Cemetery Club

22/03/2026

One of the interesting things about Brookwood Cemetery is the geographical spread of the people buried there. Hammersmith; Brixton, and in this example - Herne Hill. All would have made use of the train that departed the Necropolis Station now when it was on Leake Street on Waterloo, using regular commuter train stock with specialist carriages to carry the coffins down to this ginormous cemetery.

Frederick Tennant Pain, a newspaper representative, has this very pretty granite-built private garden. You wonder how it would have looked when it was first installed.

14/03/2026

Goodness me, it’s very weird to be on a cemetery visit and I have my mother as one of the dead.

Walking around my new local, Beckenham Cemetery trying to find the famous and notable graves of this beautiful place of rest, that opened in 1876. Couldn’t find many, because the maps seem to be all over the place. But of course now I am sat at the grave of the most important woman buried here. What Mum would’ve made of me seeing me in ‘cemetery mode’, I have no idea. But I’m playing some Cat Stevens songs making a record of her neighbours nearby on Find a Grave and rather enjoying the tranquility.

I can entirely see why Mother’s Day would be a triggering experience for some, my feelings towards it this year are somewhat uncomfortable. I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to be able to pay a visit tomorrow as it may be too painful. But but I’m pleased we picked this spot to bury her, as it is peaceful, restful, and there are host of golden daffodils surrounding us in the romantic wonkiness of this Victorian cemetery.

One day I shall be buried here. Who will come to my grave and do this exact same amount of nonsense when my time comes?!

06/03/2026

Walking to Paddington Station last November, after spending the morning in Kensal Green cemetery, I found myself with a sudden urge to lis...

27/02/2026

12/02/2026

Pre-reels, so excuse a younger Sheldon attacking you with words with the delicacy of a machine gun, but sharing this video tonshowcase an incredible Polish scientist who will soon have my dear mum as one of her neighbours.

10/02/2026

My mum passed away today.

I’m going to be gone for a little while.

I’d be super grateful if you held Diane Clare Veronica Traynor in your thoughts as she moves through the universe.

04/02/2026

In the 12th century church of St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield, the City of London, is a sculpture dedicated to a saint whose influence on art has been just as influential as to how he’s depicted in art himself. Painted by Vini, Michelengelo, Tiepolo and many more, this sculpture made by Damien Hirst in 2006 shows how this apostle became an icon in western art and important in understanding anatomy in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

26/01/2026

Isadora Duncan didn’t just dance — she changed dance forever. Born in 1877, she rejected rigid ballet rules, choosing bare feet, flowing tunics, and movement inspired by nature and emotion. She believed dance should come from the soul, helping shape modern dance as we know it. Her life was bold and turbulent, marked by passionate love, political defiance, and devastating tragedy, including the loss of her children in an unfortunate car accident in 1913, which she never really came to terms with. Through grief and controversy, she kept creating, turning pain into art. Isadora lived freely, challenged society, and left a legacy of truth, emotion, and fearless movement that still inspires dancers today. 💃✨

24/01/2026

I was just casually browsing the British Newspaper Archive to see if they’d digitised a fairly important life moment concerning my great grandmother - 60 years working for the same laundry in 1953: Coronet but then Sunlight Laundry in Fulham - and they had! But the photo was knackered. Luckily I had a hi-res scan of the very same image that was given to Florence White as a memento and with a bit of photoshop wizardry… ta da! How cool.

Six decades toiling in a laundry and she got a pair of nylons and the afternoon off. Cheeky bastards; where was the cruise?!