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Cemeteries & Symbolism

Kensal Green: a Historic Victorian Graveyard in London

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An angel at Kensal Green Cemetery peers through the trees. (photo by Tui Snider)
An angel at Kensal Green Cemetery peers through the trees. (photo by Tui Snider)

Earlier this week, I wrote an article called Visiting Kensal Green Cemetery in London for The Traveler’s Way. As often happens, researching an article renews my interest in the site, and makes me want to visit again! I always end up learning way more information than the article’s word count can fit, and when using my own photos, I wind up with extras that I wish I could have shared. This time around, I figured, “Hey, why not post a few of those extra photos on my blog?” So here you go, gentle reader.

Kensal Green leaning headstones. (photo by Tui Snider)
Kensal Green leaning headstones. (photo by Tui Snider)

The Magnificent Seven

Kensal Green Cemetery first opened in 1832. It was the first of London’s for-profit cemeteries, a group which came to be known as the “Magnificent Seven.” There was a great need for these new burial grounds, since the public cemeteries were out of space. Fortunately, the city of London has decreed that this beautiful garden-style cemetery shall continue as a memorial park once it runs out of room.

Just as in nature, you don’t find a lot of right angles at Kensal Green Cemetery, and it’s quite overgrown in places. This is one reason I don’t find old graveyards depressing; they provide such a haven for the living as well as the deceased. Kensal Green Cemetery is a great spot for bird-watching and taking photos, so bring your binoculars as well as your camera. If you’re lucky, you might even see a fox!

Pathway leading to the chapel at Kensal Green. (photo by Tui Snider)
Pathway leading to the chapel at Kensal Green. (photo by Tui Snider)

Catacomb Tours

On certain Sundays, a volunteer group called the Friends of Kensal Green lead tours of the cemetery as well as the catacombs beneath the Anglican Chapel. These are some of the only catacombs in London, by the way. The tours last two hours and end with biscuits and tea. How very British, eh?

The Friends of Kensal Green are quite passionate about the history here and will even arrange tours related to your specific interests (poetry, architecture, cirsus performers – you name it!) if you contact them in advance.

As you can see from the photo above, Kensal Green Cemetery is very lush. The tree-lined path in the photo leads to the Anglican Chapel in the center of the graveyard, and is where the tour groups meet up.

Parts of Kensal Green Cemetery are overgrown. (photo by Tui Snider)
Parts of Kensal Green Cemetery are overgrown. (photo by Tui Snider)

As an aside, I first visited Kensal Green Cemetery on April 19th, 2011. Some of you may recognize this as the date for which some people had predicted The Rapture would occur. This was a complete coincidence on my part, but I remember joking that while a cemetery was the perfect place to be on such an occasion, we were going to miss all the action, since the place closes at dusk, and that’s when the dead were supposed to rise from their graves. On our way home my son-in-law wryly noted that, “We must all be sinners,” since it was past the predicted Rapture time and we were all very much still in London.

No matter when you visit London, I highly recommend spending a day wandering through Kensal Green Cemetery. It’s a fascinating place.

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Want to keep up with me? Also, would you like a FREE guide to historic cemetery symbolism? If so, sign up for my newsletter by clicking the image below:

Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism:

I am currently writing a field guide to historic cemetery symbolism. Each week, I share a small snippet from my upcoming book. It’s my goal to create a handy-dandy pocket guide for taphophiles, genealogists, ghost hunters, and anyone else interested in the historic graveyard symbols that have become forgotten over the years.

Which symbols are you curious about?

Let me know in the comments if there is a certain symbol that you are curious about. Also, if you would like to know when the cemetery symbolism guide is available for purchase, scroll down and sign up for my newsletter! I look forward to hearing from you!

Want to read more like this?


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


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Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Cemeteries & Symbolism, Historic Cemeteries, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: angel, cemetery, cemetery symbols, graves, London, Tui Snider, victorian

Protected: Secret Post for Launch Team Friends!

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Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Cemeteries & Symbolism, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: book release, graveyard, historic, indie author, indie publishing, launch team, Tui Snider, understanding cemetery symbols

Cemetery Lovers: I need your advice!

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Understanding Cemetery Symbols has companion workbooks!

After a lifetime of exploring historic graveyards and several years of earnest research, I’m finally releasing my cemetery symbols book this summer. Hooray!

As you can see from the image above, in addition to Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards, I’m releasing two different workbooks.

 

Graveyard Fans: I need your input!

This is where you come in. Let me know in the comments section at the bottom of this post what you think about the following plan for Graveyard Journal: A Workbook for Exploring Historic Cemeteries.

What the Graveyard Journal is:

Graveyard Journal: A Workbook for Historic Cemeteries is a place for you to write down information about all the different cemeteries you visit. It offers a way to keep track of interesting monuments you saw, write down inspiring epitaphs and names, and other pertinent details. Having all this in a nice-looking book that you can keep in your bag or glovebox makes a fun keepsake as well as a unique reference book for you and your family.

How big is the Graveyard Journal?

I made all three of the books in this series the same size. So, just like the other two books, the Graveyard Journal will be 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Personally, I love that size! It’s small enough to fit in a purse or glovebox, but large enough to comfortably write in.

Make Your Own Table of Contents

Each book has a brief introduction chapter written by me, but the rest of the book consists of journal pages for you to fill in. I thought it would be helpful, then, to set up the workbook so you can create your own table of contents!  The first 10 or so pages will be my introduction, but after that the Table of Contents is a “fill in the blank” affair. Here’s what I mean.

Graveyard Journal Table of Contents:

Introduction by Tui Snider_________________________pg  1
____________________________________________________pg 11
____________________________________________________pg 13

As you fill in each entry in the workbook, you will make a title for it on the Table of Contents. You can name each chapter whatever you want! Isn’t that fun? This also makes it quick and easy for you to look up specific trips without having to thumb through the whole book.

Info on main journal pages:

For each cemetery that you visit, there is one one whole page (front and back) for you to jot down the following information. Where it says “Follow Up Trips” is where you would write down the page number for your notes on subsequent trips to the same graveyard – ‘cuz we all know that some cemeteries are so pretty that you just have to go back!

CEMETERY NAME:___________________________________________

DATE & TIME: ______________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

HEADSTONE DIRECTION: _________________________________

FOLLOW UP TRIPS: _______________________________________

OTHER NOTES: _________________________________________(this is the biggest section of each workbook page.)

What do you think?

So what do you think? Would you use a journal like this? If you think I need to add something or do it a little differently, tell me! I would really appreciate your feedback. I really want this workbook to be a helpful tool for people who enjoy historic cemeteries. Even just a quick comment or suggestion would mean a lot!

About the other workbook:

As I mentioned earlier, Understanding Cemetery Symbols has two companion workbooks. The other one is called Ghost Hunters Journal,  and if you’d like to give me some feedback about how it’s arranged then click over and see what I’ve got planned for that one. Go here to share your ideas with me: Ghost Hunters: I need your advice!

Want to join my Launch Team?

Would you like be part of my book launch team? A book launch team is a group of readers who help an author get the word out. So, for instance, as a Launch Team member, I could tag you on Facebook when I mention the books. You could also help out by sharing my posts and telling friends about these books, etc…

Launch Team members get FREE books – just saying!

Plus, in addition to my undying gratitude, Launch Team members will be mentioned in the book’s ‘Acknowledgments,’ get copies of the books in advance, as well as other goodies along the way. I’m super excited about this book series and plan to have as much fun as possible along the way! So, if this sounds fun to you, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you (gimme a day or two) about this whole Launch Team thing!Click here to learn more about the Launch Team

Hey, you! Want to keep up with me?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books & presentations take you on a FUN adventure!

PRIVATE NEWSLETTER: If you’d like to keep up with me, you might like my newsletter, which comes out twice a month. Use the form below to sign up if you’d like to know:

  • What I’m up to
  • Where I’m speaking next
  • When my next book comes out
  • What’s going on behind the scenes
  • Any other fun news!

As a thank you for signing up to my newsletter, you’ll receive a historic cemetery symbols guide I created called “A Quick Guide to The Many Meanings of Hands.”






Sign up for my newsletter below:

We respect your email privacy

 

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Cemeteries & Symbolism, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: book trailer, iphone app, ripl, Tui Snider

Readers: I need your advice, pretty please!

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Understanding Cemetery Symbols – book release this summer!

After a lifetime of exploring historic graveyards and several years of earnest research, I’m finally releasing my cemetery symbols book. Hooray!

The title has changed along the way, but it’s now called Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards. I don’t have the exact release date, but barring any unforeseen circumstances it will be released this summer.

Wowza!

Readers: I need your input!

In addition to Understanding Cemetery Symbols, I’m in the process of creating two companion workbooks. One is called Graveyard Journal: A Workbook for Historic Cemeteries, and the other is called Ghost Hunters Journal: A Workbook for Paranormal Investigators.

Historic Graveyard fans:

Graveyard Journal: A Workbook for Historic Cemeteries is a place for you to write down information about all the different cemeteries you visit. It offers a way to keep track of interesting monuments you saw, write down inspiring epitaphs and names, and other pertinent details. Having all this in a nice-looking book that you can keep in your bag or glovebox makes a fun keepsake as well as a unique reference book for you and your family.

Leave Graveyard Journal suggestions here:

If you love exploring historic cemeteries, then I’d love to get your input regarding Graveyard Journal: A Workbook for Historic Cemeteries. Even just a quick comment or suggestion would mean a lot! Click here to share your ideas with me: Cemetery Lovers: I need your advice!

Paranormal Research folks:

Ghost Hunters Journal  is a place for you to record all your paranormal experiences – whether you’re part of a ghost hunting team, or not. This book offers a central place to keep track of your unusual experiences while the details are fresh in your mind. Having all this in a nice-looking book that you can keep in your bag or glovebox makes a fun keepsake as well as a unique reference book for you and your like-minded friends.

Leave Ghost Hunters Journal suggestions here:

If you believe in ghosts, then I’d love to get your input regarding Ghost Hunters Journal: A Workbook for Paranormal Investigators. Even just a quick comment or suggestion would mean a lot! Click here to share your ideas with me: Ghost Hunters: I need your advice!

Want to join my Launch Team?

Would you like be part of my book launch team? A book launch team is a group of readers who help an author get the word out. So, for instance, as a Launch Team member, I could tag you on Facebook when I mention the books. You could also help out by sharing my posts and telling friends about these books, etc…

Launch Team members get FREE books – just saying!

Plus, in addition to my undying gratitude, Launch Team members will be mentioned in the book’s ‘Acknowlegments,’ get copies of the books in advance, as well as other goodies along the way. I’m super excited about this book series and plan to have as much fun as possible along the way! So, if this sounds fun to you, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you in a day or two about this whole Launch Team thing!Click here to learn more about the Launch Team

Hey, you! Want to keep up with me?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books & presentations take you on a FUN adventure!

PRIVATE NEWSLETTER: If you’d like to keep up with me, you might like my newsletter, which comes out twice a month. Use the form below to sign up if you’d like to know:

  • What I’m up to
  • Where I’m speaking next
  • When my next book comes out
  • What’s going on behind the scenes
  • Any other fun news!

As a thank you for signing up to my newsletter, you’ll receive a historic cemetery symbols guide I created called “A Quick Guide to The Many Meanings of Hands.”






Sign up for my newsletter below:

We respect your email privacy

 

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Cemeteries & Symbolism, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: book trailer, iphone app, ripl, Tui Snider

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