The joy of cemeteries

The idea of writing Finding the Plot: 100 Graves to Visit Before You Die first came to Ann Treneman when she was chatting with Tony Wright, formerly Labour MP for Cannock Chase. They started talking about Birmingham and she happened to remark: ‘Did you know the man who invented Cluedo came from Bromsgrove?’ His name, rather marvellously, was Anthony E. Pratt, and she’d previously written about him for the Independent. Pratt had allowed the patent to lapse before the board game took off, and had died in obscurity (although with Alzheimer’s, in an old people’s home, rather than with lead piping, in the library). She’d found his grave (absolutely fascinating; page 241; I’m not reading the book for you; she also traced his daughter) and when she told Tony Wright as much he said: ‘You should write a book about the best graves in Britain.’ It was a fantastic idea — I so, so wish I’d had it — as every grave is a life, a story, and a story which comes with a satisfyingly proper ending. The book is packed with such stories, about the great and the good (Nye Bevan, Horatio Nelson, Marje Proops) as well as those you’ve never heard of, but are glad you now have. Indeed, one of my own particular favourites is Richard ‘Stoney’ Smith, the miller who did interesting things with wheatgerm and invented Hovis bread in 1887 (p. 82; a national competition was launched to name the loaf, with Hovis, a shortened version of the Latin hominis vis — strength of man — winning, and with ‘Yum Yum’ coming runner up. See? Don’t you wish you’d always known that?).

I meet Ann, who is my friend, in Highgate, where Stoney is buried. She has visited the grave, just as she’s visited all 100 graves, travelling tons of miles up and down the country, often with a long-suffering family member in tow.