You might want to lounge on the beach, or go shopping or eating. I just want to visit celebrity graves and miscellaneous death sites. Fortunately my wife is a good sport about it, but when I recently had the opportunity to take a solo road trip around England (where the beaches, etc. can be hit-and-miss anyway), I went into unabashed overdrive.
Here are some of my haunts, mostly in the rock ‘n’ roll genre since that is what England does best.
Former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren—Highgate Cemetery, LondonAmy Winehouse—Edgwarebury Cemetery, EdgwareAmy Winehouse death house—30 Camden SquareAmy WinehouseAmy Winehouse
Ronnie Scott-Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum.Composer Ivor Novello-Golders Green. (You can also visit a Novello-themed Wetherspoon pub in his native Cardiff.)Pink Panther actor Peter Sellers-Golders Green.Who drummer Keith Moon + glam rocker Marc Bolan—Golders GreenKeith Moon—Golders GreenMarc Bolan—Golders GreenMarc Bolan crash site—Barnes. Be very, very careful walking this busy road.Marc Bolan memorial, behind the safety barrier.Eddie Cochran crash site—Rowden Hill, Chippenham. The memorial has been upgraded since my visit. See also Eddie Cochran’s Last Ride on this site and more UK-specific Cochran pictures on my Tumblr page..Memorial at St. Martin’s Hospital where Eddie Cochran died—Bath.
Benny Hill died in his apartment at Fairwater House, 34 Twickenham Road,Teddington. Yes, London has beautiful days, and Teddington is a great neighborhood.
Beatles confidant Neil Aspinall, one of the “fifth Beatles.” He literally took his secrets to the grave—Teddington Cemetery, Teddington.
Former Who co-manager Kit Lambert—Brompton Cemetery. (Horrible addition to an existing stone. Give him his own one.)
Kit Lambert, with family
Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees—St. Mary’s Church, Thame. See my interview with Robin here.Robin Gibb, reverseRobin GibbAndy Gibb—St. Mary’s Church, Thame. “Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest”
Motown singer Edwin Starr—Wilford Hall (Southern) Cemetery, Nottingham
Mick Ronson, David Bowie’s Spiders from Mars guitarist, (and 2 snails)—Eastern Cemetery, Hull.Ronson Close—Hull, 1.2 miles from the cemetery.Songwriter Lally Stott (“Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep”)—St. Ann’s Church, Prescot, Merseyside.Former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe—Huyton Parish Church (St. Michael), Merseyside.Stuart Sutcliffe memorial bench—Huyton Parish Church (St. Michael), Merseyside.Former Beatles manager Brian Epstein—Everton Cemetery, LiverpoolSinger/TV personality Cilla Black—Allerton Cemetery, LiverpoolCilla BlackEleanor Rigby—St. Peter’s Church, Woolton, LiverpoolJulia Lennon, John’s mother—Allerton Cemetery, LiverpoolIan Curtis of Joy Division, hanged himself behind this door—77 Barton Street, MacclesfieldIan Curtis—Macclesfield Cemetery
Former Rolling Stone Brian Jones—Cheltenham Cemetery and Crematorium, Cheltenham. (The grave is near the entrance; note its position relative to the path behind it. Former stones sideman Ian McLagan, of the Faces, may also be buried at this cemetery.)Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham—St. Michael and All Angels Church, RushockJohn Bonham’s new neighborhood (beautiful place)Queen frontman Freddie Mercury death house—KensingtonFreddie MercuryFreddie MercuryJimi Hendrix death house—22 Lansdowne Crescent
HONORABLE MENTION
English WW1 nurse Edith Cavell, executed by Germans—Norwich Cathedral. You can read more about Edith Cavell at my blog here.Baroness Margaret & Sir Denis Thatcher—Royal Hospital, ChelseaSir Winston Churchill—St. Martin’s Church, Bladon.Sir Edward Heath—Salisbury CathedralBenjamin Disraeli—St. Michael & All Angels Church, HughendenUK journalist Farzad Bazoft, executed by Saddam Hussein regime—Highgate Cemetery (Sadly omitted from VIP names listed on the Highgate guide)Author Douglas Adams—Highgate CemeteryAuthor George Orwell—Church of All Saints, Sutton CourtenayCricket maven John Wisden—Brompton CemeterySuffragette Emmeline Pankhurst—Brompton Cemetery (Was the most popular grave in Brompton, now supplanted by the grave of a Russian Orthodox bigwig, and in need of some TLC.)
DISHONORABLE MENTION
Great Train Robbery mastermind Bruce Reynolds—Highgate Cemetery (Yes, Karl Marx is also buried there but I’m not wasting digital space on that so-and-so.)Former site of the Dr. Crippen murder house, 39 Hilldrop Crescent. The original building was bombed during WW2.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ian Paisley, Ballygowan Free Presbyterian Cemetery. (Yes, yes, I’m fully aware that Belfast is not in England. Don’t argue with free content.)George Best, Roselawn Cemetery.
LEST WE FORGET
You—Brompton Cemetery. Picture yourself here, because you will eventually be completely forgotten
###
NOTE: Completely unrelated to the above story, but written in the same tone, my gossipy rock bio Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ‘n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles is available here. For more info, go to strangedaysbook.com
