William French

This is a memorial for William French who lost his life on 13th July 1896 by saving a dog from drowning in Highgate Ponds North London. The dog survived, alas Mr French did not. The monument was erected in St Pancras and Islington Cemetery in commemoration of his brave deed and paid for by public subscription.

The House, St Vincent’s Paris.

The House, St Vincent’s Paris.

Figure in a shroud.

A figure in a sack like shroud, St Mary’s Perivale, London. This is the only one I’ve ever seen quite like this.

Ricardo's Cat

Ricardo’s cat, a large mosaic cat from Pere Lachaise cemetery Paris which always makes me smile.

Dalida, Montmartre cemetery, Paris

A life-size sculpture of Dalida, a French singer, adorns her grave in Montmartre cemetery Paris.

Manor Park cemetery London.

A stone football from Manor Park cemetery.

Dead Man's Penny

This is known as a dead man's penny. I discovered it on a monument at the City of London cemetery.

Emily Pankhurst, London.

Emmeline (Emily) Pankhurst 1858 – 1928, leader of the suffragette movement. Brompton cemetery, London.

Two heads are better than one, Glasgow.

I've never seen one of these before. Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland.

West Norwood cemetery, London.

This unusual blue Noveau cross is from West Norwood cemetery.

Silver Spirit, Kensal Green cemetery.

The Silver Spirit, Kensal Green cemetery London. A modern monument based on the Rolls Royce symbol.

Glasgow Necropolis Scotland - the snake and hand.

A snake and hand from Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland. The snake or serpent biting its own tail and forming a circle is called an Ouroboros. Used in ancient cultures it can symbolise unity, eternity or the cyclical nature of many aspects of life.

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Scotland.

Three late 1700s early 1800s memorials from Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh Scotland.

West Norwood Cemetery, London.

The final curtain, West Norwood cemetery.

Paris

Angel with child from a cemetery in Paris, this wonderful monument is made from a white iron.

Pere Lachaise, Paris

I’ve never seen another quite like this – an unusual mirrored monument from Pere Lachaise, Paris with tiny figures depicting the life of the man buried there.

West Norwood Cemetery, London.

Columbarium at West Norwood cemetery, London.

Pere Lachaise, Paris.

An unusual Buddhist memorial from Pere Lachaise cemetery Paris. It has ‘faces’ on all four sides.

The worms of Southend Cemetery

This is the amazing scene at Southend Cemetery in Essex UK. Millions of caterpillars spinning their silk webs all over the trees. In their caterpillar stage, the bugs, known as web worms, weave leaves of trees together and eat them. They are bird cherry tree ermine moths and when they emerge fully grown, they become distinctive white moths with five rows of black dots. It gives the cemetery a kind of eerie winter wonderland feel!

Burnham, Essex UK

I discovered this coffin shaped memorial in St Mary the Virgin’s churchyard in Burnham, Essex and dubbed it the camouflage coffin!