For International Women’s Day, the Doyennes of Death pay homage to the cemetery’s fierce female mould breakers, risk takers and pioneers whose stories are both awe inspiring and poignant.
Context is everything (especially with history) and this tour will examine the often adverse social, political and economic circumstances faced by the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian Women of Abney and their respective ‘take-no-prisoners’ battles for equality and recognition. Renowned for its permanent residents’ dissenting and rebellious voices, the cemetery’s tenacious and talented ladies include feminist writers, suffragettes, humanitarians, music hall artistes, aeronauts and even a Mysterious Lady!
Celebrate and commemorate these wonderful women in the contemplative setting of Abney Park Cemetery, one of London’s most unique and hidden gems. This inspiring and informative guided tour is delivered by historian Sam Perrin.
As with all walking tours, please wear suitable footwear and come armed with an umbrella (you never know!).
Tickets: £12 / £10 concessions
Please reserve your place here
Doyennes of Death Mission Statement
Cemeteries are our outdoor archives: tangible time capsules, accessible fragments of our collective heritage and individual tales of love and loss. Doyennes of Death are a two-woman team of historians and storytellers who share their love of history and remarkable lives of the interred through the medium of cemetery tours throughout London's iconic Victorian garden cemeteries. The brainchild of historians Romany Reagan and Samantha Perrin, the Doyennes of Death project offers a peek through the veil into the hidden histories within the Arcadian environs of London's Victorian garden cemeteries from the feminine perspective. Uncovering the lost stories of the fascinating women buried here, Doyennes of Death are researching and writing a suite of cemetery tours beginning with the inaugural tour: 'Women of Abney Park'. A mix of tragic figures and fearless avengers, Doyennes of Death celebrate the lives of London's forgotten heroines amongst the crumbling stones and grey ladies. It's Victoriana with brass knuckles.
Samantha Perrin bio:
Sam is completing her MA in Victorian Studies from Birkbeck, University of London, and has been researching, devising and leading cemetery tours since 2003. Her areas of focus are women’s, social and boxing history and Sam has previously delivered talks for Museums Showoff, the National Archives, Museum of London, Abney Park and Foster Hill Road Cemeteries and Camden Historical Society. Sam is collaborating with Abney Park Trust in developing a series of new and exciting themed walks and will be undertaking a further MA in Historical Research in 2022. She has biographies about not one but two remarkable women in the pipeline. Website: https://misssamperrin.blogspot.com / Twitter: @misssamperrin / @DoyennesDeath
Romany Reagan bio:
(Please note: Dr Reagan is unable to attend this event. Her bio is here as she is one of the founding Doyennes.)
Romany Reagan received her PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London in performing heritage in 2018, with a focus on community engagement. Her practice-based research project ‘Abney Rambles’ is comprised of four audio walks that she researched, wrote, and recorded from 2014 to 2017 within the space of Abney Park cemetery. Her continued work with the Abney Park Trust aims to engage the local community of Stoke Newington, the wider community of London and all visitors to the cemetery, with Abney Park's heritage as well as offer diverse perspectives on what a cemetery can represent as a contemporary space within its local community. Romany’s walk ‘Crossing Paths/Different Worlds in Abney Park Cemetery’ was published in Ways to Wander (Triarchy Press, 2015) Website: https://abneyrambles.com / Twitter: @msromany / @DoyennesDeath