#hardy tree

John Polidori

(Sep. 7th 1795 - Aug. 24th 1821)

Brief Bio:

Polisario was born in London. He attended the University of Edinburgh, and at age 19 became the personal physician of Lord Byron and traveled with him throughout Europe. In 1816 Byron rented the Villa Diodati at Lake Geneva with Percy Shelley and Mary Godwin. They all challenged each other to write a ghost story, for which Polidori wrote The Vampyre, the first modern English vampire story. After leaving Byron’s service he traveled through Italy. His story was published against his wishes and attributed to Byron. Suffering from depression and gambling debts, Polidori died of cyanide poisoning at age 25. His death was attributed to natural causes.

Notable Works:

The Vampyre (1819)

The Fall of the Angels (1821, posthumous)

The Grave:

Polidori was buried in the churchyard of St. Pancras Old Church in London. In approximately 1865 his and many other graves were dug up to make way for a new railway, under the supervision of Thomas Hardy. It’s possible that his stone is one of the many surrounding the famous Hardy Tree behind the church.

Pancras Rd.

London NW1 1UL

Surrounding Area:

Just down Midland Road are St. Pancras International and King’s Cross Rail Stations, as well as the London Underground. Traveling in the other direction, one may visit the Camden Market, a labyrinthine hive of shopping and cuisine. One may also travel to Highgate Cemetery to visit Polidori’s niece, Christina Rossetti.

Further Reading:

Polidori Project Gutenberg

St. Pancras Old Church website

Keats-Shelley House website

The Hardy Tree and Soane Mausoleum

Thomas Hardy, famed 19th Century novelist, first trained as an architect, serving an apprenticeship from 1862 to 1867. During this time, his employer was charged with the dismantling of graves and removal of human remains from Old St Pancras Churchyard, to allow for construction of a railway line to King’s Cross. The job was entrusted to Hardy.

Whilst the bodies were removed and re-interred in new locations, the headstones (as was fairly common practice at the time) were to be discarded. However, Hardy stacked many in rough circles around an ash tree; as the tree grows, the headstones are still being gradually absorbed into it.

Hardy Tree, London, 2017.  © Moon and Serpent

Hardy Tree, London, 2017.  © Moon and Serpent