Gloucester Cathedral began life as the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter, founded in 1089 and re-designated a cathedral when the Diocese of Gloucester was created in 1541. The building contains the tomb of King Edward II, buried here in 1327, whose cult of pilgrimage financed much of the 14th‑century expansion. Find out more at GloucesterCathedral.org.uk
I visited in the winter and it was pretty chilly in the cathedral! Well worth the visit.
Lincoln is a cathedral city in the county of Lincolnshire, East Midlands, England, built on a limestone escarpment above the River Witham and home to about 100,000 people. Its historic core occupies the old Roman fortress of Lindum Colonia, later expanded by Viking traders and prosperous medieval wool merchants.
At the summit of the ridge overlooking the town stands Lincoln Cathedral, begun in 1072, shortly after the Norman Conquest and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1185. Its central spire made it the tallest structure in the world for nearly 240 years before its collapse.
The cathedral still dominates the uphill quarter of the city of Bailgate, Castle Square and Steep Hill. And yes, it really is a steep walk up to the cathedral and the old town area — well worth the effort!
We visited on a wet day in July 2023 when there was a science fair in the Nave and much of the cathedral wasn’t accessible. I appreciated having such a modern event inside the medieval nave though, as it showed the central place of the cathedral still remains in the life of the city.
We entered through Exchequer Gate, the 14th‑century triple‑arched gateway that opens from Castle Square into the cathedral close.
A biblical narrative frieze stretches across the west front. The most heavily weathered originals were replaced with hand‑carved replicas in 2001 and the sculptures moved indoors for protection.
I visited Lichfield Cathedral at the end of June 2025, taking several trains from my home in Bath to get to the small city north of Birmingham. It was a scorching hot day and the shopping centre was busy, but the cathedral was cool and empty, a haven of calm. My kind of happy place!
Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval cathedral in the United Kingdom to feature three spires, earning it the nickname, ‘the Ladies of the Vale.’ You can easily walk there from the train station.
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“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka
I’ve always felt most grateful to be alive when I walk among the dead. That might sound strange, but bear with me!
Step through a lychgate into a church yard or descend a narrow stone stair into a catacomb or ossuary, and the pace and the noise of the world falls away. In these quiet spaces—graveyards beside ancient churches, sprawling Victorian cemeteries, underground chambers decorated with bones—I consider the shortness of life, memento mori, remember you will die, and it puts life into perspective. I can hear my own heartbeat more clearly, and the stories begin to rise.
In this episode, I’ll take you with me to a handful of places that have shaped some of my stories and travel memoir. If you’ve read my ARKANE thrillers or the Brooke & Daniel series, you’ll recognise many of the names.
But whether you’re here for research, reverence, or simple curiosity, I hope you’ll find something to spark your imagination and, perhaps, shift your perspective on these places that so many stay away from.
[Read more…] about Walking Amongst The Dead: Graveyards, Cemeteries, And Ossuaries With J.F. Penn
The Gothic Cathedral of Winchester is an easy walk from Winchester train station with lots of options for coffee on the way. The city of Winchester is easily accessible by train from London in just a couple of hours heading south-west, so you can do it in a day trip.
Winchester is Europe’s longest Gothic cathedral. From west door to east end measures about 558 ft (170 m), giving it the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.
In late September 2024, I visited Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, in the south-east of England. In this article, I’ll share some of the most interesting aspects and some of my photos from the trip so you can virtually join me in this beautiful place. This trip also partially inspired my short story, Seahenge.
Ely Cathedral dates back to 673 AD when St. Etheldreda, an Anglo-Saxon queen and abbess, founded a double monastery for both monks and nuns on the site. The cathedral was originally built to house her relics and her shrine was a significant pilgrimage site in medieval times.
