarter. It was founded in 1848 and is also known as Brookfields Cemetery. Like many cemeteries of the mid-Victorian era, Warstone Lane Cemetery was seen as a solution to the problems caused by an ever-increasing population. Birmingham was the heart of the industrial revolution and many people flocked to work here, especially in Birmingham's ever expanding factories and railways. Poor sanitation, lack of medical care and poverty ensured that mortality rates, especially in children, were extremely high and this lead to an overwhelming amount of dead, of which churches simply could not cope with. 

The Cemetery was constructed in the style of the exquisite London necropolises such as Highgate Cemetery (1839) and Nunhead Cemetery (1840). The Birmingham Church of England Cemetery Company also took inspiration from Warstone Lanes' 'sister' cemetery, Key Hill. Key Hill Cemetery was established in 1836 not only as response to an urgent need for burial space but as a place of internment for those who were non-conformist. 

Arguably, the most impressive feature of the cemetery is the catacombs. Warstone Lane Cemetery was built near a sandpit quarry (operated by the Guardians of the Poor to provide out-relief to the unemployed after the Napoleonic Wars). This meant that burials could be quite difficult and thus
 catacombs were proposed and promptly constructed as a tiered burial ground. The catacombs were open to the public (wow!) but closed in response to the Birmingham Cemeteries Act. This Act stated that the catacombs must be sealed with lead or pitch due to the 'unhealthy vapours' (rotting corpse smell?) that was leaking out. I have read that there are plans to re-open the catacombs... please!

There once was a burial chapel, St Michael's, which briefly operated as a parish church. This building, which boasted a 116 ft spire and a Bramah lift to take coffins down into the catacombs, was demolished in 1954 having been extensively damaged in the Blitz. The Cemetery Company’s offices in Warstone Lane, which also formed the main vehicular entrance, were sold to a private company. The sole remaining feature of the original Victorian cemetery is the catacombs. These catacombs are more visually imposing than those at Key Hill, which were completed in 1880. 

Warstone Lane Cemetery was acquired by Birmingham City Council in 1951 and burials were stopped around 1982. 

My Dark Travels Rating 7/10

If you enjoy the history and stunning architecture of a cemetery then you will enjoy visiting Warstone Lane Cemetery. My favourite feature was indeed the tiered catacombs. It did remind me of the Circle of Lebanon catacombs at Highgate Cemetery. However, due to the Birmingham Cemeteries Act, they have been plastered shut and look very miserable indeed. There also seems to be a very alarming litter problem in the cemetery, which really did upset me. We found socks, plastic bags, coffee cups, crisp packets and even toothpaste (!) strewn around the graves. There were also a couple of youths smoking something that smelt suspicious... 

I would urge Birmingham City Council to sort this problem out because the cemetery holds a wealth of history that is integral to the rich fabric of the Black Country. I hear that there is a 'Friends' society that looks after the cemetery as well, so if they are reading this and need any volunteers to help clean up the cemetery, I'm available!

On street meter parking is accessible around the cemetery and it is located next to the Jewelry Quarter train station. The cemetery is free to visit but it closes at 5pm each day. 

DT x

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, there are many opportunities to visit some locations steeped in grim history.

In June of 2015, I visited Moreton Corbet Castle. It is located a few miles from the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury and is in the middle of the countryside. You can actually see the ruins of the old Elizabethan part of the manor house from the road, crumbling away in the distance. Very exciting.

The property is looked after by English Heritage but is free to visit. There is a small car park which is also free. Walking up to the ruins is eerie, especially when you are the only visitor or visiting party. Moreton Corbet Castle is old, very old, as settlements on the land were established as early as 1086. Evidence of a rich and terrible history is clear. 

Moreton Corbet Castle witnessed both the Plague and the English Civil War (1642-1651). The owner, Robert Corbet, whose chosen architectural style dominates the building, died of the Bubonic Plague at the property in 1583. Parliamentary forces stormed the castle in the 1640s, damaging it (and a few Royalist soldiers) in the process. 

Although damaged, the Manor House was restored and inhabited up until the early 18th century. The Corbet family still own the property but live elsewhere, leaving the house to slowly fall to nature. Ancestors of the Corbets are buried next to Moreton Corbet in the Church, St Bartholomew's and it's Churchyard. 

The Church of St Bartholomew is glorious and colourful. There are a variety of effigies, tombs and dedications to the dead, including a list of those who died in the Great Wars, handwritten and displayed proudly next to the pulpit. There is a children's section with a mini library and toys watched over by skulls carved into the stone fire place. 

My Dark Travels Rating - 9/10

I have given Moreton Corbet Castle this rating because it is one of my favourite places to visit. Not only is it free, it has everything that I look for in a location - creepy old ruins, steeped in history, next to a quaint village church with tombs, graves and skulls. Oh, and it is in the middle of the countryside which makes it isolated, bleak and extra creepy. It would be 10/10 if English Heritage had provided an audio tour (EH do great audio tours!). I would definitely recommend MCC to anyone interested in Dark Tourism.