In a small, quiet church graveyard in Mortlake, South London, lies the extraordinary tomb of Sir Richard Burton, the Victorian explorer, translator and adventurer.
A REMARKABLE LIFE
Sir Richard Burton led a remarkable life. He translated the Karma Sutra and the Arabian Nights into English and was one of the first Europeans to enter Mecca (disguised) and Lake Tanganyika. He also explored North and South America.
BEHIND EVERY GREAT MAN
After he died in 1890, his wife, Isabel, commissioned his tomb to look like a stone version of a Bedouin tent. The stonework even has undulating ripples as though from a desert wind. One of London’s most extraordinary mausoleums, it is even more remarkable for its quiet setting.
The poem on the front is surprisingly moving. The details that have been included on the tomb’s exterior are intricate and rather lovely, from the crucifix and the stars to the crescent moons.
WALK ROUND TO THE BACK
But it’s at the rear of the tomb that the greatest surprise lurks. If you ever go to see it, make sure you walk round to the back, because there is a short ladder. A quick climb up three rungs gives a view inside the tomb through a window. There are two coffins in there, Burton’s and Isabel’s, and all manner of lamps and trinkets from their travels. The ceiling continues the tent theme brilliantly, and looks authentic and colourful.
NO WAY TO LIVE
I went to see the tomb during a location-finding trip for various scenes in my Angel of the South thriller series. The books are set mainly in London, I always include interesting settings to make the scenes come alive.
In No Way To Live, Tom remembers a trip that the enforcer Solly took him and Billie on to see the tomb. Even Billie was impressed by it, and fell uncharacteristically silent.
This was probably the moment her belief that death can be celebrated and not just mourned was born, a theme later explored in Book Two, Good Deeds and Charity.
Leave a Reply