St Peter & St Paul’s, Boughton on Blean, Kent. copyright Carole Tyrrell.
Yes dear readers, It is 9 years to the day since I began shadowsflyaway on a wing and a prayer having no idea of how to do a blog but jumped in both feet first anyway. It’s been an interesting 9 years as I have explored the byways, churches, churchyards and cemeteries of Kent and London’s cemeteries looking for symbols.
However, I never know what to expect when I open a church door. For a start, will it be open? And what awaits? Tiptoeing past champers still asleep – these are people camping out overnight in a church. Being dazzled by a glittering pavement of medieval brasses at St Mary Magdalene, Cobham or a brass sign on a wall at St Peter & St Paul at Headcorn from Philadelphia commemorating that their ancestors had originated from the village. I love exploring churchyards and so far the oldest markers I have found dated back to the medieval period.
The headstone on the card above was the happy result of being misdirected by a passing dog walker. I was looking for St Mary the Virgin in Selling Kent. It was in the middle of nowhere as was St Peter and St Paul’s in Boughton in Blean. A lot of Kent churches are in isolated spots but it keeps me fit. I tramped past hop fields and a few houses here and there and then found it on top of a small hill, its surrounding churchyard almost climbing up to the church. It was as pretty a churchyard as you could wish to find with some ancient tombstones poking up through the vegetation which was part of ‘God’s Own Acre’, an initiative to leave churchyards unmown to encourage wildlife. I ate my lunch overlooking hop fields.
I found this one under a tree. If you look closely you may be able to see an hourglass, a long bone and a spade as in the close-up below.
St Peter & St Paul’s, Boughton on Blean, Kent. copyright Carole Tyrrell
There is a corpse road nearby situated on the golf course so I am determined to find it as I’ve never walked on one. These were for transporting bodies, often from remote communities, to cemeteries that had burial rights such as parish churches and chapels of ease. The roads have long fallen out of use but may have just have become footpaths. But this is the first time I may have a chance to walk on one. There are many legends associated with them involving ghosts and spirits and the living were not supposed to walk on the pathway of the dead.
So here’s to 9 years of shadowsflyaway – thank you to my readers for your company! I really appreciate your likes and comments and let’s look forward to 2025 when shadowsflyaway will be 10 years old.
Text and photos copyright Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated
It was the drawings made by Wenceslaus Hollar for Samuel Pepys (see above) that were used as guidance for the recarving of the reliefs in 1773 and 1853. These allow the viewer to see what the tomb originally looked like and to compare them with the changes that successive sculptors have made. For example, G P White in 1853 seemed to have his own interpretation of the hydra.
But, as you might imagine with pollution and the London atmosphere, the tomb being outside and at the mercy of the elements, the carvings have deteriorated and changed over the centuries. As the gardentrust.blog says:
‘The casual viewer is not seeing the original carvings. As it was outside in what would have originally been the churchyard, the elements soon did their work. The tomb was so badly damaged by 1773 that a public subscription was raised for its restoration. Lambeth Archives still have the ledger that recorded the donations.
But in 1853, 70 years later, the public funded a further restoration. It was the sculptor G P White who undertook this restoration.’
The 1853 restoration cost £110. The Victorians were enthusiastic restorers, perhaps too enthusiastic in some ways.
At one end of the tomb is a coat of arms which comprises of three fleur de lys on a diagonal bar and with a lion holding up its paw. A helmet with a closed visor is meant to be a sign of gentility and is topped with the crest of another fleur de lys and 2 wings. However, the Tradescants had no official grant from the College of Arms and may just have adopted it as a ‘rising’ family. It was a standard item on a monument and is the most conventional symbol.
At the other end, the west end, is a fearsome looking hydra which is a mythical ancient Greek creature associated with the 10 Labours of Hercules. It lived in the murky waters of Lake Lerna which was reputed to be the entrance to the underworld. Each time one of the hydra’s heads were cut off , two more would grow in its place so it was a deadly enemy. The hydra in the Pepys drawings is almost friendly and certainly non threatening whereas the 1853 version, carved in high relief, is much more dramatic with its bat like wings, female breasts., seven bird like heads and a long forked reptilian tail.
There were other changes as well and the gardenstrust.blog commented on the skull in the lower part of the panel.
‘It lacks the lower jaw and is presumably the same one that appears in the younger John’s portrait where it is covered with skull moss, much sought after as a powerful medicine.’
This portrait appears in Part 1. The significance of the skull may be a reminder of vanitas paintings which flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries and came from the Netherlands. They often featured a skull and invited the viewer to ponder on the fleeting quality of life.
‘ruined buildings in the background and architectural detritus in the foreground together with a crocodile and shells and fossils. The corners are formed by gnarled and stunted trees with heavy foliage.’Cabinet.ox.ac.uk
The depiction of the ruins have been debated as the restorations may have changed their appearance. They have been described as Egyptian or Greek with obelisks and a pyramid amongst others. There are also fragments of Corinthian capitals. The shells may refer to specimens that were in the Tradescant collection and the large reptile in the lower part of the north panel could refer to the ‘Crocodile from Aegypt’ that was listed in the exhibits of the ‘Ark.’ It was also seen as a symbol of the early modern culture of collecting as seen in the oldest depiction of a ‘cabinet of curiosities’, the museum of Ferrente Imperato.
In order to link all the sides of the tomb together, the mason carved a set of large trees in deep relief. They hold up the ledger with its epitaph:
‘Know, stranger, ere thou pass, beneath this stone Lie John Tradescant, grandsire, father, son The last dy’d in his spring, the other two, Liv’d till they had travelled Art and Nature through, As by their choice Collections may appear, Of what is rare in land, in sea, in air, Whilst they (as Homer’s Iliad in a nut) A world of wonders in one closet shut, These famous Antiquarians that had been Both Gardeners to the Rose and Lily Queen,* Transplanted now themselves, sleep here & when Angels shall with their trumpets waken men, And fire shall purge the world, these three shall rise And change this Garden then for Paradise.’
It has been suggested that the line ‘A world of wonders in one closet shut’ may refer to the Ark.
Despite the changes to the carvings, the Tradescant tomb is a magnificent survivor with five members of the family being commemorated. The enigmatic carvings, the epitaph and one woman’s determination have all added to the legendary Tradescant reputation. It’s a real sight to see and there are other interesting memorials in the ex-churchyard as well. For example, there is one dedicated to Admiral Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame and there is a wonderful ouroboros on another, the Sealy family monument.
A large, ancient chest tomb is not what you expect to see from the window of a central London restaurant. However, I’d seen pictures of it before and, for me, a dedicated Symbols enthusiast, it was the icing on the cake while enjoying a fantastic meal.
It is the Tradescant tomb and it sits in the courtyard of The Garden Museum in Lambeth which is housed within the deconsecrated church of St Mary at Lambeth. The Museum was founded in 1977 by Rosemary Nicholson in order to preserve the tomb. She and her husband saved St Mary’s from demolition and it is the second oldest structure within the borough of Lambeth. A church has existed on the site for over 950 years.
John Tradescant the elder attributed to Cornelis de Neve (1668-1665) Shared under Wiki Commons
John Tradescant the elder (1570-1638) is one of the most important figures in English gardening and he founded a dynasty of horticultural experts. In 1623 he became head gardener to royal favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. After his assassination Tradescant became keeper of his Majesty’s Gardens, Vines and Silkworms at his queen’s minor palace in Oatlands Place, Surrey in 1630. He was the Royal Gardener at the court of Charles 1st and worked with his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. In search of new plants, he travelled widely including trips to the Arctic which was no mean feat at the time. He even took part in an expedition to Algeria to fight Barbary pirates! One of the earliest records of him is a letter that he wrote while on a journey to the Netherlands, to buy plants for the 1st Earl of Salisbury’s garden at Hatfield House. He seems to have been a man possessed of indefatigable energy. In 1629 he moved to Lambeth near where the Museum is now situated and created the first museum in Britain to be open to the public. It was known as the ‘Ark’ and was formed from his own collection of natural history and ethnography.
John Tradescant the younger Thomas de Critz 1652 Shared under Wiki Commons
But the tomb commemorates his son, also called John, (1608-1662)as well. It was his widow Hester who commissioned it after his death. They were married at St Mary’s and he succeeded his father as the Royal Gardener. He also travelled widely to collect specimens. John Tradescant the younger went to America for plants and seeds during the early 1600s and introduced trees such as magnolias, tulip trees and garden plants such as phlox and asters.
In addition, it celebrates four other family members including his father, his two daughters in laws, Jane Hurte (died 1634) and Hester Pookes (died 1678) and his grandson, another John, who died in 1652 in his late teens. The Tradescant dynasty died out in 1678 with Hester’s death.
Hester Thomas Thomas de Critz, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Shared under Wiki Commons
The sarcophagus is made from hard sandstone and has suffered deterioration over the centuries and it would have originally been in St Mary’s churchyard. The inscription on the tomb states that it was originally erected in 1662, repaired in 1773 and then restored in 1853 by the sculptor G P White. It’s an unusual tomb, not just because of its size, but in its carvings and enigmatic symbols. However, unusually for the time, there are no religious references on it except for the final lines of the inscription:
‘Angels shall with their trumpets waken men,
And fire shall purge the world, these three shall rise
And change this Garden then for Paradise.’
It’s an intriguing tomb and is a visible sign of the Tradescants standing and aspirations. Hester was asked to pay £50 to the Lambeth church wardens of the time towards the parish poor relief. This was the equivalent of 6 months wages for John as the Royal Gardener. And this was only for permission to site the tomb as everything else was extra.
But it’s the enigmatic carvings that attracted me to the Tradescant tomb and in Part 2 I will discuss these further. However, these are not the original carvings as after two restorations, in 1773 and 1853, the scenes and creatures depicted have subtly changed especially the Hydra sculpture.
The lychgate to Compton Churchyard, Guildford, UK.
copyright Carole Tyrrell
English country churches and lychgates seem to go hand in hand. There is something rustic and romantic about them. Perhaps you’ve seen one at the entrance to a church and thought that they were created as handy shelters or been lucky enough to see a bridal couple paying local children to untie the gates and allow them through.
But the picturesque lychgate has a darker side as it’s also the gate through which the happy couple could be entering in a few decades but on a more sombre occasion.
The word lychgate is derived from the old English or Saxon word, lich, which means corpse. In medieval times, the body would have already been carried along footpaths or the local corpse road to the church. Corpse roads can still be seen in the countryside if you know where to look and I found one last year by chance on a golf course in deepest Kent! Coffins were for the wealthy until the 1700’s and so the less well to do deceased would have been wrapped in a shroud and then laid on a bier under the lychgate. The priest would have then come out of the church to the bier to conduct the first part of the funeral service. while the pall bearers sheltered under the gate. Some lychgates have large, flat stones under them on which the shrouded body would be laid. These are known as lich stones.
St George’s Church Beckenham
copyright Carole TyrrellSide view of lychgate showing construction.
copyright Carole Tyrrell
A lychgate is a roofed porch-like, almost shed-like, construction over a gate and were often built of wood. They were usually made of 4 or 6 upright wooden posts in a rectangular shape. Above are beams to hold up a pitched roof covered either in thatch or wooden or clay tiles.
Although usually plain, they can sometimes have decorative carvings. For example, St Oswald’s in Peover, Cheshire has these words inscribed on its lychgate:
‘Grant O Lord that through the grave and gate of death we may pass to our joyful resurrection.”
A sobering though for all those who passed beneath.
Some lychgates also have recessed seats in either side of the gate and lychgates were often erected in a local person’s memory. In 2000, the Millenium year, several lychgates were erected to commemorate it. Lychgates are thought to date from the 7th century but were more widely popular in the 15th century.
As they were usually made from wood many lychgates have vanished over the centuries or the remains have been incorporated into modern reproductions.
Whilst researching this article I discovered that my then local church, St Georges in Beckenham, may have the oldest lychgate in the country as parts of it date from the 13th century. In 1924, it was restored by a local man who had lost both of his sons in the 1st World War. There is an information panel on a roof beam to commemorate it which reads:
“To the glory of God and in proud memory of Hedley and Stanley Thornton who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War. This ancient Lych Gate was restored by their father. A.D. 1924”
Dedication panel on roof beam.
copyright Carole Tyrrell
and there is another panel which informs the reader of its age and restoration work done on the lychgate:
“This lychgate is probably the oldest remaining in England. Was erected in the 13th century and repaired in August 1924, when the framework was left untouched. But the decayed ground cillsand the bottoms of the side posts were renewed on new foundations and the spurs to the brackets which had long been absent were restored.”
Information panel inside lychgate.
copyright Carole Tyrrell
St Georges is a Victorian church which is built on the site of an earlier church and there are some interesting 18th century tombstones in the churchyard.
However, lychgates aren’t often found in big city churchyards and so have become associated with picturesque, romantic country and small town churchyards. At St Nicholas church in Chislehurst Kent, there is a lychgate which features a device at the top of it to enable a coffin around.
A lychgate is ultimately the entrance by which all must pass to enter the church. Christenings, weddings, funerals; all the stages of life and death go through the gate. It is one of the most enduring and unique symbols and image of Britain.
I was looking for Marbled White butterflies in Brompton Cemetery when I found this memorial on a side path. I was intrigued by the two Aladdin style lamps above the epitaph. Should I rub one and see if a genie appeared to grant me three wishes? And so began my research for this month’s symbol – The Lamp.
The grave is that of Marie Cordelia Winfield who died young at the age of 19. There is another family member commemorated on the headstone who is James Alfred Winfield. But it’s very lowdown on the stone and the encroaching summer vegetation made it difficult to read.
Lamps are an unusual symbol to see in a cemetery but Light as a motif in itself has been used in many forms. Often, it’s represented by the eternal flame or a downturned or upturned torch but lamps are rare.
Obviously now I’ve said that I’ll see lamps in every cemetery on every tombstone but so far it’s just been this one.
The Winfield lamps appear to be oil lamps and these have been used as illumination for thousands of years. In Arabian folklore a genie’s lamp contained a magical spirit known as a djinn or genie. This mythical being could help or hinder those who were brave enough to rub the lamp as in the story of Aladdin.
An example of an Aladdin Lamp.
In this story the lamp was seen as a gateway to another world of mystery and other gods. The symbol of the lamp was later adopted by Christianity, as many pagan motifs were, and it came to symbolise Jesus as the ‘light of the world’. There is a famous passage in the New Testament in Matthew 25:1-13 of the parable of the 10 virgins:
‘Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
King James version
There are several other references as well: Matthew 6:22-23, Revelation 22:5 and also John 5:35 in which John the Baptist is described as
‘a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.’
And let’s not forget God appearing to Moses in the burning bush. There is also a famous quotation from Psalms 119:105:
‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
The lamp as a representation of God and faith appears in other religions including the Jewish Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights and also Diwali which is the Hindu Festival of Lights. In Judaism lamps are seen as a way of lighting the way for the righteous and the wise. This is represented by the seven branched ritual Jewish oil lamp which is known as a menorah. Lamps are also an integral part of the Orthodox and other Eastern Catholic churches as they are used on the Holy Table or altar and to illuminate icons. In Chinese religions an oil lamp is always lit at traditional Chinese shrines before either an image of a deity or a plaque in classical Chinese characters with the name of the deity. Islam also mentions lamps in the Koran. There is also a strong element of self-sacrifice associated with the lamp as it consumes itself in order to bring light to the world.
Lamps also have a tradition of representing purity and virginity as well as love. So it’s highly appropriate for the Winfield tombstone which is dedicated to a young girl. When I looked more closely at the Winfield memorial I noticed that both of the lamps were pointing towards the cross in the centre with, what I presumed, were the rays of the sun coming from it almost like a halo. The lamps are obviously lit as they have fumes coming from them and, to me, they seemed to be illuminating the way through eternal darkness towards the light of a new life. In other words a symbol of resurrection. I thought that it would have been comforting to those left behind to mourn the loss of a daughter who had been taken too soon. As the epitaph says:
‘Greatly loved and sadly missed.’
As I explored further in Brompton I noticed lamps placed on top of graves or alongside them. These were mainly on the graves of Polish people who have a tradition of lighting lamps and candles on their All Saints’ Day which is held on November 1st each year. This is the day before the Christian festival of All Souls Day which is traditionally held on November 2nd. I visited Brompton Cemetery on November 1st 2015 and witnessed the local Polish community’s celebration of All Saints with lit tea candles and lamps on top of Polish and non-Polish graves alike. The lights were again being used as a way to help the souls of the departed on their way and so the tradition continues.
I had 10 attendees and four Friends of Brompton Cemetery volunteers on my 11 May 2024 Introduction to Cemetery Symbols tour. A good crowd I thought and they kept up with me until the end. An extra bonus was when one of the volunteers very kindly opened up the Brompton Chapel for us. It’s normally only open for funerals and exhibitions so we were very fortunate to see inside. I like tour participants to see as many symbols as possible within the cemetery and to give them enough knowledge to enable them to return. They were all kind enough to give me a round of applause at the end by the catacomb doors!
A guided tour led by me! So if you’re in London and want to know more about cemetery symbols then come along!
Date and time: Sat, 11 May 2024, 14:00
Leaving from: Information Centre (Old Brompton Road entrance) Duration: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes Tickets are £10 per person (plus £1.50 booking fee if booked on Eventbrite (refundable up to 1 day before event but Eventbrite’s fee is non-refundable.
The lost language of death is all around us in Brompton Cemetery in the symbols on headstones and monuments. But have you ever wondered if they have meaning and what it might be?
This is a subject that has always fascinated Carole Tyrrell and in this tour she will introduce you to many of the symbols that can be seen in Brompton cemetery and discuss their meanings. From Celtic crosses to Egyptian gods and updated 18th century memento mori, there’s plenty to see.
Carole Tyrrell has her own blog which features ‘Symbol of the Month’ at http://shadowsflyaway.blog and is currently researching and writing a book on cemetery symbols.
The tools of the trade refer to those used by the church sexton in his duties of maintaining the local churchyard. The word ‘sexton’ is derived from the Latin word ‘sepeliarus’ which roughly translates as ‘the custodian of sacred objects’. He or she is an officer of the church, a member of the congregation and is also in charge of conserving the church buildings.
The sexton’s tools can include:·
A spade or shovel·
A turf cutter which is recognisable by its triangular blade·
A pickaxe
On headstones, these can often be depicted either on their own or crossed and are reminders of mortality as they are connected with the dead. I used to think that they only appeared on the headstones or memorials of gravediggers but this hasn’t proved to be the case. Instead they appear to be a form of memento mori and a reminder of the viewer’s ultimate destination. However, there are variations as in this one on the headstone of Ann Baker in the churchyard of St Nicholas, Sevenoaks. In this combination of symbols, a coffin takes centre stage as it appears to either be rising ominously out of the ground or is being deposited into it.
The epitaph states that she was the wife of Stephen Baker and there is a headstone with that name on it nearby. There is a nicely carved skull on it and I wondered if, as Ann’s symbols are larger and appear to be professionally carved, that perhaps the family had gone up in the world.
This fine example comes from St Peter’s, Falstone, Northumberland and displays several key mortality motifs. These are: a spade or shovel, a book, perhaps the Bible or a prayer book, a skull and crossbones and a winged angel at the top.
The photo below shows a skull with a tool amongst other motifs and comes from the churchyard of Rochester Cathedral in Kent.
I have found two other magnificent examples online in Edinburgh and Northumberland churchyards
However, sextons have another claim to fame as they also appear in literature and plays. For example, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, the two gravediggers who are digging Ophelia’s grave debate whether she should have a Christian burial as she is a suicide. Later in the same scene, a sexton unearths Yorick’s skull giving rise to one of Hamlet’s most famous lines:
‘Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.’
Several famous rock singers have worked as grave diggers including Joe Strummer, Dave Vanian of the Damned and Tom Petty . However, apparently the claim that Rod Stewart was one is only an urban myth.
Charles Dicken featured a sexton, Gabriel Grub, in a ghost story that appeared in The Pickwick Papers called ‘The Goblin and the Sexton’. Gabriel is not a happy man. On Christmas Eve, he walks along Coffin Lane to the churchyard to finish digging a grave which is to be used the next day. Along the way he takes out his ill temper on a boy singing a Christmas carol and then meets the Goblin sitting cross legged on a headstone. This Christmas night will change Gabriel’s life forever. According to the Victorian web this story was Dickens’ version of Rip Van Winkle and is an example of ‘a curmudgeon chastised.’
The Goblin and the Sexton by Phiz aka Hablot Knight Browne from Dickens The Pickwick Papers
Shared under Wiki Commons
It seems appropriate that sexton’s tools should feature so prominently in some churchyards. After all, he or she is the last person to take care of your remains after death; whether you are buried or your ashes are deposited in the graveyard and also the preservation of your memorial if you have one.
In 2008, a small stray tabby cat sneaked into Southwark Cathedral by the south west door. It was cheek by jowl to her usual territory which was the bustling Borough market. The Cathedral’s vergers made her welcome by feeding her and she started to get her paws under the welcome table. The feeding began to be a daily habit and, encouraged, the small feline began to trust them and visited more frequently. Until eventually she had a name – Doorkins Magnificat. It is thought that Doorkins was a pun on Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and atheist, and Magnificat came from the Song of Mary that the clergy sang everyday.
Doorkins life changed for the better as she became popular with the Cathedral’s visitors, congregation and staff. However, she never entirely became a friendly cat and a reproving paw swipe soon established who was boss. As with other Cathedral cats, visits became a game of ‘Spot the cat’ or in Southwark’s case, ‘Spot the Doorkins.’ Would she be seen nonchalantly strolling in front of the altar during a service or indulging in a strenuous and thorough bout of washing herself, stretched out over a radiator grille or creating a new Christmas tradition by bedding down in the Nativity crib straw over the festive period?
In 2017, she had her own picture book which featured a tour of the Cathedral and a typical week in her life as Mousecatcher in Chief. A more permanent memorial and tribute was created in 2018 with a gargoyle in her image holding a fish in its mouth on the North Wall. On a visit by HM The Queen to celebrate the installation of a window in honour of her Jubilee, Doorkins seemed unaware of the honour. It was rumoured that she may have sleepily opened an eye before returning back to the land of Nod again. The Queen is reputed to have asked ‘Does this cat live here?’ as Doorkins missed her opportunity for a photocall.
Doorkins Magnificat and gargoyle. I couldn’t find a credit for this but happy to do so.
Doorkins Magnificat gargoyle in situ North wall, Southwark Cathedral. I couldn’t find a credit but happy to do so.
But, despite landing on her paws, Doorkins was still on active service out and about on Southwark’s streets until the 2017 London terrorist attacks. The Cathedral was locked down for a few days and she was shut out. Once it reopened, she ran inside and didn’t leave her sanctuary again.
However, old age caught up with Doorkins and her health began to fail. Kidney problems, increasing deafness and, ultimately blindness, meant that she could longer safely do her rounds in the huge Cathedral. So, she retired to the countryside and the home of the head verger, Paul Timms, where she died in his arms on 30 September 2020 ‘to the sound of a familiar voice.’
A Service of Thanksgiving was held for Doorkins on 28 October 2020 which was livestreamed worldwide. It could be asked ‘why do this for a stray cat in the middle of a pandemic in which thousands died?’ But I watched it and it was a poignant experience to see the small wooden box containing her remains being presented to Andrew Nunn, the Dean of Southwark. I feel that events like these gave people a focus in order to grieve especially at a time like that. In an earlier post I wrote about a lady who had adopted a monument in West Norwood Cemetery in order to have somewhere to place flowers and mourn a dear friend. The service for Doorkins was very moving especially when the Dean told the congregation and the online audience that:
‘In more normal times, we often host memorial services for the great and the good. But I don’t think there’s ever been a service for a cat.’
But not everyone approved and in some quarters it was considered controversial. For example, the Bishop of Burnley thundered:
‘Is this a joke?’ he tweeted, ‘I do hope so. If not it’s grossly insensitive to bereaved families and those ministering to them in the new world under the coronavirus restrictions’
But the decision to hold the memorial service had been supported by the congregation and the Dean replied that:
‘she (Doorkins) did more to bring people to this place than I will ever do.’
It was Paul Timms who carried the little wooden casket to the peaceful spot in the churchyard that had been chosen for her. A place of calm keeping the bustling world outside.
This month I was on a flying visit to London and was near London Bridge to attend an exhibition. I had always meant to make a sort of pilgrimage to find her resting place and now was the time to do it. After negotiating Borough Market I entered the Cathedral and churchyard and saw the ceramic sleeping cat with its painted sign above. I stood for few moments as the sun shone down on Doorkins and felt that I’d seen a true Londoner’s memorial. Inside the Cathedral I lit a candle in her memory and honour and looked for her successor, Hodge, but to no avail. Another visit perhaps….
A guided tour led by me! So if you’re in London and want to know more about cemetery symbols then come along!
Date and time: Sat, 11 May 2024, 14:00
Leaving from: Information Centre (Old Brompton Road entrance) Duration: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes Tickets are £10 per person (plus £1.50 booking fee if booked on Eventbrite (refundable up to 1 day before event but Eventbrite’s fee is non-refundable.
The lost language of death is all around us in Brompton Cemetery in the symbols on headstones and monuments. But have you ever wondered if they have meaning and what it might be?
This is a subject that has always fascinated Carole Tyrrell and in this tour she will introduce you to many of the symbols that can be seen in Brompton cemetery and discuss their meanings. From Celtic crosses to Egyptian gods and updated 18th century memento mori, there’s plenty to see.
Carole Tyrrell has her own blog which features ‘Symbol of the Month’ at http://shadowsflyaway.blog and is currently researching and writing a book on cemetery symbols.
shadows fly away 