A Curious Invitation present London Month of the Dead

SECRETS OF THE OSSUARY
A Guided Tour of St Bride's Crypt with Jelena Bekvalac
Saturday 21st October 2023 at 10:30 am and 12:00 noon

The ancient Church of St Bride’s on Fleet Street has been associated with the media since Wynkyn de Worde set up his printing press nearby in 1500. Samuel Pepys was christened at St Bride’s and it was here that Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall plighted their troth in 2016. The existing church was built after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren and is famous for its spire which has inspired countless wedding cake designs. The crypt had been sealed since the 1850s, however bomb damage in Word War Two led to it being excavated and the uncovering of many fascinating details of its occupants. 

This guided tour will provide rare access to the skeletal remains of the 227 people interred within the ossuary. Jelena Bekvalac, the curator of human osteology at the Museum of London, will outline the history of the crypt revealing the forensic key the named skeletons have left us in the quest to unlock the social history of London.

Tickets £20 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at St. Bride's. Please click here to buy.

Jelena Bekvalac is the Curator of Human Osteology at the Museum of London and was an original member of the research osteologist team at the Wellcome funded Centre for Human Bioarchaeology.

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