London Month of the Dead - Young, Gifted & Dead

YOUNG, GIFTED & DEAD A Guided Tour of Brompton Cemetery and visit to the catacombs with Robert Stephenson on Sunday 19th October 2025 at 2:30 pm Bring your handkerchiefs and steady your nerves for this guided tour of Brompton Cemetery, where we uncover the tragic stories of those laid to rest long before their time. Beneath these grand and weathered stones lie gifted individuals whose lives were cut cruelly short, their talents lost to history and their names fading from memory. From the pioneer aviator who might have beaten the Wright brothers—if not for the British weather—to the fastest man on earth, killed travelling over 100 miles per hour in 1913, this is a walk through the pages of forgotten glory. This is not just a stroll through one of London’s most beautiful cemeteries—it is a journey into the injustice of fate itself. You’ll hear of the stunning model who inspired the Pre-Raphaelites, dead at the same age as Marilyn Monroe; the Indian princess frozen in time at 23; and the aerial acrobat whose final flight ended in pieces on the streets of Chelsea. These tales of brilliance, beauty, and bad luck unfold beneath the trees and tombs of Brompton Cemetery. Consider yourself warned: your long-term peace of mind may not survive this unsettling, unforgettable walk. Tickets £12.50 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at Brompton Cemetery. Please click here to buy. Robert Stephenson is a qualified City of London Culture and Heritage guide and a trustee at Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries. He teaches on London and death studies. Robert is also chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends.

YOUNG, GIFTED & DEAD
A Guided Tour of Brompton Cemetery and visit to the catacombs with Robert Stephenson on Sunday 19th October 2025 at 2:30 pm

Bring your handkerchiefs and steady your nerves for this guided tour of Brompton Cemetery, where we uncover the tragic stories of those laid to rest long before their time. Beneath these grand and weathered stones lie gifted individuals whose lives were cut cruelly short, their talents lost to history and their names fading from memory. From the pioneer aviator who might have beaten the Wright brothers—if not for the British weather—to the fastest man on earth, killed travelling over 100 miles per hour in 1913, this is a walk through the pages of forgotten glory.

This is not just a stroll through one of London’s most beautiful cemeteries—it is a journey into the injustice of fate itself. You’ll hear of the stunning model who inspired the Pre-Raphaelites, dead at the same age as Marilyn Monroe; the Indian princess frozen in time at 23; and the aerial acrobat whose final flight ended in pieces on the streets of Chelsea. These tales of brilliance, beauty, and bad luck unfold beneath the trees and tombs of Brompton Cemetery. Consider yourself warned: your long-term peace of mind may not survive this unsettling, unforgettable walk.

Tickets £12.50 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at Brompton Cemetery. Please click here to buy.

Robert Stephenson is a qualified City of London Culture and Heritage guide and a trustee at Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries. He teaches on London and death studies. Robert is also chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends.