I live just outside of brookwood and always hear the non-operational trains at certain times in the night. In addition the cemetery in brooklands is hugely famous for high profile figures in history including Freddy mercury.
I’m afraid it can’t be Freddie Mercury’s grandparents buried there is that is what you are referring to. Bomi was born in 1908 Jer was born in 1928. The people buried there, who just happen to have the same surname, were born in 1931 and 1928. This means that to be Bomis parents one would have to be minus ten years old and the other minus thirteen years old. To be Jer’s parents one would have to be three years old and the other a new baby. People are clutching at straws because the surname is the same. The extended family were left abroad as far as I know but there’s no way in earth that can be his grandparents on either side.
We have a similar thing in Sydney, Australia where a special railway system was built (In Gothic style) that took the dead from central Railway to the great necropolis of Rookwood in the then outskirts of Sydney. In the 1960's one of the beautiful Gothic mortuary structures was purchased by the Anglican church, demolished and transported to the Australian capital of Canberra where it is now the splendid All Saints church in the Canberra suburb of Ainslie.
My grandfather was a carriage builder at Enfield in Sydney, I still have his drawings of the coffin carriages used from Sydney Central to Rookwood Cemetery. They range from 4 wheel wagons for 3rd class to more luxurious bogie wagons for the better off. As far as I know the building is still at Central and the Rookwood building? now a church in Canberra. Great video 👍
Loving these historical deep dives! TH-cam channels like yours have replaced both the long-form articles we used to read and underfunded but sorely needed local television.
This was amazing; hadn't a clue it ever existed. What a bizarre part of London life (and death) down the ages! Thanks for the info and the beautiful film content; you are quite a showman.
I was born overlooking Brompton Cemetery and it’s given me and my friends plenty of lovely time in it’s beautiful tranquil setting. And has “wooden cobble stones” in the front of it. A truly lovely place. Many thanks for your great video.
Earlier 2024 I visited London for the 1st time and we stayed in a hotel just a few steps away from the Westminster Bridge House building. My husband and I would walk by it and try to guess whatever this building was design for, trying to imagine all history behind it, but we would never guess this true story. Unfortunately I didn't know your channel before our visit but now I'm ready to tour London again!
Have you been to Hayworth? My parents went to the Bronte parsonage and went through the graveyard ..and there was a little path with a little gate and when they walked out the weather immediately shifted darker and cold -and they felt the presence of a ghost, maybe Charlotte. They turned back and went through the gate and it was suddenly sunny. They tell it better. Thanks for your great show.
We had a similar service here in Australia for many years The funeral train would leave Central Station from the Mortuary Platform and travel out to Rookwood Necropolis which is the largest still in use cemetery in Australia
Sydney had a necropolis railway which ran from a dedicated station the Sydney CBD to Rockwood (yes, Rookwood). Rockwood is the biggest cemetery in the southern hemisphere. The mortuary station from Rookwood was in danger of total collapse when it was bought by a church in Canberra and carefully dismantled, transported and rebuilt in Canberra. Thank you for your videos.
Another great video for spooky season. I knew about the London Necropolis Railway from a late-night Wikipedia binge, but had no idea their station was still standing, or about that insane death-pyramid idea. Their logo is about the most metal thing ever, and I'd pay good money to own a T-shirt of it. I know 2 tidbits of extra information about the London Necropolis Company- 1) some of the big trees at Brookwood are Giant Sequoias, the biggest trees in the world (although they're currently just babies). This is because there was a mania for them in the mid-19th century after they were 'discovered' by prospectors during the 1849 Gold Rush. 2) At some point the London Necropolis Company also owned double-decker buses, complete with space for the deceased and their coffin! I've actually rode on one, as some of them were bought up by tour companies for ghost tours. The one I rode on was in York, and I think they said it had previously been used in Edinburgh.
Oh yes - I did read that they were Giant Redwoods! As for the bus you took, this seems to be a cheeky little fib on behalf of the Necrobus. I can't find any historical record of the Cemetery using buses (they did use trucks) but I will keep looking and let you know!
@@TheMuseumGuide Yeah, you're obviously right that a ghost tour would be motivated to boost their ghoul credentials. It still seems a weird lie to tell, though- why would the York tour guides say it was a London Necropolis Company bus, that they'd inherited from their sister company in Edinburgh? None of that really contributed to any of the supernatural silliness they were promoting, which was all centred on local landmarks. IDK- maybe the Edinburgh Necrobus tour bought the buses off of a London ghost tour and just recycled the nonsense, before handing it on to the York folks? Cheers anyway- always fun and informative videos- look forward to the next.
Growing up in a Virginian suburb outside of Washington DC the only places that were quiet were cemeteries I fell in love with the architecture and Tombstone creativity. I'm glad you got to see some of that beauty.
This is in my neck of the woods. Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful cemetery. It was started in the backyard of Robert E. Lee’s house. On purpose. Mrs. Lee came back one time and was so horrified, she didn’t even get out of her carriage.
Stumbled across this and had to watch it. My father died when I was a small child and was cremated at Brookwood in the late 1960s. We emigrated to Australia a few years later, after my mother remarried. We were not allowed to go to my father's funeral and I was still a child when we emigrated, so I've never seen where my father's last resting place was. I believe his ashes were scattered in the rose gardens.
Many years ago as a student nurse I had a secondment in Brookwood Psychiatric hospital. The staff told me about how the deceased royal family would be transported on the train that passed near the hospital.
I just discovered your channel. I found it fascinating and educational. I love history and find cemetries and graveyards a good place to start when researching someone or event. Thank you for this awesome video.
Thank you, this was so interesting! I take the train past, and drive through, the cemetery all the time, but have never gone to visit - I’m going to have to make an effort to go.
Love your videos. Could we have a tour of the Church of St Peter ad Vincula and the funeral effigies at Westminster Abbey please? Maybe museums in Wales too, that would be fascinating.
Thank you! Absolutely to Church of St Peter ad Vincula, but sadly, filming is strictly prohibited in Westminster Abbey, and they will have any TH-cam videos taken down. But I will cover it in a different way!
I think the residents of that city of the dead probably appreciate having someone visit, let alone someone who is so well-versed in the history of the place.
Rather grim situation in London, back in the day. Each time I heard you say Brookwood I was taken back to growing up and working in Sydney, Australia... where we have Rookwood Necropolis... a very large 'city' area indeed. It was also served by train. The original Central Sydney Mortuary platform and building still stands, in sparkly Sydney sandstone.
The branch line to Rookwood Cemetery opened as the Necropolis line on 22nd October 1864. Trains to the cemetery, which ran exclusively for funerals, left from the Mortuary Station near Central Station in Sydney. The single station on the branch line when it opened was called Haslem s Creek Cemetery.
Well I'll say I've watched dozens and dozens of movies, videos, documentaries, paranormal shows for so many years and this is the first time I've ever heard of the Nacropolis train. And I really enjoyed the information you've just told everyone in this video. Very interesting I must say. Thank you for sharing. Btw, I am new to your videos and this is just my second one, but I loved this one just as much as the first one I saw last week. ❤❤❤
Thank you for this video! I've come across the London Necropolis Train a couple of times in my studies, but this has been the most thorough overview I've seen.
I remember from my childhood seeing a similar station in Sydney Australia. Not far from Central station. The train ran from there to the west to Lidcombe. I think the cemetery there was called Rookwood cemetery. It was a common saying amongst older people if they felt ery unwell that they were, "as crook (sick) as Rookwood".
It is Rookwood. My in laws are buried at Rookwood but my mother asked that she not be cremated there as my father was cremated at Brookwood, the cemetery in this video.
we have a similar thing here in australia, i know sydney had a railway stop through a cemetery for funerary purposes. and the train station was this gorgeous kinda gothic/neoclassical style. when they stopped using it, it was dismantled brick by brick and reassembled as a church not far from where i live, in ainslie canberra for anybody who wants to google it. i've never been to this old cemetery but on google maps it looks HUGE i believe there may've been more than one 'train station' there at some stage. all that remains now is the buried tracks and a little bit of the old supporting infrastructure.
What a fantastic video. Very informative and interesting. I was born in London and have visited all of the Magnificent Seven but had never heard of the Necropolis railway. Loved the bit about first, second and third class tickets. Class sensitivity even in death. How very English! I'll be making a trip to Woking soon. Thanks again.
I really want to go there, because I know there are a lot of Canadian graves and an annual Canada Day service. This is very close to my mother-in-law’s house, so I plan to go very soon.
I live in Toronto, Canada. It fascinates me to hear this history and to realize that events here (a former British colony), where identical to events back in England. Yet our churchyards were young and nowhere near as overused as those of Europe when we relocated our dead to the outskirts of town in the 1850s. I imagine it must have become a policy throughout the British Empire. I have heard references to the "cemetery garden movement". It would seem this was both a cultural and a physical "movement".
Absolutely fascinating..When I was a kid my dad would takes us out on little trips on a Sunday and we always ended up in a cemetery or church .He always said you can learn a lot about history from cemeteries ..Where I live is steeped in history and in the late 80’s they exhumed a plague pit in the local church yard -actually asked for volunteers to help 🤦🏻♀️😂
I'd love to see a tour of Nunhead Cemetery and it's chapel and crypt. Though access is tricky i've heard. I love you channel. As a fellow Vancouverite, Tour Guide, Historian AND Anglophile, you are living my dream. Thanks for the vids! I look forward to your future adventures.
Thank you Stephanie! I plan to do detailed tours of all seven of the Magnificent Seven, but first, I have a tour coming up soon of London's Strangest Graveyards. :) It will be up in about a month!
By far and away quite the best and at last the informative and respectful treatment of this little known Victorian necessity, eccentric though it may be. I can't thank you enough for making my day! Apart from the efforts of Jago Hazzard and Rob's London, all the other videos have had the whiff of giggling behind their presenter's hand and no substance, no body to them one might say. Yours is the perfect combination of an engagingly entertaining history of reasons why and a measured explanation of how, so thank you once again.
Just found your post about Brookwood cemetery. I go for a walk most mornings. I would highly recommend a visit you have the south and north where north houses the military you would need a least a day for a visit
I found this fascinating. I must visit this place sometime. It seems macabre, but it was a practical solution to a very real problem. A real slice of social history, which is my pet subject. Thank you for showing this.
@@TheMuseumGuide Many thanks for sharing the video. I found it interesting and informative. My use of the word ‘macabre ‘ was never intended as an insult. On the contrary, it was a unique idea and offered a great deal of dignity to the departed as opposed to what might have happened to them in the city. It even gave a measure of dignity to some who were executed, Styllou Christofi and Edith Thompson, (who, I believe, should never have been hanged), to name two. Thank you again
Thanks for this great video, I’ve watched all your videos. I’ve always loved museums and it feels like I’m with you there. I hope you’ll make many more.
Through London's streets, where shadows creep, Lies a tale of sorrow, dark and deep. Guided by Jessica, the museum's guide, We delve into history's chilling tide. In days of old, when death held sway, Graveyards teemed, with decay. Pyramids of death, reaching the sky, Taller than the Shard, where spirits lie. Enon Chapel, where the dead did sway, Dancing on graves, in a grim ballet. Cholera's grip, a deadly embrace, Spreading fear, across the city's face. Amidst this gloom, a railway arose, London Necropolis, where darkness flows. Carrying corpses, on their final ride, To Brookwood's fields, where souls reside. Brookwood Cemetery, vast and vast, A silent kingdom, of the past. 121 Westminster Bridge Road, now serene, Hides its history, of grim routine. But beneath the surface, shadows linger, Whispers of death, a chilling singer. In the London Necropolis Railway's trail, Lies the grim history, of a city's veil.
As a resident of the Sydney, NSW, Australia, suburb of Lidcombe, I am within a very easy walk of the largest Cemetery of its type in the southern hemisphere. Its name is "Rookwood" officially the Rookwood Necropolis. There are the remains of a mortuary station at Rookwood, and the originating Station just outside of the Sydney Central Station remains in being though no longer used. There is the similarity in name and in the fact that there was once a train service between Sydney and Rookwood. When Rookwood was initiated it was out in the country side but now is literally in the centre of the Sydney suburban sprawl. It is truly the dead centre of Sydney.
@@TheMuseumGuide You can visit the mortuary station at Central. its outside the main station and has been preserved. It's a lovely sandstone building that looks more like a church than a station.
I visited Brookwood a few years back and found it a very "unfriendly" place, I just did not feel comfortable in it, although there was always the fear that I would be busted by the owners for taking photographs. The Military Cemetery is amazing though, but it is tragic to see so many wasted lives.
@@TheMuseumGuide Springvale... Woronora... Newcastle. I keep thinking it would make sense that a certain one in Cairns was rail-served; given that it is right beside the Cairns-Forsayth line - but, not enough evidence. Maybe Cheltenham, since it's right over the station driveway from Cheltenham Station?
@@thoughtengine Woronora, at Sutherland, is much nicer than Rookwood. Rookwood always seems gloomy to me whereas Woronora is really peaceful and pretty. It's an easy walk from the station too.
I'm currently working on transcribing the Brookwood Cemetery Register of Private Graves 1852-1900 (shrugs). Otherwise, one of the most interesting burials I have found so far is for a burial on 16 February 1858, of a person described as 'A Man of Colour. Name Unknown.' I am sure a lot of people think that the use of the phrase 'person of colour' is quite recent, so this burial from 1858 was quite a find. Fun fact 1: I am not sure exactly how many 'greats' it involves, but a great uncle of actor Benedict Cumberbatch was interred at Brookwood on 24 August 1889. Fun fact 2: the wife of the captain of the Titanic was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, following her death in a road accident in London. Fun fact 3: Freddy Mercury's parents are buried at Brookwood. It is also the case that, certainly up to 1900, a large number of burials were of infants and children.
Again, new to your channel.....I've watched almost all your videos today......its a great video series you have built. :edit: just because of where your wedding photos were taken........ Awe.........
I was in a play called The Ghost Train in high school. I played a woman who gets shot in the first act and had to lay down as a corpse for the entire second act.
@@TheMuseumGuide I watched a video once, not sure if it was one of yours, about the reinternment of remains from St Lukes Finsbury, London, to Brookwood. It caught my eye as many of my ancestors were baptised and married at St Lukes. Many of the remains were of people who had died of smallpox and they needed to use workers who had been vaccinated against smallpox, just in case. This wasn't too long ago and many of those young and fit enough to carry out the work were born after smallpox was irradicated and therefore weren't vaccinated. They had to use many workers from countries that continued their vaccination programs until much later.
First off, I had NO IDEA that London went through a Warhammer 40k hiveworld phase. Second, cremation has been practiced for thousands of years but Christians thought it was more "sacred" to rot in a basement. Smh.
Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, it is also the resting place of the only American Military Cemetery of World War I in the British Isles.
Re 1st 2nd and 3rd class: when my grandfather died in the 1940s, an extended family member approached my uncles and told them they couldn't use a particular funeral home. When he was asked why, the answer was that the funeral home also buried black people and they only had one hearse! The relative was outraged that my uncles would allow their father to be taken to the cemetery in a hearse that had transported black corpses. It caused a permanent breach in the family., between the racists who probably wore white sheets to family funerals, and our half who thought it was commendable that there was a funeral home burying black customers, considering the alternative.
Should you find yourself back in the US, you really must visit the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. To say that it is a collection of medical curiosities is a distinct understatement.
Went there when I was 16 with some mates saw a ghost it was sunset and two victorian lady's where walking down a path and yes we where scaird witless and legged it that was 44 years ago still gives me the creeps now
great video I'm interested as Sydney had a funeral train that went from Sydney to a large cemetery little bit out of Sydney called Rookwood the mortuary line ceased in 1946 the main mortuary station still stands in Sydney the mortuary stations that were at Rookwood are all now long gone
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Did you enjoy this video? Keep things spooky and watch the Most Macabre Things in London's Churches next.
th-cam.com/video/cVkfRqN4Qs0/w-d-xo.html
I live just outside of brookwood and always hear the non-operational trains at certain times in the night. In addition the cemetery in brooklands is hugely famous for high profile figures in history including Freddy mercury.
I’m afraid it can’t be Freddie Mercury’s grandparents buried there is that is what you are referring to.
Bomi was born in 1908
Jer was born in 1928.
The people buried there, who just happen to have the same surname, were born in 1931 and 1928.
This means that to be Bomis parents one would have to be minus ten years old and the other minus thirteen years old.
To be Jer’s parents one would have to be three years old and the other a new baby.
People are clutching at straws because the surname is the same. The extended family were left abroad as far as I know but there’s no way in earth that can be his grandparents on either side.
Rookwood NSW Australia had a necropolis railway from Central Station
We have a similar thing in Sydney, Australia where a special railway system was built (In Gothic style) that took the dead from central Railway to the great necropolis of Rookwood in the then outskirts of Sydney. In the 1960's one of the beautiful Gothic mortuary structures was purchased by the Anglican church, demolished and transported to the Australian capital of Canberra where it is now the splendid All Saints church in the Canberra suburb of Ainslie.
Cemeteries are peaceful places, and as someone once said, "the dead can't hurt you, its the living you have to watch out for"
Too true!
My grandfather was a carriage builder at Enfield in Sydney, I still have his drawings of the coffin carriages used from Sydney Central to Rookwood Cemetery. They range from 4 wheel wagons for 3rd class to more luxurious bogie wagons for the better off. As far as I know the building is still at Central and the Rookwood building? now a church in Canberra.
Great video 👍
That is fascinating- what a cool piece of history to own! Thanks for watching.
Loving these historical deep dives! TH-cam channels like yours have replaced both the long-form articles we used to read and underfunded but sorely needed local television.
Thanks Jason. Next stop - public access television.
This was amazing; hadn't a clue it ever existed. What a bizarre part of London life (and death) down the ages! Thanks for the info and the beautiful film content; you are quite a showman.
I was born overlooking Brompton Cemetery and it’s given me and my friends plenty of lovely time in it’s beautiful tranquil setting. And has “wooden cobble stones” in the front of it. A truly lovely place. Many thanks for your great video.
You're very welcome!
Earlier 2024 I visited London for the 1st time and we stayed in a hotel just a few steps away from the Westminster Bridge House building. My husband and I would walk by it and try to guess whatever this building was design for, trying to imagine all history behind it, but we would never guess this true story. Unfortunately I didn't know your channel before our visit but now I'm ready to tour London again!
Have you been to Hayworth? My parents went to the Bronte parsonage and went through the graveyard ..and there was a little path with a little gate and when they walked out the weather immediately shifted darker and cold -and they felt the presence of a ghost, maybe Charlotte. They turned back and went through the gate and it was suddenly sunny. They tell it better. Thanks for your great show.
Wow great story
We had a similar service here in Australia for many years
The funeral train would leave Central Station from the Mortuary Platform and travel out to Rookwood Necropolis which is the largest still in use cemetery in Australia
I definitely need to visit.
Sydney had a necropolis railway which ran from a dedicated station the Sydney CBD to Rockwood (yes, Rookwood). Rockwood is the biggest cemetery in the southern hemisphere. The mortuary station from Rookwood was in danger of total collapse when it was bought by a church in Canberra and carefully dismantled, transported and rebuilt in Canberra. Thank you for your videos.
Yes, I’ve heard of this! I’d love to visit.
It is worth mentioning that the brookwood cemetery society do monthly guided tours around Brookwood.thanks
Another great video for spooky season. I knew about the London Necropolis Railway from a late-night Wikipedia binge, but had no idea their station was still standing, or about that insane death-pyramid idea. Their logo is about the most metal thing ever, and I'd pay good money to own a T-shirt of it. I know 2 tidbits of extra information about the London Necropolis Company- 1) some of the big trees at Brookwood are Giant Sequoias, the biggest trees in the world (although they're currently just babies). This is because there was a mania for them in the mid-19th century after they were 'discovered' by prospectors during the 1849 Gold Rush. 2) At some point the London Necropolis Company also owned double-decker buses, complete with space for the deceased and their coffin! I've actually rode on one, as some of them were bought up by tour companies for ghost tours. The one I rode on was in York, and I think they said it had previously been used in Edinburgh.
Oh yes - I did read that they were Giant Redwoods!
As for the bus you took, this seems to be a cheeky little fib on behalf of the Necrobus. I can't find any historical record of the Cemetery using buses (they did use trucks) but I will keep looking and let you know!
@@TheMuseumGuide Yeah, you're obviously right that a ghost tour would be motivated to boost their ghoul credentials. It still seems a weird lie to tell, though- why would the York tour guides say it was a London Necropolis Company bus, that they'd inherited from their sister company in Edinburgh? None of that really contributed to any of the supernatural silliness they were promoting, which was all centred on local landmarks. IDK- maybe the Edinburgh Necrobus tour bought the buses off of a London ghost tour and just recycled the nonsense, before handing it on to the York folks? Cheers anyway- always fun and informative videos- look forward to the next.
Growing up in a Virginian suburb outside of Washington DC the only places that were quiet were cemeteries
I fell in love with the architecture and Tombstone creativity. I'm glad you got to see some of that beauty.
I love visiting cemeteries - such wonderful museums of the past!
This is in my neck of the woods. Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful cemetery. It was started in the backyard of Robert E. Lee’s house. On purpose. Mrs. Lee came back one time and was so horrified, she didn’t even get out of her carriage.
One of my favorite bands is named for Abney Park cemetery . Kind of fitting for a steampunk band.
It’s perfect. 🙌🏻
Stumbled across this and had to watch it. My father died when I was a small child and was cremated at Brookwood in the late 1960s. We emigrated to Australia a few years later, after my mother remarried. We were not allowed to go to my father's funeral and I was still a child when we emigrated, so I've never seen where my father's last resting place was. I believe his ashes were scattered in the rose gardens.
Many years ago as a student nurse I had a secondment in Brookwood Psychiatric hospital. The staff told me about how the deceased royal family would be transported on the train that passed near the hospital.
I don't know of any royals in Brookwood, but this would be fascinating!
I'd love a tour of high gate cemetery! Loving the videos btw. I'm finding these tours so interesting!
Noted! I will do one this summer, when it is at its prettiest. :)
@@TheMuseumGuide amazing! I'll look forward to watching ☺️
I just discovered your channel. I found it fascinating and educational. I love history and find cemetries and graveyards a good place to start when researching someone or event. Thank you for this awesome video.
Glad you enjoyed! Happy to have you here. :)
Thank you, this was so interesting! I take the train past, and drive through, the cemetery all the time, but have never gone to visit - I’m going to have to make an effort to go.
That fills me with such happiness! Always glad to inspire a spooky cemetery visit.
A whole railway dedicated just to ferry the dead...Charon would be jealous.
Very true! Thanks for watching.
Think he'd ask for a promotion?
A very good episode!
@@virginiawolfe2581 He should!
@@ritakarl9958 Indeed ☺
Love your videos. Could we have a tour of the Church of St Peter ad Vincula and the funeral effigies at Westminster Abbey please? Maybe museums in Wales too, that would be fascinating.
Thank you! Absolutely to Church of St Peter ad Vincula, but sadly, filming is strictly prohibited in Westminster Abbey, and they will have any TH-cam videos taken down. But I will cover it in a different way!
I LOVE your channel!!!
Please don't stop making these wonderful videos 🙏🙏🙏
Genuinely brilliant 🙌
You're very welcome! I plan to keep making many, many more.
I’ve been in London for 11 years and I’m amazed by how much I have left to explore! (Amazed and excited!!)
Isn't it just amazing? I have been here a decade and constantly learn new things that make my head spin.
I think the residents of that city of the dead probably appreciate having someone visit, let alone someone who is so well-versed in the history of the place.
I hope so too. Thanks Rox!
Love love love this video.
Could you do some thing on The Cult of death with Pre-Raphaelite‘s and/or Victorian Gothic renaissance?
Absolutely! You're after my own heart.
Rather grim situation in London, back in the day.
Each time I heard you say Brookwood I was taken back to growing up and working in Sydney, Australia... where we have Rookwood Necropolis... a very large 'city' area indeed. It was also served by train. The original Central Sydney Mortuary platform and building still stands, in sparkly Sydney sandstone.
It’s one of my goals to visit!
My new favorite Channel! I’m a fan of spooky and macabre history, and I now have a few cool things on London Bucket list thanks to Jessica. ☠️ 🇬🇧
Thank you so much Kelly!
The branch line to Rookwood Cemetery opened as the Necropolis line on 22nd October 1864. Trains to the cemetery, which ran exclusively for funerals, left from the Mortuary Station near Central Station in Sydney. The single station on the branch line when it opened was called Haslem s Creek Cemetery.
Well I'll say I've watched dozens and dozens of movies, videos, documentaries, paranormal shows for so many years and this is the first time I've ever heard of the Nacropolis train. And I really enjoyed the information you've just told everyone in this video. Very interesting I must say. Thank you for sharing. Btw, I am new to your videos and this is just my second one, but I loved this one just as much as the first one I saw last week. ❤❤❤
Thank you for this video! I've come across the London Necropolis Train a couple of times in my studies, but this has been the most thorough overview I've seen.
You're very welcome! This is one of my favourite topics, so I hope I did it justice.
I remember from my childhood seeing a similar station in Sydney Australia. Not far from Central station. The train ran from there to the west to Lidcombe. I think the cemetery there was called Rookwood cemetery. It was a common saying amongst older people if they felt ery unwell that they were, "as crook (sick) as Rookwood".
It is Rookwood. My in laws are buried at Rookwood but my mother asked that she not be cremated there as my father was cremated at Brookwood, the cemetery in this video.
we have a similar thing here in australia, i know sydney had a railway stop through a cemetery for funerary purposes. and the train station was this gorgeous kinda gothic/neoclassical style. when they stopped using it, it was dismantled brick by brick and reassembled as a church not far from where i live, in ainslie canberra for anybody who wants to google it. i've never been to this old cemetery but on google maps it looks HUGE i believe there may've been more than one 'train station' there at some stage. all that remains now is the buried tracks and a little bit of the old supporting infrastructure.
I definitely need to visit this church!
Jessica, thanks for this great video! So much with the weirdness of the Victorians!
They were SO BIZARRE.
What a fantastic video. Very informative and interesting. I was born in London and have visited all of the Magnificent Seven but had never heard of the Necropolis railway. Loved the bit about first, second and third class tickets. Class sensitivity even in death. How very English! I'll be making a trip to Woking soon. Thanks again.
You’re very welcome!
I love the work you are doing the history is very intense your presentation is awesome
Thank you!
I have visited the Brookwod Commonwealth Military Cemetery. It is very beautifully maintained.
I really want to go there, because I know there are a lot of Canadian graves and an annual Canada Day service.
This is very close to my mother-in-law’s house, so I plan to go very soon.
I live in Toronto, Canada. It fascinates me to hear this history and to realize that events here (a former British colony), where identical to events back in England. Yet our churchyards were young and nowhere near as overused as those of Europe when we relocated our dead to the outskirts of town in the 1850s. I imagine it must have become a policy throughout the British Empire. I have heard references to the "cemetery garden movement". It would seem this was both a cultural and a physical "movement".
I was surprised to hear about John Singer Sargent being buried there! Somehow I expected him to have a grand plot in the best cemetery!
This was considered quite a 'good' cemetery, but I expected a grander monument, you're right!
The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin is a murder mystery set there. I enjoyed it
Just came across your channel. Awesome. Spending my Saturday morning binge watching all this wonderfully vibrant history. Thanks.
Very cheotic. You would think in death a person would find peace but not here. Thank you for the wonderful video. ♥️
You’re very welcome.
Absolutely fascinating..When I was a kid my dad would takes us out on little trips on a Sunday and we always ended up in a cemetery or church .He always said you can learn a lot about history from cemeteries ..Where I live is steeped in history and in the late 80’s they exhumed a plague pit in the local church yard -actually asked for volunteers to help 🤦🏻♀️😂
Your dad was a smart man!
Excellent video, very well made and narrated. You just gained a follower from Portugal. Cheers!
Thank you!
I'd love to see a tour of Nunhead Cemetery and it's chapel and crypt. Though access is tricky i've heard. I love you channel. As a fellow Vancouverite, Tour Guide, Historian AND Anglophile, you are living my dream. Thanks for the vids! I look forward to your future adventures.
Thank you Stephanie! I plan to do detailed tours of all seven of the Magnificent Seven, but first, I have a tour coming up soon of London's Strangest Graveyards. :) It will be up in about a month!
By far and away quite the best and at last the informative and respectful treatment of this little known Victorian necessity, eccentric though it may be.
I can't thank you enough for making my day! Apart from the efforts of Jago Hazzard and Rob's London, all the other videos have had the whiff of giggling behind their presenter's hand and no substance, no body to them one might say.
Yours is the perfect combination of an engagingly entertaining history of reasons why and a measured explanation of how, so thank you once again.
That’s a lovely compliment. Thank you!
Great Video . I hope to visit this cemetery along Highgate cemetery and the building of the Necropolis Railway . Thank you for the video
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video, fascinating 🙏
Thank you, Colin!
Just found your post about Brookwood cemetery. I go for a walk most mornings. I would highly recommend a visit you have the south and north where north houses the military you would need a least a day for a visit
I found this fascinating. I must visit this place sometime. It seems macabre, but it was a practical solution to a very real problem. A real slice of social history, which is my pet subject. Thank you for showing this.
Macabre is never an insult around here!
@@TheMuseumGuide Many thanks for sharing the video. I found it interesting and informative. My use of the word ‘macabre ‘ was never intended as an insult. On the contrary, it was a unique idea and offered a great deal of dignity to the departed as opposed to what might have happened to them in the city. It even gave a measure of dignity to some who were executed, Styllou Christofi and Edith Thompson, (who, I believe, should never have been hanged), to name two. Thank you again
Nothing like a spot of mourning and a round of golf!
This always make me laugh.
Thank you for this wonderfully educational tour AND telling us where JS Sargent is buried. Had wondered about that for many years.
Thank you- we loved this. The depth of your research is amazing. New to your videos we are going to be busy watching all of your library.❤
Thank you! I love this topic, so I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
Nicely presented, very interesting and your not bad yourself x😊
This is the third episode of yours I have watched. You are amazing, young lady!!
Thank you!
Thanks for this great video, I’ve watched all your videos. I’ve
always loved museums and it feels like I’m with you there. I hope you’ll make many more.
I'm so happy you're enjoying them! Thank you for watching.
Awesome video Jessica, thank you.
Thank you so much! I really love the topic.
Fascinating enjoyed this
I’m glad! Thank you for watching.
Through London's streets, where shadows creep,
Lies a tale of sorrow, dark and deep.
Guided by Jessica, the museum's guide,
We delve into history's chilling tide.
In days of old, when death held sway,
Graveyards teemed, with decay.
Pyramids of death, reaching the sky,
Taller than the Shard, where spirits lie.
Enon Chapel, where the dead did sway,
Dancing on graves, in a grim ballet.
Cholera's grip, a deadly embrace,
Spreading fear, across the city's face.
Amidst this gloom, a railway arose,
London Necropolis, where darkness flows.
Carrying corpses, on their final ride,
To Brookwood's fields, where souls reside.
Brookwood Cemetery, vast and vast,
A silent kingdom, of the past.
121 Westminster Bridge Road, now serene,
Hides its history, of grim routine.
But beneath the surface, shadows linger,
Whispers of death, a chilling singer.
In the London Necropolis Railway's trail,
Lies the grim history, of a city's veil.
Yes,we would really like to see more of the Horniman Museum. Great program, only discovered it today - thank you from Australia
I will have to go in the new year. Thanks for watching!
Enjoyed the video so much!! Great job indeed😊
Yay! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing, I love England and all it’s history, my children were fascinated by cemetery, this is very sad and interesting ❤
You’re very welcome!
Really enjoyed this video
So glad!
awwww, what a beautiful place for the photos
Thank you! I think so too. :)
Thankyou, that was a very interesting video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
We had the Same train in Berlin, Germany too because the graveyeards were full 😄
Oh that’s so interesting! I’ll have a look.
Oh my days! I love your accent and the passion you have for history.
Oh thank you! I never get compliments on my accent! Only critique. ;)
This was fascinating, and your wedding dress was beautiful
Thank you so much!
love that ghost train picture
Me too!
Sydney Australia had one too. You can still see both ends of the line.
Loving your channel, would you ever consider doing a video on a couple of the 7 cemeteries? I would love to visit Highgate.
Yes, I will visit this Spring or Summer! Such a wonderful place - I used to lead tours there.
Great work.
Thank you! Cheers!
Just discovered you ,and I love your tours! Thank you!
Glad you like them!
Really interesting episode thanks 😀
You’re very welcome!
Am really enjoying your channel!
I'm so glad! Thanks for being here.
As a resident of the Sydney, NSW, Australia, suburb of Lidcombe, I am within a very easy walk of the largest Cemetery of its type in the southern hemisphere. Its name is "Rookwood" officially the Rookwood Necropolis. There are the remains of a mortuary station at Rookwood, and the originating Station just outside of the Sydney Central Station remains in being though no longer used. There is the similarity in name and in the fact that there was once a train service between Sydney and Rookwood. When Rookwood was initiated it was out in the country side but now is literally in the centre of the Sydney suburban sprawl. It is truly the dead centre of Sydney.
I've had many comments about this - I need to visit Sydney again, clearly!
@@TheMuseumGuide You can visit the mortuary station at Central. its outside the main station and has been preserved. It's a lovely sandstone building that looks more like a church than a station.
Very fascinating video. Did anyone happen to notice the face of what appears to be a little girl peering over the gravedigger's shoulder (2:47)?
I visited Brookwood a few years back and found it a very "unfriendly" place, I just did not feel comfortable in it, although there was always the fear that I would be busted by the owners for taking photographs. The Military Cemetery is amazing though, but it is tragic to see so many wasted lives.
The Victorian Railways in Australia had an almost identical service from Melbourne to Fawkner Necropolis.
The rail line is still operating.
I need to look into this - a few people have commented this now!
@@TheMuseumGuide Springvale... Woronora... Newcastle.
I keep thinking it would make sense that a certain one in Cairns was rail-served; given that it is right beside the Cairns-Forsayth line - but, not enough evidence.
Maybe Cheltenham, since it's right over the station driveway from Cheltenham Station?
@@thoughtengine Woronora, at Sutherland, is much nicer than Rookwood. Rookwood always seems gloomy to me whereas Woronora is really peaceful and pretty. It's an easy walk from the station too.
I'm currently working on transcribing the Brookwood Cemetery Register of Private Graves 1852-1900 (shrugs). Otherwise, one of the most interesting burials I have found so far is for a burial on 16 February 1858, of a person described as 'A Man of Colour. Name Unknown.' I am sure a lot of people think that the use of the phrase 'person of colour' is quite recent, so this burial from 1858 was quite a find.
Fun fact 1: I am not sure exactly how many 'greats' it involves, but a great uncle of actor Benedict Cumberbatch was interred at Brookwood on 24 August 1889.
Fun fact 2: the wife of the captain of the Titanic was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, following her death in a road accident in London.
Fun fact 3: Freddy Mercury's parents are buried at Brookwood.
It is also the case that, certainly up to 1900, a large number of burials were of infants and children.
That sounds fascinating! Thank you for sharing.
This was great thank you
You’re very welcome!
Very well documented. Rare on TH-cam...
Thank you!
Again, new to your channel.....I've watched almost all your videos today......its a great video series you have built.
:edit: just because of where your wedding photos were taken........
Awe.........
Thanks and welcome!
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was in a play called The Ghost Train in high school. I played a woman who gets shot in the first act and had to lay down as a corpse for the entire second act.
I read about the dancing and it collapsed. Don’t forget medieval burials and the mass graves for the Black Death.
I have a plague video in the works!
@@TheMuseumGuide I watched a video once, not sure if it was one of yours, about the reinternment of remains from St Lukes Finsbury, London, to Brookwood. It caught my eye as many of my ancestors were baptised and married at St Lukes. Many of the remains were of people who had died of smallpox and they needed to use workers who had been vaccinated against smallpox, just in case. This wasn't too long ago and many of those young and fit enough to carry out the work were born after smallpox was irradicated and therefore weren't vaccinated. They had to use many workers from countries that continued their vaccination programs until much later.
How sad that that Line has been destroyed.
Agree!
The similarly named Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney, Australia - one if the largest graveyards in the world - also had a rail line, operating until 1948.
That is fascinating! I need to learn more.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Street_railway_station
My great grandmother is buried in Brookwood, as is Capt Smith’s (Titanic) widow is also interred there….
I didn’t know that! Fascinating.
Please cover Tower Hamlets cemetary if you haven't already - thanks!
Very fun video. I do enjoy the historic spooky.
I do as well!
First off, I had NO IDEA that London went through a Warhammer 40k hiveworld phase. Second, cremation has been practiced for thousands of years but Christians thought it was more "sacred" to rot in a basement. Smh.
Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, it is also the resting place of the only American Military Cemetery of World War I in the British Isles.
Yes, and so vast! Sadly I didn't visit the entire thing, but it is close to my mother-in-law's house, so hopefully we will visit again.
I watched a lot of cemetery TH-cam the American ones are magnificent
I should watch some! What do you recommend?
Re 1st 2nd and 3rd class: when my grandfather died in the 1940s, an extended family member approached my uncles and told them they couldn't use a particular funeral home. When he was asked why, the answer was that the funeral home also buried black people and they only had one hearse! The relative was outraged that my uncles would allow their father to be taken to the cemetery in a hearse that had transported black corpses. It caused a permanent breach in the family., between the racists who probably wore white sheets to family funerals, and our half who thought it was commendable that there was a funeral home burying black customers, considering the alternative.
Are you American? We didn't have segregation in the UK. Class is entirely different.
YES. Both countries had discrimination by class and race, to different degrees. Poor brown people had it rough in both countries.
@@jocelynmartin1572 we didn't have segregation though, check out the battle of bamber bridge
@@jocelynmartin1572 poor working class people of all races had it rough
In rural Australia if you died away from where you'd be buried they would put you on the train a normal passenger train
Unreal! Such a bizarre history.
Should you find yourself back in the US, you really must visit the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. To say that it is a collection of medical curiosities is a distinct understatement.
It's on my very, very shortlist! I hope to visit this coming fall. I can't wait!
Went there when I was 16 with some mates saw a ghost it was sunset and two victorian lady's where walking down a path and yes we where scaird witless and legged it that was 44 years ago still gives me the creeps now
You’ll never forget it! That sounds terrifying.
Very interesting work
Thank you! Cheers!
great video I'm interested as Sydney had a funeral train that went from Sydney to a large cemetery little bit out of Sydney called
Rookwood the mortuary line ceased in 1946 the main mortuary station still stands in Sydney
the mortuary stations that were at Rookwood are all now long gone
Yes, that’s so cool! I can’t wait to come and check it out next time I’m in Sydney.