There are lots of fascinating places to explore here in the lovely United Kingdom and if you have never explored our fair land then you really should think about adding some closer to home destinations to your travel bucket list.
My family has explored a lot of the UK, we spent many a school holiday camping all around England and have been to parts of Wales and Scotland too. On a camping trip not too long ago I was taken to the extraordinary Ossuary at St Leonard’s in Hythe, Kent, and it is well worth telling you about.
It all started when my Father recalled how when he was a young boy he, along with his parents and brother, visited an amazing Church in Hythe which housed an astonishing collection of human bones. Having piqued my interest I set about finding more about it and after a fair bit of Googling we discovered the Church was St Leonard’s in Hythe (click for website) and off we went!
From the outside, you would think that St Leonard’s Church is your usual lovely little village Church but alas, this is not the case. The Church holds the biggest and best-preserved collection of ancient human bones and skulls in Britain.
The Ossuary was first referenced in 1678 by Samuel Jeake, the Town Clerk of Rye who described St Leonard’s having ‘an orderly pile of dead men’s bones’ in the ‘charnel house’ on the north side of the church.
The collection is made up of 1022 skulls which are on display in four shelved arches and a monsterously large stack of long bones, pelvises and skulls measuring 7.5m in length, 1.8m in width and just over 1.8m in height! In total it is estimated that the collection represents around 2,000 people.
Over the years this collection of bones has served as an academic mystery, with many people studying them in order to determine where they all came from, the ages and sexes of the remains as well exploring signs of diseases and injury visible on the bones.
You might think that walking into a room full of bones would be spooky however I actually found it rather fascinating. We were warmly welcomed in and told about the bones, the myths of where the bones came from as well as told a bit about the studies that have been undertaken.
Don’t just spend your time exploring the pretty sights of England but be sure to check out the places that sound a bit daring. I really enjoyed exploring the Ossuary at St Leonard’s and imaging who the bones had belonged to and
Of course, you can also pop down to the beach, a short walk away, if you want to reflect on your visit with some sunshine and ice cream!
