Victorian Memorials

Memorialisation is key to our engagement with the past, our understanding of the present, and our shaping of the future. This series of spring/summer events, organised in association with Surrey Arts and Humanities Network (SAHN) at the University of Surrey, is focused around the broad theme of Victorian memorials: from gravestones, statues, human relics, cemeteries and chapels to mourning fashions, spiritualist experiments in writing and art, archives and digital records. As the destination of London’s Necropolis Railway which transported bodies to burial grounds, Surrey has a rich history of memorialisation. This series of events will be held at three key sites of Victorian memorialisation in Surrey: Brookwood Cemetery; Surrey History Centre; and Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village. These free, family-friendly, interactive events – each comprised of informative talks, fun ‘crafternoons’ and/or gentle walking tours – are open to the public of all ages and abilities. They aim to bring research on memorials into cultural settings and community spaces, enhancing knowledge of local history and its memorialisation in order to enhance people’s sense of community, connection and collaboration.