St Margarets Parish Churchyard - Rainham

LOCATION:

The site is found on High Street, Rainham, Kent. The nearest station is Rainham which is a couple of minutes walk from it.

FIRST OPENED:

The church seemed to have been built sometime in the late 1200, so it os possible that the site was around at that time also.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Thomas Norreys – A comissioner of the navy who died in 1624

ALSO KNOWN AS:

N/A

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The land is said to be about 30 acres, although, I do not think that is very accurate. The layout is near enough a triangle shape that is situated on a small hill.

THE WALKABOUT:

As Rainham was where my boyfriend used to live, I am suprised that I hadn't actually done this one sooner. I suppose that I half expected it to be a tiny little churchyard on a busy road that was not that well looked after. Well, it is safe to say that I was very much wrong. Like I said, the site is on a main road, and quite a busy one at that. What is charming though is that it sits on a little hill which lets it overlook the rest of the town. On one side you have a community center and on the other you have an estate. This cuts the privacy severely and makes it less peaceful than it should be, due to a cut through path that runs through it for public access.

When you approach the site, you are met with a mixed set of graves. You have some very old and weathered ones mixed in with fairly recent ones. This has always seemed a bit strange to me as when that happens, it means that an old one has been removed and placed with the new one. Something that I absolutely detest. There is a fair amount of greenery here to which is quite refreshing considering its location. The church over looking it all is rather spectacular. I have seen it at night time and they way it looms over is very beautiful if not slightly creepy.

The biggest suprise of this site is actually the size. To look at it from the front you would think that it is actually quite small. Go around the back however and you will see that it is very much bigger. There are lines of trees ( that almost make an enclosed kind of tunnel) and lots of little archways. again made by the trees. I would love to see this place in the middle of the summer with all the blossom from the trees blowing around. It really would be like something out of a fairy tale. I could not believe how beautiful it was behind the church.

Ufortunatley, most of the old graves are either damaged or unreadable. Whether this is down to vandalism, neglect or both, I don't know but it is such a shame. The one thing I would like to point out, which I have not seen in another graveyard yet, is that near the back entrance of the church they have 3 very large gravestones. On these gravestones, on both sides, are what appears to be, a record of all of the graves in the site. At first I thought they were war memorials, which is not uncommon, but looking at the dates, there are some that are recent deaths and who weren't that old. Whatever it was intended to be, it certainly helped add a little bit of character.

ANY GHOSTS?:

In some of my photos I found some weird looking orbs. Although, on further inspection, these turned out to be little bits of blossom that were falling from the trees. There was one thing that slightly bothered me. As I was looking through my photos, I seen what appeared to be a shadow figure next to the church door. I left my laptop for a few minutes so that i could get some tracing paper (something that I use to help me determine shapes), but when I returned, the shape was gone. Obviously, there could be a chance that I thought that I had seen something, but I am not usually one for doing that. I was slightly disturbed by this, I wonder if I maybe caught something that really did not want to be seen?

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

From the front, I was in awe with the church. From the back however, it was the graveyard that certainly had my attention. It really is a deceptively beautiful place. I only wish that a bit more care was put into it and that more effort was made with the front of the site. If you like to explore a little, then this is the place. For a churchyard, it certainly has a magical feel to it.

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

RATING: 3/5 - If it hadn't been on a main road then it would pretty much be perfect.

LINKS: http://rainhamchurch.wordpress.com/

St Mary Magdalenes - Richmond

 

LOCATION:

You will find the site on Paradise Road or Church Walk. The site is the borough of Richmond upon Thames. The nearest stations are Richmond and Richmond underground. There are plenty of buses in that area also.

FIRST OPENED:
The first ever chapel was built in 1220 and was rebuilt in both 1501 and 1904. It is possible that the churchyard could have been built around then too.


FAMOUS RESIDENTS:
There do not seem to be any notable burials. This can obviously be due to its age and that it might have been used for past parishers only.


ALSO KNOWN AS:
N/A

SIZE & LAYOUT:
N/A

THE WALKABOUT:
I found this little site as I was making my way back from Richmond cemetery. It is quite hidden away despite the fact that it is actually in the centre of quite a busy high street! You can see the church right off but you wouldn't expect to see the little church graveyard within it. I was the tiniest bit dubious about exploring it however as it seemed to be the central meeting place for all of the local drunks. I hate seeing that, if there are a few things in this world that really piss me off beyond belief then it would be that.

Luckily, they were chased away by a man that worked in the shop opposite so I could look around freely without disruption. I quickly figured that although there are a few people buried here, it is treated as more of a memorial. This isn't a bad thing but some people would actually prefer to visit the site of where the body was actually buried (I know I would). My photographs wouldn't do justice of how big some of the monuments actually were. Most of them were incredibly stunning also. They were made to fit in with the church quite well also. The Church itself is actually pretty grand considering the small piece of land on which it sits.

The main graveyard seems to be quite squashed up. Some say this would be normal considering that it is in a small space but it just seems out of place. The graves are very weather beaten to the point where you could barely read what was on them. This place definitely needs a bit of love and care. The church has a religious organisation that runs in helping the church. If only they could look after their dead as well as they look after the living.


ANY GHOSTS?:
There were to be no ghosts found this time. I am purely putting it down to the fact that I was not ready for them. As I had said previously, I only found this little church by chance so the likely hood of me actually finding anything was quite low. There are not very many burials here so this place may not be all that active, That's not to say that there are no ghosts however, a little investigation may prove quite fruitful here.


FINAL (RESTING) WORD:
I really do believe this to be one of Richmond's hidden little treasures. Had it a bit more love and care then I believe that it would be a very attractive point. The only bad thing about it is that it seems to be an attraction for all of the local drunks and what not. If a bit of care was taken to rid the place of this annoyance then it would be very pleasant indeed. Next time you are in Richmond high street, I suggest that you take a quick walk though it.

"Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see"

RATING: 3/5 - Not the best looking graveyard you will ever see but nice to have a little stroll around.

LINKS:
http://www.richmondteamministry.org/stmary