A graveyard in Southwark is the final resting place for thousands of Londoners, yet this slither of land barely registers on the tourist trail.
The Crossbones Graveyard is a lesser-known burial ground in the capital despite neighbouring attractions such as Shakespeare’s Globe, Southwark Cathedral and The Shard, which bring in millions of visitors every year.
But history buffs could learn a lot about the brutality of medieval London for the poorer folk and prostitutes that were laid to rest in these grounds.
Metro visited the graveyard and its gardens for a tour by Mick Church – an expert on the history of Crossbones who volunteers at the site.
The area was considered a medieval ‘playground’ in its past under the lenient control of the Bishop of Winchester. It bustled with theatres, bear-baiting blood sports and prostitutes.
Mick called Crossbones a ‘very significant’ place that ‘tells us a lot about the history of London’.
On the stories told by the graves, Mick said: ‘There are sex workers buried here and many impoverished children.’
The harsh conditions of medieval life can be seen in burial habits too. Mick said: ‘Most could not afford a coffin. Those that had any funds would only have enough to be able to rent it to bring the body to the graveyard then it would be reused.’
The last burial at this paupers’ graveyard was in 1853. However, conservation work only started after Transport for London found 148 skeletons while excavating for the Jubilee line in 1993.
The Friends of Crossbones network was created in 1996 to raise awareness of the site. It has opened and maintained the Garden of Remembrance to honour the dead.
Mick said that the land ‘had been built over as a car park until they found remains’, so it is fortunate that ‘the site is now a peaceful place where we can remember all these people buried below, many who died from violence, poverty and disease’.
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A vigil for the dead is held at the site on the twenty-third of every month and colourful ribbons are tied to the cemetery gates in their memory.
Many sculptures and artefacts also tell the location’s history, including a wooden structure of a goose stretching its wings.
The prostitutes who operated there in the past were nicknamed the ‘Winchester Geese’. Legend has it that the name came from the noise they made while trying to drum up custom or from the way they dressed.
The site’s eclectic items also include a sculpture dedicated to the trans community and a skeletal figure donated by the Mexican ambassador, as remembering the dead is a huge part of the culture in Mexico.
The Crossbones Garden of Remembrance was opened in 2015 and is run with the help of Bankside Open Spaces Trust. Last year 12,000 visited the site and numbers are rising.
William Rallison, head of parks and community for the trust, told Metro: ‘The volunteers like Mick do a great job. This is a very special place and we are seeing more and more visitors.’
On the day Metro toured Crossbones there were school groups and tourists from around the world in the gardens.
Mick said: ‘This garden is aimed at bringing everyone together. A quiet place of reflection in the middle of the hustle and bustle. London is just the most amazing city.’
Crossbones Graveyard in Union Street, Southwark, is open Wednesday to Friday and the first Saturday of every month, 12-2pm.
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