London Month of the Dead - The Medieval Ossuary

THE MEDIEVAL OSSUARY A Guided Tour of Spitalfields Charnel House with Jane Sidell Sunday 22nd October 2023 at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm & 2:30 pm The Spitalfields Charnel House (bone store or ossuary) was built in the early 14th century as the crypt of a chapel that stood in the cemetery of the Augustinian Priory and Spital (hospital) of St Mary without Bishopsgate. For more than 200 years it provided a repository for bones from former interments which were uncovered when gravediggers buried new bodies in the churchyard of the hospital.It was buried under new developments and lay forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered during building work in 1999. It was originally destined for removal, but its exceptional rarity and completeness led to extensive negotiations for its preservation. It now enjoys protected status within Bishops Square. In this guided tour, Jane Sidell will provide rare access to the Charnel House and present some fascinating insights into the history of the building and its excavations. Tickets £12 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at Tower Hamlets Cemetery. Please click here to buy. Jane Sidell Jane Sidell is the Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Historic England (formerly English Heritage), a post first held by Augustus Pitt Rivers in the 19th Century.

THE MEDIEVAL OSSUARY
A Guided Tour of Spitalfields Charnel House with Jane Sidell
Sunday 22nd October 2023 at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm & 2:30 pm

The Spitalfields Charnel House (bone store or ossuary) was built in the early 14th century as the crypt of a chapel that stood in the cemetery of the Augustinian Priory and Spital (hospital) of St Mary without Bishopsgate. For more than 200 years it provided a repository for bones from former interments which were uncovered when gravediggers buried new bodies in the churchyard of the hospital.It was buried under new developments and lay forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered during building work in 1999. It was originally destined for removal, but its exceptional rarity and completeness led to extensive negotiations for its preservation. It now enjoys protected status within Bishops Square.

In this guided tour, Jane Sidell will provide rare access to the Charnel House and present some fascinating insights into the history of the building and its excavations.

Tickets £12 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at Tower Hamlets Cemetery. Please click here to buy.

Jane Sidell
Jane Sidell is the Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Historic England (formerly English Heritage), a post first held by Augustus Pitt Rivers in the 19th Century.