1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Bogelbaum, and this is another classic episode of 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: the show. In this one, we delve into the slightly 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: morbid but interesting history of the London Necropolis Railway, a 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 1: train line that served the dead along with the living. 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: Hey Brainstuff, laurenvogelbaumb. Here, would you ride a train with 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: undead passengers? Or if not, what about a train with 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: actually dead passengers? From eighteen fifty four to nineteen forty one, 9 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: the London Necropolis Railway took a forty minute journey across 10 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: twenty three miles that's thirty seven kilometers, carrying both the 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: deceased and the living who mourned them to a cemetery. 12 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 1: After departing a special station near Waterloo built specifically for 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: the line and its passengers, the train rocked its way 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 1: across the serene countryside on a route selected for its 15 00:00:56,520 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: comforting views. Once arriving at the Brookwood seventy in Surrey, 16 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: at the time, the world's largest cemetery and built in 17 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: partnership with the railroad, funeral goers would lay their dearly 18 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: departed to rest, and then have drinks and snacks at 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: one of the cemetery's to train stations. We spoke with 20 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: John Clark, author of the two thousand and six book 21 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: The Brookwood Necropolis Railway. He said both cemetery stations had 22 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: refreshment rooms, usually run by the wives of the station staff. 23 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,919 Speaker 1: The cakes and sandwiches served would probably have been homemade, 24 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: and it would have been customary to eat this lunch 25 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: with a cup of tea at the station before returning 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: to London. The refreshment rooms were fully licensed, so guests 27 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: could have alcoholic drinks as an alternative to tea or coffee. 28 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: After this brief repast, the guests then boarded the train 29 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: and returned to London. The train's passenger list a bit 30 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: lighter than before. The idea may seem odd today when 31 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: many of us keep the dead as far from daily 32 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: life as possible, but at the time it was a 33 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: popular one. During its peak, London's Necropolis Railway transported more 34 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: than two thousand dead bodies a year. The number of 35 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: live mourners at care reached into the tens of thousands. 36 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: Even so, riding in these same train as corpses took 37 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: some getting used to. Londoners initially wondered whether loading up 38 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: the mourners and the deceased and transporting them on the 39 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: same train was a bit too practical. The Bishop of London, 40 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: when appearing before the Houses of Parliament a full twelve 41 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: years before the Necropolis Railway opened, considered it improper. Clark 42 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: says that the Bishop stated he would consider the hurry 43 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: and bustle connected with it as inconsistent with the solemnity 44 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: of a Christian funeral. Plus, there were the corporeal elements 45 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: with which to contend, such as the odors and potential 46 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: disease transmission of the bodies. Social mores were tested too, 47 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: could the rich really ride side by side with the 48 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: poor to bury their dead? And the concern wasn't limited 49 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: only to people of different social classes. There could be 50 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: different religions aboard, each requiring its own traditions. The solution, 51 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: at least aboard the Necropolis Railway was elegant in its simplicity. 52 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: Separate cars were designated by class, but all were allowed 53 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,119 Speaker 1: to ride, regardless of their station in life. The cemetery, meanwhile, 54 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: allowed the rich and poor to be buried side by side, 55 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: but sectioned separate areas for various religions. It was a 56 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: workable solution for the time, and one driven by a necessity. 57 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: I few could argue London's intown cemeteries were already chalk full. 58 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: By the middle of the nineteenth century, Londoners were being 59 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: buried at a rate of about fifty thousand a year. 60 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: Previously buried bodies were sometimes removed and cremated to make 61 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: room for new ones, until Parliament began closing admission at 62 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: city cemeteries and shipping bodies two greener pastures, like the 63 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: out of town Brookwood Cemetery, which encompassed about one thousand, 64 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: five hundred acres. By the nineteen twenties, motorized horses were 65 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: the vehicle of choice for moving the dead, and many 66 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: Londoners had access to either automobiles or one of the 67 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: trains of the living that also made a stop at 68 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: Brookwood Station, and in April nineteen forty one, during World 69 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: War II, the London terminus of the funeral train was 70 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: damaged in a German V two rocket bombing. Brookwood no 71 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: longer serves exclusively as a departure spot for the dead 72 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: and their mourners, but remnants of these stations are still 73 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: visible if you know where to Look, how's that for 74 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: living history. Today's episode is based on an article on 75 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: how stuffworks dot Com that has since been lost to time, 76 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: as these things sometimes are. Rain Stuff is production of 77 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's 78 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Klang. For four more podcasts from my 79 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,119 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 80 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.