We meet on 22 September in the church of St Olave Hart Street, Dickens’s ‘Churchyard of St Ghastly Grim’, with its macabre gate, for a tour and lecture plus our AGM. Inside the church is a stunning collection of monuments (see below for some photos). After the AGM, we will have a guided tour of the church, and Jon Bayliss will talk in detail about the brasses. Then Julian Litten, author of The English Way of Death, will lecture on Samuel Pepys (Elizabeth Pepys’s monument is in the church).

We hope these events will inspire you to come along to the meeting. Of course, the AGM is important as well. This is when members get to discuss the Society’s policies and activities. This year our President, Jean Wilson is retiring. Stepping into her shoes is a big challenge, and we have two candidates, so we need members to turn up and vote. We will also be unveiling the winner of last year’s Photography Competition.

More details about the candidates and the agenda for the AGM are at https://churchmonumentssociety.org/event/cms-2018-annual-general-meeting.

The AGM is for members, but non-members are welcome to join us for the church tour and lecture. Timings are a bit uncertain but the church tour could start at any time after 3 pm. If you want to join us, it would help if you could let the Secretary know: email secretaryofcms@gmail.com.

Photos of St Olave Hart Street