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Catherine Arnold
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Publisher | pocket books | ||
ISBN | 978-141650248 | ||
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Reviewer
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Ann
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Synopsis
From Roman burial rites to the horrors of the plague, from the founding of the great Victorian cemeteries to the development of cremation and the current approach of metropolitan society towards death and bereavement -- including more recent trends to displays of collective grief and the cult of mourning, such as that surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales -- NECROPOLIS: LONDON AND ITS DEAD offers a vivid historical narrative of this great city's attitude to going the way of all flesh. As layer upon layer of London soil reveals burials from pre-historic and medieval times, the city is revealed as one giant grave, filled with the remains of previous eras -- pagan, Roman, medieval, Victorian. This fascinating blend of archaeology, architecture and anecdote includes such phenomena as the rise of the undertaking trade and the pageantry of state funerals; public executions and bodysnatching. Ghoulishly entertaining and full of fascinating nuggets of information, Necropolis leaves no headstone unturned in its exploration of our changing attitudes to the deceased among us. Both anecdotal history and cultural commentary, Necropolis will take its place alongside classics of the city such as Peter Ackroyd's LONDON.
Review
Lots of interesting details, for example romans and saxons beneath St Pauls, discovery of mass graves, the latest being during the construction of the Channel Tunnel rail link in 2004, the horrors of the Plague and the separate station at Waterloo for transporting corpses out of town. Plus the Victorian wonders of Highgate Cemetery, now high on my visit list !
I wish there had been more, and better, illustrations and some maps but maybe the specific locations of graves, specifically the cholera and plague pits are still contentious.
Of equal interest is our attitude to death, reflected in the treatment of the dead. Although many of the changes were triggered by the growth of the city and subsequent health issues due to overcrowding, the removal of the dead away from the living mirrors the drift away from religious practices. Perhaps in modern times, as with the extraordinary public behaviour on the death of Diana and the practice of leaving flowers at death sites, there is a growing move to bring death closer into life. As Catharine Arnold says we've moved " from stiff upper lip ....to bleeding hearts".
Recent practices, such as leaving flowers perhaps a sign that death is becoming too remote, no longer a part of life.
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