As part of the Being Human festival of humanities, there will be a tour on the topic of death, and a chance to go inside the crypt of St Alfege Church in Greenwich.
The event will explore historic attitudes to death, burial and memorialisation at two Greenwich churches with crypts.
In two linked activities you can go on a tour of the atmospheric crypt at Nicholas Hawksmoor’s magnificent St Alfege parish church, and then a guided walk around the ghost site of the now-lost and forgotten St Mary’s chapel of ease.
In visiting these sites – one standing and one dismantled – you will not only explore how and why material ways of memorialising the dead change, but also how churches and burial sites have their own complicated histories of ‘endings’, in deconsecration, demolition and redevelopment.
Tours of the crypt are limited to a maximum of 15 people, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
The tours take place on Saturday 17th November, are free of charge, and need to be booked in advance here.
Be very careful to select the correct time slot for the crypt (11am, 12:45pm or 2:30pm), or the walking tours at noon and 1:45pm.
