New post on Substack today: open.substack.com/pub/normaexp...

Day 26 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'figure' Sadly, this headstone is so badly worn its impossible to make out who lies here. Only the figure remains standing proud of the surface... 📍Holy Trinity, Marham, Norfolk

Day 25 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'graveside ornament' I wanted to share this wonderful thing I found earlier this year. Every war grave has been marked with a Tommy silhouette, even the ones without a headstone. It really highlighted just how many WW1 & WW2 casualties lay here ⬇️⬇️

Day 24 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'unique animal'. Ive taken a bit of a liberty and chosen a reptile 🐢 But I couldn't not share this wonderful tortoise. 📍St John the Baptist, Aylmerton, Norfolk

Day 23 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'cross' It was Christmas Eve when I visited the grave of Fanny Adams. It was also Christmas Eve in 1867 when her murderer was hanged for his crime. Her cross was decorated with tinsel and toys had been left for her. Cont ⬇️⬇️

Day 22 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'landscape ' The tiny church of Kirkmaiden, perched on the cliffs on the South West cost of Scotland. Probably one of the prettiest places to be laid to rest 😍 I have shared below a short about one of the burials there ⬇️

Day 21 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'bronze'. An unexpected find in a Somerset cemetery. The grave belongs to Lt Col John Marshall Field MBE. 📍East Coker cemetery, Somerset 📷⬇️

Day 20 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Wreath' This lovely fruity Wreath is up on the wall inside the parish church and remembers Edward Bunting Loynes - church warden for 54 years. 📍St Nicholas, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk

Day 19 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Social Group'. I dont know anything about this grave marker, but I like it. 📍All Saints, Faringdon, Oxfordshire

Why do so many medieval church doors have iron studs on their exterior face? 1/7 📷 - All Images of South Door at St Mary's, Derwen, Denbighshire

There are rows and rows of Guinea Graves at Beckett Street Cemetery in Leeds. If a poor family could find a guinea (21 shillings) they could have a shared grave with an inscription of up to 36 letters. It was half price for under 7's. /1 #31daysofgraves

Day 18 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'mistake' A smugglers headstone today to Robert Debney and William Cooper, who died in an unfortunate accident on 22 June 1778. The mistake is that the headstone notes the men as being 28 and 18 respectively, but parish records show Debney was 30. 🧵⬇️⬇️

Day 17 #31DaysOfGraves is 'relocated' I've chosen a very old one today. Two Roman coffins, discovered in 1815, which now sit outside of the Norris Museum in St Ives (Huntingdonshire)

Our Epitaph: East Anglia podcast relaunched today! Episode one available on Spotify, YouTube, Substack, and probably some places Ive never heard of! open.spotify.com/episode/5rGH...

Day 16 of #31DaysOfGraves - Obelisk "REMOVED in the midst of his USEFULNESS. READER be ye also ready" A cheery warning about the fleeting nature of life on Alexander Cowper's obelisk monument in Wigtown Kirkyard in Dumfries and Galloway.

Day 16 #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'obelisk' The plaque reads 'Sacred to the memory if Henry Nicholas Ground ME of East Howle Colliery. Who died 11th March 1881, aged 31. Erected as a tribute of respect to his memory by the workmen and friends.' 📍Found in St Lukes, Ferryhill, Co. Durham.

Day 15 #31DaysOfGraves is 'damaged'. I've chosen this ceramic headstone, one of many in this style in the cemetery. It belongs to Pvt Joseph Gale of the Royal Sussex Regiment. He died in Eastbourne Hospital on March 30th 1916, aged just 24. A casualty of the Great War. 📍South Hetton, Co Durham

Day 14 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'inside' Not an intentional interior viewing of this collapsed vault, photographed last year. 📍St Thomas a Becket, Ramsey, Huntingdonshire.

Day 13 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'skeleton' Today, we are at the grave of George Hopper. The tomb has some fantastic carvings, but beware! It is said that if you see Death's scythe move, you will follow George to the other side! ☠️ 📍 St Mary's, Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Day 12 #31DaysOfGraves is Notable Women. I'm sharing one of my favourite effigies.The reclining figure of Rose Claxton, who died in 1601, aged just 23. 📌 St George's Church, Rollesby ▪︎ Norfolk

Its day 11 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is military. This was always going to be a difficult one. I primarily record military graves and have almost 10,000 photographed. Their stories are all worth telling, so I decided to select one for aesthetics. Cont.... ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Y'know what I dont have pictures of? Urns, apparently. Its day 10 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is Urn. After going through about 7000 photos, I came to realise its something I dont photograph 🙈 So please enjoy possibly the only image I have that comes close ⚱️ 📍Cottenham Dissenters Cemetery

Day 9 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'hand'. I've borrowed an image from my side-quest, The Jeevar Archive, today. The grave is that of Mary Richards. According to local legend she died at the altar, just moments after the wedding ring was placed on her hand as she was being married. 🧵⬇️

Day 8 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Glass' Here at St Nicholas' Church, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, the beautiful stained glass window is reflected in the memorial to a son of the town lost in the First World War. Alfred Gordon Calthrop 2nd Lt 11th Bttn Royal Fusiliers. KIA near Ypres.

Dovecote Barnack, Huntingdonshire - I dont know exactly where this was or if it is still standing... so if anyone local can enlighten me, I'd be most grateful!! It worldvgave been photographed between 1974 and 1978, I think!

Day 7 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Angel' I've actually chosen three, all from 📍 All Saints, St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Ive added a close up of the last one, as he's less than angelic looking these days....

Burgh roll of honour. St. Botolph’s Church, Burgh, Suffolk. Second World War. #LestWeForget

Day 6 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'gender' I've left East Anglia today to bring you the joint grave of 'great friends' Mary Warren Taylor and Constance Applebee. The tablet to Constance is modest, but her contribution to women's sport certainly wasn't. ⬇️ Cont' below ⬇️

One from The Jeevar Archive (Find us on IG!) St John the Baptist, Little Maplestead, Essex • March 1985 Originally a chapel of the Knights Hospitallers. Built around 1340 and largely rebuilt in the mid 1800s. Grade II* listed in 1962 GRID REF : TL 82248 33997 ringside.corrupted.stem

Day 5 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'bird' I've chosen this beautiful simple this creatures. It sits atop a heart shaped headstone (📷⬇️) belonging to a little girl. 12 year old Brenda Walden was tragically killed on 29th July 1963. I will share her story below. 📍St Mary's Church, Titchwell

Day 4 of #31DaysOfGraves is 'languages', & I was reminded of these beautiful headstones in Duncombe Cemetery at Ferryhill, County Durham. I dont often photograph recent graves, but they stood out sitting side by side. Unfortunately, I dont know anything about the lady and gentleman they belong to

#31daysofgraves 3 Tomb Tomb of Dean Charles Fotherby [1549-1619], Canterbury Cathedral. "His monument is described as 'a bone-encrusted tomb-chest...a fine example of that obsessive early seventeenth-century morbidity which repelled later, more squeamish observers'." #TheVictorianBookoftheDead

Something more from Pentlow church... Its stunning font and cover. The is thought to be early 12th century, with the cover possibly 15th C. It really is a church worth visiting if you're passing along the Suffolk/Essex border.

Day 3 of #31DaysOfGraves is 'tomb'. I've chosen to share the wonderful tomb of Judge George Kempe (1606), his son John (1609) and daughter-in-law Elinore (1609). All three lay side by side on top of the tomb and a side panel depicts John and Elinore's 14 children. Con't below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Day 2 prompt for #31DaysOfGraves is 'nautical' and with so many sailors graves in my archive, I could have picked so many! Ive chosen one I visit often. Please meet Royal Navy Chief Stoker, William Bennett of HMS Mallard. After 21 years service he died at Chatham, Kent on Feb 14th 1919. 🧵⬇️⬇️

Dovecote, Broom Manor Cottered, Herts • 1974 - c.1700 of red brick. Grade II listed. The Manor has recently been on the market, and there are pictures online if you want to take a look! Grid Ref: TL 31037 28573 lamenting.booklets.hushed

Im sure Im going to be featuring a number of military graves over the next month of this challenge. Always lovely to see these men and women remembered.

I couldn't resist taking part in #31DaysOfGraves Day 1 prompt is 'flowers', so let me introduce you to the beautiful headstone of Jemima Wright. Buried 23rd November 1917. She was 76 years old when she died. 📍St Mary & All Saints Church, Little Walsingham, Norfolk

Going through some images from last years travels around the south. The churchyard of St Disen's at Bradninch (Devon) has quite an incline! I had a very peaceful afternoon here looking for the eight CWGC graves here. Those chaps are still on my 'to research' list, along with so many others.

Robin's Nest Cottage, Dallinghoo, Suffolk • Feb 1985 - Grade II listed. 16th century timber framed cottage. Gable dated 1541 with later additions. Now a holiday home, should you wish to see inside!! GRID REF: 27199 55088 teardrop.dimension.generals

Excellent weekend at We Have Ways Fest 2025.

Constantly having to tell people still on twitter that I don’t care whether or not they join bluesky I just judge them for being there

Short little post up on Substack and Patreon today. open.substack.com/pub/normaexp...

Market Cross • Castle Rising, Norfolk May 1978 15th century with later restoration. Grade II* listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument

The Maltings • Soham, Cambridgeshire 1976 I am not sure if this still stands or not, so if anyone knows, please let us know!!

Watermill • Butley, Suffolk June 1982 The mill was converted to a luxury home and was on the market earlier this year for £950,000.

I've been revisiting books from my teens and this one reminded me of one of my favourite Essex hauntings... substack.com/@normaexplor...

Little Bear put a new article up on Substack 🧸 Last September he took me out to visit the site of a wayside grave in Suffolk. He's what he had to tell me ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/normaexp...

The Old Forge and Lock Up Burwell, Cambridgeshire • 1985 - In the foreground the building was once the local blacksmiths. The little building to the left was once the lock-up and you can see the grills for the two cells below the roofline.