Located on the outskirts of the City of London, Bunhill Fields Burial Ground dates back to the 1660’s and the time of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. It is recognised for its dark history, as well as being the burial site for many famous non-conformists.

Interestingly the name Bunhill is thought to have originated from the name ‘Bone Hill’. It hides a fascinating and macabre story about when, in the mid-sixteenth century, the Charnel House of St Paul’s Cathedral (a building used to store skeletal remains) was demolished with the contents needing to be relocated elsewhere. Over one thousand cartloads of bones ended up being transported to this very location, where the mass deposit was covered with a thin layer of soil, creating a very real and gruesome “Hill of Bones”. History states that the mound was so high that three windmills were placed on top, due to its prime position.

Unfortunately, you won’t find any signs of the hill still there today, but what you can find are the graves of some of Britain’s great intellectuals, who back in the day were classed as dissenters and were only therefore authorised to be buried in non-religious grounds outside of the city walls. Look out for the black marble Obelisk, which is a memorial to Daniel Defoe who is renowned for writing the novel Robinson Crusoe. As well as the headstone of poet and artist William Blake, which has been re-positioned near its original spot after damage was caused by the WW2 bombings.