Explore Haunted London During The Month Of The Dead

By Kyra Hanson Last edited 102 months ago
Explore Haunted London During The Month Of The Dead
Money raised goes towards the restoration of Brompton Cemetery. Photo: Maurizio Parenti (2008) from the Londonist Flickr Pool

According to London Month of the Dead there's so much ghoulish fun to be had on All Hallows' Eve it can't all be contained in a single night. For those of us with morbid inclinations who enjoy the occasional cemetery stroll and have a penchant for fancy dress, Halloween can't come soon enough.

Luckily throughout October, Brompton and Kensal Green, two of London's celebrated Victorian cemeteries will be teeming with events to satisfy our fascination with the macabre.

Those with a steady hand and a strong stomach can take part in taxidermy workshops using insects (4 October) and rodents (4 and 10 October).

Or if you're looking for some late night entertainment a little out of the ordinary, a candlelit concert will be held in Brompton Cemetery (17 October) featuring songs about an unfortunate man who was buried alive. Then if classical music is more your thing, hear the melancholy sounds of two late string quartets by Beethoven and Shostakovich performed in a chapel (1 November).

Brush up on the gory details of London's gruesome past with the help of experts who will give talks on capital punishment (17 October), Hyde Park's cemetery secrets (17 and 24 October) and the science behind decomposition (24 October).

And if you aren't quaking in your boots by then, attend Stories in Stone (1 November) where you can calm your nerves with a Hendrick's gin cocktail while listening to haunted tales told through poetry and mythology.

Tickets are on sale now through the London Month of the Dead website, snap yours up before they go, the dead don't like to be kept waiting. 20% of ticket sales go towards the conservation and restoration of Brompton Cemetery, while the Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged to match all donations.

Last Updated 23 September 2015