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Brompton Cemetery is not a typical Royal Park. During the time of Queen Victoria, Brompton was a village near the pulsing city of London where people thronged to work as the Industrial Revolution gained steam.
The churchyard were filled; thus the need for more cemeteries. Brompton Cemetery holds over 200,000 Londoners who have rested here since 1840.
One famous woman has a special spot, Emmeline Pankhurst.
Emmeline Pankhurst/ Geoff Sutton 2023
See the map below for the location of the cemetery, including the Pankhurst grave marker.
The nearest underground in West Brompton.
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St. Martin's Church is an ancient Church of England parish church in Canterbury, England. It is the oldest church in England still being used for its original purpose and is part of the Canterbury world heritage site³.
St Martin's Church/ Geoffrey Sutton 2023
The church was first built during the Roman occupation. In the 500s, it was the place where Queen Bertha of Kent³ worshipped. Queen Bertha was a Christian married to the pagan King Ethelbert³.
King Ethelbert of Kent
Queen Bertha of Kent
She welcomed St Augustine to England and he used the church as his the base for his missionary work in England, which included what would later be named St Augustine's Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral.
The church sign briefly notes the history and provides current information.
St Martin's Church/ Geoffrey Sutton 2023
St Martin's Church Graveyard 2023 Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com
St Martin's Church/ Geoffrey Sutton 2023
Short YouTube video of the church
Google Map
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(3) St. Martin's Church. http://www.martinpaul.org/stmartins.htm.
(4) St Martin's Church, Canterbury - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin%27s_Church,_Canterbury.
(5) St. Martin’s Church of Canterbury is the oldest church in ... - Aleteia. https://aleteia.org/2019/10/29/st-martins-church-of-canterbury-is-the-oldest-church-in-the-entire-english-speaking-world/.
Walking the grounds of the ancient St Augustine's Abbey makes English history come alive thanks to the preservation of these historic structures and an onsite museum.
A short video clip showing the grounds of St Augustine's Abbey.
The Romans brought Christianity to Britain but the local Anglos-Saxon tribes worshipped other gods. According to the storyboards at St Augustine's Abbey, Pope Gregory I was influenced to send Augustine to England when he saw the plight of pagan English children sold in a slave market. Augustine arrived in 597.
Augustine was received by Queen Bertha who was a Christian and worshipping at nearby St Martin's church. She appears to have encouraged her husband, King Ethelbert, to donate the land, which became the first monastic site now known as St Augustine's Abbey. He also supported St Martin's church where St Augustine began his missionary efforts and provided the land for Canterbury Cathedral.
Following the Norman invasion of 1066, the abbey was modified in the Norman style. A wall and outline remains.
Normal church ruins in 2023 St Augustine's Abbey
Signs mark the locations where regional kings and religious leaders were buried.
In the 600s, St Mary's church was built near Augustine's original church. Around 1050, Abbot Wulfric began building a circular tower to join the two churches. The remains of this tower are depicted below.
Wulfric's Tower c 1050 Geoffrey Sutton 2023
The monks had their own burial site. Below are the ruins of their crypt, which was part of a new Norman church of 1091.
The Crypt
The site of the tombs for early archbishops is covered by a roof.
Other monastic structures are identified by informative signboards.
Outline of dining hall site St Augustine's Abbey 2023 Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com
Cloister and Scriptorium site St Augustine's Abbey 2023 Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com
Lady chapel and crypt St Augustine's Abbey 2023 Geoffrey Sutton/ suttong.com
The experience is enhanced by a museum containing a history of the site on illustrated storyboards and some archaeological discoveries.
The following example describes the building of the abbey.
The glass-enclosed case includes finds from the burial of an abbot.
Dissolution
Following the divorce of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon, the king made himself the head of the Church of England. Eventually, the monasteries became the property of the government (the crown).
Notes on St Augustine's Abbey
Based on my April 2023 visit
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The site is maintained by English Heritage.
There is an entrance fee.
Entry is free for English Heritage members.
An audio guide is included with the entrance fee; however, it did not work for all of the sites.
The museum is small but informative and includes a gift shop and toilets.
The museum also includes child-friendly activities.
The grounds are well-maintained and provide a nice opportunity for a walk and a picnic lunch.
Google map of St Augustine's Abbey
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