LONDON’S HIDDEN BURIAL GROUNDS:
46 SHOCKING SITES REVEALED

It’s funny how people have no clue what’s
under their feet… Are you ready
to dive deep into one of the City’s
darkest and most disturbing secrets?

london's hidden burial grounds book — PHOTO: MARTA AMBROZEJ

So… Ever thought about the fact that London is basically one giant graveyard, with hundreds of generations resting (not-so-very-much in peace) beneath the streets? Over the centuries, burial grounds have been built on, paved over, and totally forgotten – until some unlucky builders dig up a surprise skeleton during construction…

This publication skips the famous cemeteries like Highgate and Kensal Green, taking you on a wild ride through 46 long-lost graveyards instead – hidden in plain sight under playgrounds, public gardens, schools, housing estates and multi-story car parks…

author

Robert Bard isn’t just an average history buff – he’s also a former pilot and a keen yachtsman. When he’s not sailing, he’s diving into London’s darkest secrets, writing books like Tyburn – the story of London’s gallows (2012) and Capital Punishment – London’s Places of Execution (2016).

Then there’s Adrian Miles – an archaeologist specializing in burials, who’s been digging up bones for the Museum of London. Together, they make a killer team in exploring London’s forgotten history. Their first collaboration, London’s Hidden Burial Grounds (2017), was just the beginning, followed by London’s Crypts and Catacombs (2018).

graphic design

The cover with Highgate Cemetery, one of the best-known cemeteries in the world, for a publication about exactly opposite places…? Yeah, I don’t get it… Plus, the book could use some general graphic design and text editing touch-ups, as some pages look really messy. It’s packed with awesome archival images, as well as up-to-date snapshots of the sites – which, to be honest, could’ve been better, but they were taken by the authors themselves, and I think it’s a nice touch.

Overview

Well, I’d say it’s rather robotic and not too engaging… But the number of interesting facts, together with the perfect balance of text and pictures, kept me flipping through these pages like crazy, muttering ‘No way!’ every now and then, and forgetting about the whole world for a few hours, so… yeah, I guess it’s ok. Or maybe I just don’t need much when it comes to uncovering secret gravesites – let’s be real, books on them are rare enough!

top highlights

Forget the Magnificent Seven cemeteries – this book focuses on the real London’s hidden gems! We’re talking 46 locations including long-forgotten plague pits, churchyards once overflowing with bodies, and gruesome burial grounds adjoining Victorian hospitals – all brought to life through stories coming from two iconic sources: Gatherings from Graveyards (1839) by George Walker and The London Burial Grounds (1896) by Isabella Holmes. I had no idea there wero so many of them – and, seriously, in the unlikeliest of places!

Favourite bits

I absolutely love all the equally horrifying and fascinating Victorian descriptions! Oh, they didn’t hold back on the grim details…

At the time I attended it (…) the place was in a very filthy state: the smell was most abominable and very injurious; I have frequently gone home myself with a severe headache (…); also, there were insects (…); I have taken them home in my hat, and my wife has taken them home in her clothes; we always considered that they proceeded from the dead bodies underneath. (p. 44-45, quoted from ‘Enon Chapel’ by G. Howarth and P. Jupp in The Changing Face of Death: Historical Accounts of Death and Disposal, 1997)

It is full of coffins, up to the surface. Coffins are broken up before they are decayed, and bodies are removed to the ‘bone house’, (…) which is a large round pit; into this had been shot, from a wheelbarrow, the partly-decayed inmates of the smashed coffins. Here (…) you may see human heads, covered with hair; and (…) human bones with flesh still adhering to them. On the north side, a man was digging a grave; he was quite drunk, so indeed were all the grave diggers we saw. We looked into this grave, but the stench was abominable. We remained however, long enough to see that a child’s coffin, which had stopped the man’s progress, had been cut (…) right in half; and there lay the child which had been buried in it (…). The shroud was but little decayed. (p. 51-52, quoted from Gatherings from Graveyards by George Walker, 1839)

Slips and trips

This book could definitely use a graphic design makeover (seriously, I just can’t get over that cover!) and a bit of text editing to make it look cleaner and more polished.
A map with all the locations marked would be a game-changer for planning visits!
Since it came out in 2017, some of the site photos are already outdated, so maybe it’s time for a refreshed edition?

SUMMARY

If you’re all about uncovering forgotten secrets, this book is right up your alley! Perfect for taphophiles, curious tourists, and even locals – who usually have no idea what’s buried right under their feet… It may not be too pleasing visually, but who cares when it’s packed with amazing knowledge, that will change the way you look at these cute green squares in central London forever! Oh, and don’t even try to fight the urgent need to check in person if any of these places still have an eerie vibe…

Have you read it already? Any forgotten burial ground in the most unexpected place you know? Share your spooky discoveries in the comments!

★★★★★