For most of us, cemeteries are places that can appear scary or sad. But they are also places full of spirituality that are mysterious and schemers. This 55-year-old woman has made it her passion, going so far as to attend burials of strangers who have no relatives.
Jeane Trend-Hill is a English originally from Islington in the suburbs of London. Photographer and author of some thirty books, she specialized in a very specific field: cemeteries and death in general. She thus explains to The Independent where does this passion come from? I have always been intrigued by death since my childhood. We went to cemeteries, and I walked around looking at all the graves. They are like outdoor art galleries. »
The fascination really began when his parents died
But its fascination for these places of meditation has increased following the death of his parents. Indeed, Jeane Trend-Hill lost her parents when she was still young. Her father died aged 56 when she was still a teenager and her mother, Mary, died aged 57 when she was 20.
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Jeane Trend-Hill pays tribute to strangers who have no relatives
She began to feel comfortable in these places of meditation, until dedicate his life. Beyond photos, she also studied criminology and mortuary sciences and has written numerous books on the subject. She looks like this expert in the field of Victorian cemeteries and grave symbolism.
But the fifties goes further since it also attends the burials. Always at The Independentshe tells how it all started by chance in 2012: “ I walked into this lovely church and realized that a service was going on. (…) I stayed and sat at the back. He was a complete stranger, but I was moved. Shortly after, a cemetery employee contacted me and asked if I wanted to attend the funeral of a veteran who had no one else to pay their respects, so I agreed and I went there. »
She doesn’t know how many funerals she has attended
“I’m proud to be that person who goes to funerals of strangers when there’s no one else who can attend,” she admits to the newspaper. She believes that “ no one should ever be cremated or buried alone. » In total, since ten yearsshe has attended around 200 funerals, although she has ” lost the exact count”.
His passion leads him to visit necropolises during his travels such as in Paris or Venice. And she explains: the first thing i do when i get somewhere is to see where the nearest crematorium or cemetery is. » With her growing notoriety, she is now contacted on Facebook to attend funerals. In addition to cemeteries, we also learn that the British like to photograph other subjects: abandoned buildings and… crows.
This woman attends the funerals of strangers who have no family or friends to pay their respects