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Category: Cemeteries

  1. The Distribution of Hot Cross Buns in a Churchyard

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    On Good Friday hot cross buns are distributed in the churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great. The ceremony known as the Butterworth Charity, was named after Joshua Whitehead Butterworth who created the trust in 1887. It was set up to provide the sum of six pence to twenty one needy widows in the parish and buns were to be handed out to children who attended the distribution. With the understanding that nowadays anyone who attends can have a hot cross bun I went to investigate further.  

  2. Mrs Mallowan's Wallingford aka Agatha Christie

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    Mrs Mallowan, aka Agatha Christie, lived in Wallingford, Oxfordshire for many years and is buried in nearby Cholsey. In my quest to visit the key locations associated with the world's best selling author of all time, I made a visit to the town to discover its Christie connections.

  3. Guesting on London Undone's Podcast about Postman's Park

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    A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to be interviewed by London Undone about Postman's Park, a delightful small open space which is also my favourite place in the City of London. It was my first ever podcast and great fun to do. My interview is just one of five City Guides talking about different aspects of the park. So if you'd like to hear the podcast click here.

    If you enjoyed reading this you might also like reading our guest blog for Cemetary Club about Postman Park.

    The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds.

  4. Guest Blog about Postman Park for the Cemetery Club

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    I really enjoy the Cemetery Club's blog as it's full of atmospheric photos and fascinating stories and it's a great reference point for anyone wanting to know more about our magnificent cemeteries so I was delighted to be invited by Sheldon Goodman, one half of the Cemetery Club and a Westminster Guide student, to write a guest blog about one of my favourite graveyards in London.

    I’ve written about "Postman Park" my favourite place in the City of London, it's a delightful small park near St Paul’s Cathedral best known for Watts Memorial of Heroic Self Sacrifice but it's also a former graveyard.

    If you like this you might like to hear me being interviewed for London Undone's podcast about Postman Park.

    The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds.

  6. A Visit to St Pancras Old Church Gardens

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    Last week I took a little detour to visit the delightful St Pancras Old Church which is quietly tucked away behind St Pancras International Station. Although adjacent to the busy main railway line it's a peaceful, little oasis.

    It’s believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, dating back to 314 AD, although the church one sees today was restored in the Victorian period.  It became known as Old when the new church was built in nearby Euston Road. The church and neighbouring railway station are both named after a child martyr beheaded in Rome for his Christian faith.

  8. Spotlight on... Bram Stoker & Dracula

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    Bram Stoker

    Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 – 1912)

    Stoker was born in Clontarf, Dublin in 1847. He was the third of seven children and suffered from an unidentified childhood illness which left him bedridden until the age of seven years old. Stoker’s professional interest in the theatre started when he acquired an unpaid position as theatre critic for the Dublin Evening Mail which enabled him to attend opening night performances and interview the cast.

    One evening in December 1876 Henry Irving invited Stoker, who had written a review of him in Hamlet, to dine with him in his suite at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Irving complemented Stoker on his review and it was the start of a lifelong relationship which would involve Bram becoming his friend and business manager.