Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
Has anyone been to the ossuary of St Leonard's Church Hythe? It looks very interesting. Inside the Crypt are the remains of approx 4,000 men, women and children including 2,000 skulls and 8,000 thigh bones. The bones date to before the Norman Conquest and were gathered from 800 AD to early 1500 AD.
http://www.stleonardschurchhythekent.org/History/HouseofBones.html I am hoping to get there sometime soon.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
Yes!
Amazing place. Took my children last year.
The crypt is only open during the 'mid season' period but at this point would definitely be open.
Well worth a visit, and sits within a really parochial part of Hythe...that I never really knew about before.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
that church was in the news a while back as they were looking for volunteers to help clear the churchyard of trees and general vegetation.
found it by chance when i was in hythe last year it has an atmosphere all of its own.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
Sounds good. I e mailed them about opening times etc - if anyone else is interested it's open Saturday mornings from 11.00 to 12.30 and on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 14.30 to 16.00. I didn't check the times during the week but I believe they are similar.
Judith Roberts- Registered: 15 May 2012
- Posts: 637
What a coincidence, we went on Monday and it was very interesting. It is manned by knowledgeable volunteers. We enjoyed hearing about notable skulls and the diseases and injuries they died from and in some cases survived pretty gruesome looking wounds.
We also took an "electric" boat trip on the Royal Military Canal which was lovely and relaxing trip, lasting a full hour, with amazing wildlife including kingfishers.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
the ossuary at verdun is another intresting one to,around 50,000 bodys are incarsarated there,from both sides of the conflict.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
In that case I am really looking forward to seeing it Judith.
Thanks Brian, I didn't know about that one.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
jeane,its quite a large one,with its cathedraral type building on the outside and red tinted windows it gives out an erray feel inside.the actull bones can be seen via small windows [about a meyer square from the outside.it all so has a large [french]cemetry in the grounds.the only trouble is its a 4 hour drive from calias both ways.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
It sounds amazing Brian, maybe next time I am over that direction I will make a point of going. I enjoyed the catacombs in Paris last time I was there. Here I am with a few hundred thousand friends!
I didn't find it creepy, it didn't seem to have an 'atmosphere' to me it was more like they were no longer there and had 'moved on'. I found it incredibly interesting and went back a second time to see some areas I'd missed. There are miles of it but only certain areas have public access. Because of my cemetery work I have been offered a private tour by one of the people who are allowed to roam freely down there which I hope to take up at some point. It's weird to think that some people actually still live in the catacombs (illegally) and have even had parties down there.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
the one at verdun will,only if you look in a certain window.
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
Visited the one at Verdun back in the spring as Brian says it was very moving. Unfortunately a few weeks before we went it was broken into and bones were stolen approximately 2 car boots full.
beer the food of the gods
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
That's shocking, stealing from the dead is the lowest of the low but actually stealing the dead.......
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
Unfortunately there is a market for any relics from the first world war, collectors will pay large sums for body parts.
beer the food of the gods
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
thats really sad news guzzler,i hope they catch the scrots who nicked them,should be locked up for life with water boarding every day that passes.
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
Brian i must disagree with you they should be interred in the ossuary and left to die.
beer the food of the gods
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
guzzler,yes but only after being water boarded for a month minimum.
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
Brian have you some kind of a fetish for waterboarding.
beer the food of the gods
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
no guzz,gave it up for lent,apart from that its ramadam month.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
This morning I had a flying visit to Hythe to see the crypt at St Leonard's church. I found it absolutely fascinating and the lady who was volunteering there could not have been more helpful. I took loads of photos which I won't post here as it's a family forum and I appreciate some people may not wish to see close up's of skulls and bones. If anyone would like to see some photos, please scroll to the bottom of the page here:
http://askjeane.homestead.com/AboutJ1.htmlJudith Roberts- Registered: 15 May 2012
- Posts: 637
I am glad you enjoyed it Jeane. Your photos are brilliant.
