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Tuesday, 4 November 2008
4th November 2008
Mood:
 cheeky
Topic: How it begun!
To finish off from yesterday I will explain how Dark Destiny came to be. To start with the name or URL was acquired long before the site concept evolved. I'm not altogether sure why I brought it, I think it was at a time when I was buying domain names purely because they were available and I liked them. So I had a domain which sat idle for months until I read a report in my local newspaper. Before I carry on I should go back even further. Growing up, and still living, in a town which dates back to medieval times I have always found the many churchyards which surrounded me to hold a fascination. As a child I suppose it might of been the 400 year old gravestones with skull and crossbones on which marked the resting place of plague victims and the associated ghost legends. Then as a young adult I think it was the peace and tranquility which provided a brief rest-bite from the hectic daily round of work, married life and fatherhood. I still find such places tranquil and relaxing but now it's the history, symbolism, architecture and the combined beauty of both man-made stone art and mother nature which captures my interest. Back to the newspaper report. One of the most interesting graveyards in town had become victim to a Friday night drunken rampage. Multiple statues and more then a dozen headstones had been kicked over and smashed, most of the destroyed monuments were over 150 years old. This drunken act caused a small outcry among the locals and despite offers of rewards the offenders were never caught. It occurred to me that if the vandalism continued this way then in years to come there would be little if nothing left of the Victorian monuments and the memories they represent. I decided the only practical way of trying to preserve what was left was by photography. Cutting a long story short things kind of escalated as my interest in both photography and Victorian monuments grew. The thirst for bigger more significant memorials could only lead me in the direction of London and the "Magnificent Seven". Here's a few photo's taken in 2007 of the graveyard in question: 
Today my collection of photographs is massive. What is seen on Dark Destiny is only a tiny percentage of the photo's taken. On average each outing nets me around four to five hundred photo's which will hopefully one day provide a valuable record of the past.
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 1:59 PM GMT
Updated: Tuesday, 4 November 2008 10:55 PM GMT
Monday, 3 November 2008
3rd November 2008
Mood:
 lazy
Topic: New Monuments
I've not managed to get out too much lately apart from visits to hospitals and doctors, but on Saturday I had a wander around my local town center and a large church yard which resides there. It must be at least 3 months since I had a walk round there and it is in fact the churchyard which is responsible for the creation of Dark Destiny, I shall explain all that in a minute. Anyway while checking that all my favorite statues etc were still intact I came across three substantial monuments which were all unfamiliar. On closer inspection and a little head scratching later I recalled that previously there had been nothing more then a very dense bush at the location in question. The stone work on two of the monument was in pretty good condition considering their age and when I'm next going in that direction I shall take a camera so I can post a pic or two here. But the point I'm trying to make is that in this particular graveyard, which incidentally is over a thousand years old, there must be another ten to twenty large bushes which have grown up around headstones, tombs and statues and now conceals their very existence. I can't help but imagine just what long forgotten monumental gems lay hidden from view in thousands of graveyards all over the UK. I would love to get the shears out and see whats revealed, does anyone know the legalities of such a move? Time has beat me for the moment as the dinner requires my attention so I'll explain the fundamentals of how Dark Destiny was born and the connection to the above graveyard in another post very soon. Bye for now 
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 5:02 PM GMT
Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 6:03 PM GMT
Friday, 31 October 2008
31st October 2008
Mood:
 not sure
Topic: New Addition
 Received news today that my operation to remove the cancer from my bladder won't be until December. My consultant has tried every trick in the book to get things sorted quicker but there are just not enough available operating slots, even to pay private at over four thousand pounds will not get it done any quicker.
Thankfully he thinks it will make no difference to my long term health but when you have cancer which could be removed in a minor procedure lasting around 30 minutes it is very frustrating (and uncomfortable) having to wait so long.
Back to more cheerful things! To cheer my wife up and to take our minds off things we have a new addition to the family. Meet our new puppy "Hugo" or more appropriately "Hurricane Hugo". His fast, smelly, destructive, stubborn and far too clever for his own good but my wife loves him to bits.
Yesterday we updated the site with some photo's of Hanwell Cemetery which were taken back in May this year and coming soon will be photos of Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery.
Until then, be good.
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 11:45 AM BST
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
22nd October 2008
Mood:
 sad
Topic: Cancer
Life can throw things in your direction sometimes which really knock the crap out of you. I suppose writing this will help me come to terms and accept things a little more but it isn't easy.
Friday just gone I was informed that I have cancer. I have a tumour in my bladder which obviously needs to be removed in the next couple of weeks. My consultant is confident that the thing is superficial and once removed no further treatment will be required (there's always nagging doubts though) apart from regular scoping and scans to make sure all is well.
Despite changing attitudes towards cancer and the short time in which I have been diagnosed it's amazing how some people (thankfully not many) can still make you feel unclean, it's almost as if they think they might catch it from you. But at the same time I've also been overwhelmed with such sincere offers of support and love which has really restored my faith in human nature. Thank you so much to my family, friends and the amazing staff (Mr Lane, Helen, Denise to name a few) at Hertford County Hospital.
Anyway I have a wife and kids who mean the world to me so what more incentive do I need to make sure I'm around for years to come.
At present I won't be travelling about taking photo's but I still have a few updates in hand to keep things fresh for a month or two.
For the moment though, look after yourself and make the most of every day.
Best Wishes
Neil
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 11:42 AM BST
Saturday, 9 August 2008
9th August 2008
Mood:
 accident prone
Topic: Putney Vale Cemetery
It's the half way point in the kids summer holiday and to celebrate I decided on a trip to Putney Vale Cemetery. This part of the year is my least favourite, a little sunshine and everyone seems to take leave of their senses. 
For example, I've never understood the concept of a garden barbeque. The hottest day of the year and it seems that half the population are busy producing salmonella burgers in a cloud of putrid smoke. Why on a blazing hot day do people insist on setting fire to a pile of charcoal, heating it until it's glowing red and then complaining that their too hot and "we need a good storm to clear the air".
Anyway as you can probably tell, since my last blog life has been a little challenging. My wife's Grandmother finally passed over after a long battle with cancer and we have spent countless hours at our local cancer clinic with my wife being subjected to every intrusive test known to mankind. 
Thankfully everything is going in our favour and I would like to thank all the dedicated Doctors and Nurses who do a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances (caused by the NHS and that twat Gordon Brown).
Taking a chance on the weather we got an early start and after one train two tubes and a half hour bus ride we arrived at Putney Vale Cemetery in South London. Within ten minutes of our arrival the light faded and the heavens opened forcing us to take shelter under a gazebo type structure adjacent to the Chapels/Crematorium. 
The morning followed the pattern of showers every 10 minutes or so and most of the photo's were taken from the shelter of two umbrellas kindly held by my wife and son.
The older area of Putney Vale Cemetery which is to the rear of the Chapels is home to some wonderful monuments and a lovely Egyptian style Mausoleum. The rest of the Cemetery is a little bland with modern style headstones set out in symmetrical rows. The only exceptions are the unusual (for the UK) above ground vaults which stand in blocks of five vaults wide by three high, and appear to be very under occupied. The other nice feature of the Cemetery is the walled memorial garden for the interment of cremains. With two impressive (albeit not functional at the time of our visit) water features and some well thought out planting this made for a very pleasant and tranquil area for reflection. 
I'll go into more detail when the photo's are uploaded but Putney Vale is home to it's fair share of famous persons including the "Carry On" actress Hattie Jacques and F1 driver James Hunt. I arrived armed with a list of names to look out for but unfortunately apart from one we failed to spot the graves or memorials of the remainder.
By 12.30pm we had pretty much finished and decided to catch the bus back to Putney Bridge tube station where we had planned to make our way to Covent Garden and the London Transport Museum. Thankfully our decision turned out to be a wise one as the clouds couldn't control themselves any longer and the rain lashed down for the next few hours. 
Unfortunately the Transport Museum turned out to be a disappointment and certainly not worth the £10 per adult admission. If you are interested in trains then the National Railway Museum in York is the place to go, and it's free. Next we headed back to South Kensington and had a wander around the Science Museum (which is also free) and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. Before boarding the tube back to Kings Cross we took a walk down the road to have a look at the Royal Albert Hall. Considering the amount of time I've spent in London it's surprising that I can't ever remember seeing this impressive piece of Victorian Architecture. Unbeknown to me they hold regular tours of the hall and it's something I shall keep in mind for a future trip. Just across the road from the RAH is Hyde park and the amazing Albert Memorial which towered impressively into the gloomy London sky. 
By the end of the day luck appeared to be on our side. Within minutes of arriving at Kings Cross by tube the underground station was closed and swamped with police and fire-fighters. To the sound of the emergency alarms going off everywhere we tried hard to find out what was going on. The Police said "a small incident, nothing to worry about", station staff said "flooding on the Northern Line" and the announcer on the loud halo system said "due to extreme overcrowding the station is now closed". We never did get to the bottom of it, even back at home I could find no reference to the situation even on the TFL website.
Thankfully, despite the rain, the photo's didn't turn out too bad. Even so, I strongly suspect that it won't be far off Christmas by the time I get round to uploading them to the site. That also means another school holiday to contend with, wish me luck I still have three weeks of this one to deal with.
See you again soon!
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 11:24 AM BST
Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 11:40 AM GMT
Saturday, 28 June 2008
28th June 2008
Mood:
 surprised
Topic: Brockley/Ladywell
It was a day of highs, lows and frustration. The morning round of tea, toast and nagging the kids to get ready was going well and to scheduled, but, I was just about to put my boots on to leave when the telephone rang. 
Unfortunately the call brought news of the sudden admission to hospital of my wife's Grandmother who has bravely been fighting cancer for the past 3 years. After my wife had finish talking we had long since missed our train and so we set off in a sombre mood to catch the next service to Finsbury Park.
Once there we took the tube to Victoria mainline station but arrived just seconds after the 10.43 service to Sevenoaks had departed. With half an hour to wait for the next train we watched the display board intently so we could pounce on the designated platform once it had been allocated. Thankfully we didn't have to travel all the way to Sevenoaks but only had to go as far as Crofton Park which took around twenty minutes of clanking through the maze of tracks which head into Southeast London. 
Upon arrival a right turn at the station exit and a short walk later we were greeted with the sight of the charmingly overgrown Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery. Up until 1948 these were two entirely different cemeteries which just happened to be next door to each other but when the local council took ownership they sensibly merged them into one.
The plan was simple, we would work our way through from the Brockley side and exit via the Ladywell gate and head back into town via Ladywell station to London Bridge. Unfortunately, as with most things that day it didn't quite go according to plan.
Within minutes of our arrival we were greeted by the tailless cemetery cat who accompanied us for around the first hour of our visit. I can only assume this friendly lady cat lived in one of the cemetery lodges as it's collar gave it's home address as Brockley Cemetery. We worked our way through the Brockley side and soon arrived at the Mortuary Chapel which was surrounded by some impressive but also bomb damaged monuments. That said, rumor has it that there are still two unexploded bombs nestling within the cemetery, so tread carefully should you ever visit.  Having found a bench my wife and kids decided to have a sit down and a drink as the sun was getting fairly hot. Not being one to sit still for long I decided to go and explore on my own which turned out to be a very time consuming mistake. Just to clarify, I'm very good at finding our destination (especially a cemetery where I seem to possess a sixth sense), but finding my way back has always been a problem, one which is safely dealt with by my wife's excellent sense of direction. Anyway, after 10 minutes or so I found a whole new section which we had somehow missed on our way through. I took some photo's and moved on where I found a new part still under construction, after a few photo's my phone rang which alerted me to the fact that I had already been gone around 45 minutes. Of course it was my wife asking where I was and how long was I gonna be? I told her I would be heading back shortly and that was my intension, but again fate intervened.
Now the next hour reminded me of the 1978 film "The Legacy" starring Roger Daltrey. The beginning of the film involves a couple who were lost in the English countryside, they drive around for hours trying different routes but always ending up at the gates of this spooky mansion. Well to put it bluntly, that was me! I walked around for what seemed like bloody hours taking different routes along narrow tracks with six foot high foliage each side but every ten minutes or so I ended up at the Brockley gates. It didn't matter what way I went I just couldn't find my way back. The sun was beating down on me, my legs were full of thorns and I just had to admit that I was lost.
Pausing for a moment I realised that I had two choices, I could wait for dusk and try to navigate by the stars or I could swallow my pride and ring my wife's mobile. Fearing I might not survive the desert heat until nightfall and I may well fall prey to vultures (see how the heat and solitude were getting to me) I opted to call my wife.
When she stopped laughing we arranged for me to stay put once I found the Brockley gates again and she and the kids would meet me there. By the time I had found the said gates again they were already waiting and I can assure you they made no attempt at protecting my feelings as for the rest of the afternoon I was subjected to constant jokes and jibes.
The time was now getting close to 3 'o clock so any hope of visiting another cemetery were abandoned. Instead we had a short walk along the South Bank near the London Eye and then headed to Camden Town for a relax by the canal.
As usual I'm not sure of when our next outing will be although I've already decided on the destination. During most of the summer holidays we have no trains at the weekends on our usual line into London but we do have the Great Eastern route into Liverpool Street to fall back on. But then again maybe I should save the train fare and buy myself a SatNav instead. Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries - http://www.foblc.org.uk
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 10:19 AM BST
Updated: Saturday, 29 December 2012 5:42 PM GMT
Sunday, 1 June 2008
31st May 2008
Mood:
 silly
Topic: Hanwell Cemetery
It's been a very hectic few months of late, with the sudden death of my father-in-law last November, life has become even busier then usual. Photographic trips in and around London have had to take a bit of a back seat for the moment and with the rising cost of living and train fares (it now cost me £30 or $60ish each trip) I have decided not to attend any open days this year but instead I aim to visit other significant London Cemeteries to add to the Dark Destiny collection.
Recently I splashed out on a new SLR camera, I felt the need for a higher spec camera which would give me greater flexibility as well as more gadgets to play with. I've spent the last few weeks in some local church yards putting my new toy through it's paces. I was fairly happy with the initial results although I have a long way to go before using it becomes second nature. So planning our latest trip I decided to take my old camera as a psychological crutch just in case of new camera nerves. It meant extra baggage which is never a good thing but in the end everything turned out well and I'm reasonably pleased with the results.
What the new camera does mean, is that hi res versions of most future photo's may be made available to purchase for interested parties. I must admit, I'm not entirely sure that's an avenue I want to go down but it's something I may consider as a means of helping to expand DD nationally and possibly internationally, as has been discussed recently at Dark Destiny towers. 
Anyway, back to our latest outing which was well timed (not) to coincide with the now infamous Circle Line drinks party. To reach our destination we took a Heathrow Connect service from Paddington to the lovely old fashioned Hanwell Station in west London. This pleased my train mad son immensely as the through lines at Hanwell are heavily used to the point where there is barely five minutes between either high speed express services or the slow clanking freight trains which thunder through constantly. Just one thing (before I forget), if anyone should consider visiting this area make sure you don't attempt it on a Sunday as it would appear that no trains stop at Hanwell and you will most certainly end up at Heathrow airport instead.
Our targets for the day seem to have somewhat of an identity crisis as both Cemeteries on the Uxbridge Road have signs calling themselves Hanwell Cemetery. Looking on our street map the northern cemetery is named as Kensington & Chelsea and on the southern side of Uxbridge Road the cemetery is shown as Hanwell. But just to confuse things further the latter also has a nice plaque on the gate displaying the name "City of Westminster Cemetery", so for the purpose of DD we shall go with the names Kensington (northern) and Hanwell (southern).
Navigating our way along the Uxbridge Road my soul almost departed my body as a passing motorist gave us two short but unexpected honks on their horn. Upon checking my flies I discovered that everything was intact and the reason for the loud greeting remained a mystery. After regaining composure we got our bearings and decided to photograph the Kensington Cemetery first. 
The immediate thing that struck me upon entering under the Gothic stone arch is how well cared for the cemetery is. The further in we walked the more impressed I became. The centre of the cemetery is dominated by the chapel which in turn is surrounded by a fantastic selection of impressive statues and monuments. The whole chapel area has a feeling of time standing still, the only outside modern noise being that of the aforementioned railway. The whole time we were there we saw only one other person which makes this the most tranquil cemetery we have visited in a long time.
After pausing for refreshments we made our way back out to the Uxbridge road where we crossed over and found the entrance to the Hanwell Cemetery. The first thing that attracts one's attention is the large Arama mausoleum which towers over a small scattering of other less imposing mausolea and monuments. Yet again the cemetery is impressively cared for by the council and is indeed a true credit to them and their staff.
We spent a good couple of hours taking photo's and enjoying the peace before heading back to Hanwell station. Yet again while walking the Uxbridge Road we were tooted by another passing motorist, I always thought that we had a fairly inconspicuous presents but it seems I may have been wrong (again). Back at Waterloo we headed for South Kensington where we paid a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum and to round off the day we parked our bums on Finsbury Park station at 8.30pm in the hope of having a listen to the Bruce Springsteen concert that was taking place at the near by Emirates Stadium. We were a little disappointed as the wind was blowing in the wrong direction but we did manage to hear a few snippets of "I'm on fire" before boarding our train back to Dark Destiny towers. I'm not sure when our next trip will be but if you have any suggestions as to what cemetery we could visit next then please do let us know, the only requirement is that it has to be from the Victorian era as the modern cemetery has very little of monumental interest.
Over the next few months we have photographic updates from Mortlake, Paddington, Kensal Green, Great Amwell, Kensington and of coarse the lovely Hanwell, so check back soon, bye for now, Neil
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 12:25 AM BST
Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 12:41 AM GMT
Sunday, 23 March 2008
22nd March 2008
Mood:
not sure
Topic: Paddington Cemetery
 At 6am it was blowing a gale and lashing down with rain. After all my planning it looked as if we were going nowhere. But being an optimistic fellow I thought I'd leave it until 7 o'clock before making a decision, as with the British weather you never can tell.
Just gone seven the rain stopped and the sun emerged from behind the clouds. Considering this was most likely to be the best day over the Easter weekend we packed some food and drink and headed for the station. Everything was going well until after I'd purchased our tickets and we emerged onto the platform to be greeted by an intense blizzard.
The run into Kings Cross was a quite one and the further south we travelled the better the weather became. Jumping on a Victoria line tube train we changed at Oxford Circus for the Bakerloo Line to Waterloo. There we boarded an overground service to Mortlake.
Our first destination was to visit the unusual mausoleum of Sir Richard Burton which is located in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalen's. We followed my map and found our way to a lovely church with a very interesting graveyard. The only problem was that the Mausoleum of Sir Richard Burton was not there.
Not far away a lady was tending to some plants in a flower bed, so I swallowed my pride and asked her if she knew the whereabouts of Sir Burton. With a well controlled grin she informed us we had the wrong church and the one we were looking for was the other side of an adjacent school. Thanking her we followed her directions and within five minutes we arrived at the correct St Mary's and the sight of Sir Burtons Mausoleum. 
Sir Richard Burton was a Victorian explorer who harboured a fear of the dark. When he died his wife had the mausoleum built in the shape of a Bedouin tent and a large stained glass window was incorporated in the rear sloping roof to illuminate the inside. The stained glass window has long since been replaced with a clear plate glass one and some kind soul has had an access ladder installed for the morbidly curious to take a peek.
Taking cover during the intermittent hale and snow squalls we did manage a few photos of the mausoleum as well as some other interesting monuments before we retreated back to the station for our train back to Waterloo.
Once there we boarded a Jubilee line train to West Hampstead and then changed to the overground where we alighted at Brondesbury Park. A short walk later, and with no mistakes this time, we arrived at Paddington Old Cemetery.
The Cemetery far exceeded my expectations. Litter free, very little sign of vandalism and very well maintained, this was a refreshing place to visit after our last trip out to Woodgrange Park. We had only been there for around fifteen minutes when the mother of all blizzards erupted forcing us to almost abandon any hopes of photography and take shelter under a tree. 
Fortunately the snow stopped but the gale force winds didn't. We persevered for around an hour longer desperate for a few good shots but in the end the bitter winds forced us to retreat back to the station were we retraced our steps as far back as Bond Street. There we picked up the Central Line for Tottenham Court Road from which we seeked the shelter of the British Museum.
The next couple of hours was spent fighting the vast crowds at the museum, but at least it was warm. Having explored the Egyptian artefacts among which were some nice lead coffins it was soon made clear that the staff wanted to go home and it was time for everyone to move on. Back at Kings Cross we filled our bellies in our traditional manner before grabbing one of the few benches on the station so as my trainspotting son could take a few photo's.
Now picture this if you can! The time is about twenty past seven and my son discovers that at 21.37 a Grand Central express from Sunderland is due, and as you have by now guessed he is desperate to see this new spectacle. In my quest to keep everyone happy it cost me over £6.00 in Kings Cross Cornish Pasties to bribe my Wife and Daughter into hanging about so my son could satisfy his Grand Central lust. 
In the end everyone got what they wanted and eventually we got comfortable in the warmth of the 21.56 departure home. Unfortunately it didn't stay warm for long as someone on the way home decided to let an extremely toxic fart go. The guy in front of us turned round and sent an accusing look in my direction before opening the window to disperse the fumes. Had he thought about the laws of physics he would of concluded that the culprit had to be forward of his position (direction of travel) and the finger of suspicion was firmly pointing at the long haired guy reading a book and looking extremely flushed.
Anyway the photo's from this outing will be posted sometime soon, so until then keep warm and always remember innocent until proven guilty!
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 12:10 AM BST
Saturday, 12 January 2008
12th January 2008
Mood:
 mischievious
Topic: Cemetery Marathon
 Much to my relief Christmas is over with and we seem to be bombarded with TV adverts for various methods of weight loss at present. Everything from Slimfast to Weight Watchers but no mention of a marathon cemetery crawl to burn off those extra calories.
The day dawns with a grey sky but with promising chinks of sunlight, after a night of heavy rain we decide the forecast of a dry day in London might just be right. So after a frantic hour and a half of preparation we are positioned nicely on platform one with ten minutes to spare before our train is due. Actually that's not strictly true, three of us are on platform one, my toilet obsessed son is on platform two.....yes, you guessed it.....in the toilet.
We arrived at Kings Cross just before 9.30 to both disappointment and joy. The disappointment because my son requested the use of the gents which we duly refused him as it had only been 42 minutes since his last number one. But the joy helped quell his imagined desperation, for in platform 7 was an almost vintage Class 86 electric locomotive complete with British Rail livery coaches and a matching DVT.
We stopped for a few minutes to take a snap or two of this unusual train and watched in amusement as a 60ish year old man threw a complete tantrum because people (including me) kept walking along the platform and spoiling his camera shot.
Heading underground we took a Northern Line train to Bank where we changed for a Central Line service to Stratford. Once at Stratford it was a short overground journey to our target area of Manor Park.
Earlier I used the word marathon, well within close proximity of Manor Park station there are three Victorian cemeteries. The first one on the list was a 15 minute walk north from the station and was of course the City Of London Cemetery. Having visited before I only really had one thing I wished to achieve, something which passed me by the first time I was there in 2006. My aim was simply to find the two graves of unfortunate victims of Jack the Ripper, the notorious Victorian serial killer. 
Now finding two graves in a 200 acre cemetery is no mean feat, but for once in my life I was prepared. Armed with a map and some good directions from www.casebook.org, I sent my little troops off to scour the Memorial Garden. After ten minutes things were looking bleak and I was considering the possibility of admitting defeat and also regretting the intense reassurance I had given my wife that this little mission would be a piece of cake. Thankfully, and much to my relief I stumbled upon (literally) the metal plaque which marks the approximate grave location of Catherine Eddowes. Armed with the knowledge that the second grave was the other side of the path, my eagle eyed daughter soon yelled at me in a less then graceful manner to indicate the discovery of Mary Ann Nichols who was believed to be Jacks first victim.
Mission complete we headed back to the railway station where positioned conveniently along side is Manor Park Cemetery our second on the list. A pleasant well maintain cemetery which out of interest also happens to be the burial place of Annie Chapman another of Jack the Rippers victims. Unfortunately Annie's grave no longer exists as it was reused many years ago and even the Cemetery staff can only give a very rough idea as to where she once laid. An uneventful hour and a half was spent wandering in the winter sunshine taking a few photo's which of course will appear on Dark Destiny in due course. After a short stop for a flask of chicken and veggie soup we set off for our final cemetery of the day. 
Heading south from Manor Park Cemetery and taking a right at the road junction within 20 minutes we arrived at Woodgrange Park Cemetery. I strongly advise anyone against visiting this place as in my opinion it is a total insult to all who have been interred there and their surviving relatives. The cemetery is still in private ownership and still in operation but quite how they get away with it I'll never know. I'll go into more detail when I publish the photo's but for now the following words will suffice, rubbish, mud, water, swallow holes, bulldozer and total neglect.
Leaving the depressing Woodgrange Park behind we re-traced our steps back to Bank Underground station and boarded a train for Camden Town as I was in the market for a new leather jacket. To my total surprise I bagged my jacket within fifteen minutes of our arrival leaving the rest of the afternoon free to wander the famous markets at our leisure. 
By five o clock it was dark and we were all pretty knackered so it was time to head for Mac D's in Euston Road back at our starting point of Kings Cross.
Fed, watered and of course toileted we made ourselves comfortable on about the only bench near platform one at Kings Cross station so our son could watch the intercity trains a while before boarding our suburban service home. The journey back to the Dark Destiny residence was accompanied most of the way by a blinged up female chav bellowing into her mobile phone at 90 decibels to some guy called Daniel who wasn't sure if he was gay or not. After 20 minutes of listening to this Catherine Tate sound alike who really was not bovvered about her intrusive manner, I couldn't help but think that maybe Woodgrange Park had a purpose after all.
Well that's it for now. Yet again I've no idea as to when the next outing will be, it might even be an openday during summer. But on second thoughts I don't think I'll last that long, do you?
Til next time,
Take Care
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 5:01 AM GMT
Saturday, 15 December 2007
15th December 2007
Mood:
cheeky
Topic: Margravine Cemetery
My wife has noticed that the withdrawals have started to set in, which means a Cemetery Photography session is immanent. My last photo trip was back in September (I think) when we spent the day at Brookwood, so a fix before Christmas is a must.
The wind having a chill factor of -2.2 degrees lead to the decision of a small Cemetery in an attempt to prevent hyperthermia taking hold. But despite these conditions all the persuasion in the world would not convince my thirteen year old daughter that a warm coat was a must. In the immortal words of one of her friends "Fashion is everything" the end result was of course a blue shivering chav with attitude.
Upon our arrival at Kings Cross our chosen cemetery was a single tube journey away on the Piccadilly line to Barons Court. Near the exit of Barons Court my eleven year old son notices the gents toilet and instantaneously develops the extreme need to visit the little boys room. We all expelled a loud groan because it seems more then coincidence that every time we pass a toilet he must go and go now. I think over the past few years we must have stopped off at every dam toilet in London. I have, as any concerned parent would, raised the subject of his toilet obsession in one of our father/son chats. I didn't really get to the psychological root of his problem as he promptly retorted with his own question asking me "what did I expect when he had a father obsessed with cemeteries". With that I really had no choice but to agree and silently curse the little smartarse when his back was turned.
The gents at Barons Court has a large window offering a birds eye view of the station below and to the extreme left we spied our target Cemetery. While my, now relieved, offspring was busy scrutinizing the soap dispenser and washing his hands I thought the scene outside the window would make a nice picture. Having taken a few snaps it suddenly occurred to me that maybe standing in the gents toilet with camera in hand was probably not the wisest of things to do. So quickly concealing the camera again we made our exit and took the short walk round the corner to greet the Margravine Cemetery. 
The Cemetery was a little bigger then I had visualized but the monuments were quite sparse due to bomb damage and a little clearance operation by the council.
I got straight to work hoping to be done within the hour so as to prevent the moans and groans from my little clan. Unfortunately, for them that is, the further across the Cemetery I got the more I found to photograph.
The path through the Cemetery seems very well used as a rat run from the tube station to Charing Cross Hospital. There was no shortage of funny stares and looks of bewilderment from passers by at that odd geezer in a variety of strange positions with a camera, but by now I'm too bloody cold to care and to be honest I'm pretty much use to it anyway. My biggest form of harassment that day came in the form of some very cheeky squirrels who would insist on posing within my shot trying to steal the limelight.
Before leaving we met a pleasant lady with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who had an obsession similar in scale to my son's toilet one. This particular K9 had a deep fascination for the bold squirrels and demanded at least one walkies per day in the Cemetery so she could observe and sometimes enjoy a little frolic with her furry friends. 
Having bid farewell to the squirrels we made our way back to the station and managed to pass the toilet without incident. Heading north to Piccadilly Circus we changed to the Bakerloo line and made our way to the Imperial War Museum in an attempt to warm up. After an hour or so in the museum my half frozen chav with attitude began to lose her blue tinge and turned to a more life like pale pink with red glowing ears to match mine.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the museum for which I highly recommend, as it managed to captivate both my moody kids which is no mean feat. Upon leaving the daylight had turned to night and the temperature had dropped even further. Out of interest we travelled north again to check out the new International St Pancras railway station to see what all the recent fuss was about. After spending an hour wandering around I concluded that the most impressive part of the station had to be the massive statue on the main concourse. I couldn't help but think what a nice grave monument it would make and I could clearly visualize it perched on the roof of my planned mausoleum in years to come.
Our family tradition at the end of a day's cemetery crawling found us pigging out in our favourite Mc Donald's in Kings Cross. It may sound sad, but our home town has recently declared itself too posh for a Mackey D's, so when in London we have to take advantage (not to mention we're cheap skates) and dine in a down to earth manner.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but my son's other great obsession is trains. The next hour was spent nerding over the thundering class 43's, 91's and the not so impressive Hull Trains. Having almost become part of the furniture at Kings Cross he was even treated to a GNER triple chocolate muffin by a generous member of staff. After a final emotional visit to the gents at Kings Cross we headed for the suburban platforms to catch our train homeward bound.
Well that's about it for now, the next cemetery outing probably won't be until 2008 so until then have a Peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 10:44 PM GMT
Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 10:43 AM GMT
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