I recently reported on a photographic dérive around Liverpool and my visit to St James Cemetery which sits in the shadow of the Anglican Cathedral.
St James is situated in an abandoned 15th century quarry, which provided much of the construction stone for the old docks and Town Hall. Converted into a mausoleum and graveyard to house the manifold dead, especially following the Victorian Cholera epidemic, which ran through the city due to improper housing and unsanitary conditions, leaving thousands dead and the main necropolis in north Liverpool literally overflowing.
In the shadow of the huge gothic cathedral, the peaceful gardens have now had many of the original internments removed and the statuary and monuments left to decay. However, the site is now maintained and secured by a working group and it has become a popular tourist destination.
Naturally, any ancient site such as this will engender myths and stories and a wealth of historical detail. Many of the cities luminaries, as well as a cadre of villains, destitutes and impoverished rested here and many have left an indelible impression on the site.
Whilst the atmospheric cemetery holds a definite sense of place during daylight hours, visiting the graveyard after dark is another experience altogether. Last night I embarked on a tour of the cemetery with two guides on a
‘Tale of the Necropolis’ ghost walk.
Hosted by two knowledgeable guides, masquerading as a Professor of the Esoteric and a warden of the site, I was led by lantern light through the infamous history of the internments.
Whilst photography was encouraged, it wasn’t the most practical thing to do in the freezing wind, so I just used my phone and a handful of apps to catch a few shots as myself and my wife walked along, listening intently to fascinating tales of underground streams, Druidic encampments and fey folk luring the unwary into the underworld.
The most fascinating part of the tour was the guides explanation of the many strange sites and curiosities which abound in the area, such as the graffiti ground into the walls and the fresh water rivulet which issues from the wall on the terraced side.
Having seen most of the more common sites during the day on my previous visit, seeing them and many others and having the stories and legends explained and elaborated upon, made it a wholly different experience.
Walking along the bottom of the cavernous graveyard, there were tales of the doomed ships captain of the Great Eastern, spectral children wandering the paths among the trees, mausoleums being ransacked and lead lined coffins revealing petrified corpses.
The Huskisson Monument, which originally housed a statue of the first casualty of the public railway, courtesy of Stephensons Rocket, dominates the floor of the graveyard and through the barred railings, the original plinth can clearly be seen.
The guides related tales of murder and midnight burials in unconsecrated land and the final resting place of the infamous ‘Everton Vampire’, allegedly interred face down beneath a carpet of wild garlic, which freighted the air with a sickly sweetness as we trod upon the banks.
Possibly my favourite shot and certainly one of the clearest shows the unfortunately numbered interment catalogued with the biblical Number of the Beast, 666.
Tours for 'Tales of the Necropolis' can be booked here: https://www.talesfromthenecropolis.co.uk/ and are well worth joining, especially on the dark autumn and winter nights, but also on the long summer evenings!
