London's Crypts and Catacombs

by Robert Bard, Adrian Miles

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath your feet when you walk into an ancient church or through a graveyard? The mystery of what lies beneath? Did you know that some of London’s most famous cemeteries have catacombs? The book explores some of the most intriguing vaults, crypts, and catacombs of London and where you can still find some of them. Some are even open to public view. Crypts were often built by rich and powerful families to lay to rest their family remains. Many of London’s church crypts have been converted into cafés and restaurants to meet London’s 20th and 21st century needs but others still retain their occupants. Following on from their last book, London’s Hidden Burial Grounds , authors Adrian Miles, a senior archeologist with Museum of London Archaeology, and Dr. Robert Bard, a historian who has written many books about the history of London, have come together again to take their readers on an intriguing journey of discovery though London’s vaults, crypts, and catacombs. The book contains many unique photographs and is a haunting insight into the process and burial of our ancestors.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2019

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned some new terms and fields of interest in this short book. The most fascinating chapter, I found, is the first which has a Dean of Westminster Abbey attempting to locate the remains of James I of England, who was also James VI of Scotland. He was the heir of Elizabeth I who was one and the same who signed the death warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots who was James I mother. It is somewhat confusing, I know. Where James I was found is quite interesting, and there is even a picture of James I’s coffin, but there are two other coffins next to him. To whom they belong is odd to say the least. The rest of Dr. Robert Bard & Adrian Miles’, ‘an expert in the field of post-medieval burials and funerary archaeology (new term for me), London’s Crypts & Catacombs has photos of crypts and vaults under churches as well as information about the ‘garden’ cemeteries built in Victorian London.
The conservation that has taken place is truly amazing, but what the previous crypts became is without doubt incredible! 4 stars