Deborah Contessa, The Cemetery Lady, Mistress of the Macabre
@deborahcontessa.bsky.social
Cemetery Tour Guide, Tour Manager, Guest Speaker, Historian, Writer, Goth.
Secretary & Tour manager for Friends of Layton Cemetery, Blackpool, UK
Mistress of the Macabre at Blackpool Ghost Walks
Secretary & Tour manager for Friends of Layton Cemetery, Blackpool, UK
Mistress of the Macabre at Blackpool Ghost Walks
Join me on the 19th or 20th December for a darkly delicious walk around the haunted streets of Blackpool.
Meet at Tourist Information, Promenade Blackpool at 7pm . . . If you dare!!
Meet at Tourist Information, Promenade Blackpool at 7pm . . . If you dare!!
November 30, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Join me on the 19th or 20th December for a darkly delicious walk around the haunted streets of Blackpool.
Meet at Tourist Information, Promenade Blackpool at 7pm . . . If you dare!!
Meet at Tourist Information, Promenade Blackpool at 7pm . . . If you dare!!
My heartfelt thanks to all who joined today’s Military Graves Tour.
You braved the biting cold amongst the stones and stood steadfast as any sentinel — and what a splendid, spirited crowd you were.
It was an honour to wander the ranks of our fallen with you.#graves #cemetery
You braved the biting cold amongst the stones and stood steadfast as any sentinel — and what a splendid, spirited crowd you were.
It was an honour to wander the ranks of our fallen with you.#graves #cemetery
November 16, 2025 at 9:10 PM
My heartfelt thanks to all who joined today’s Military Graves Tour.
You braved the biting cold amongst the stones and stood steadfast as any sentinel — and what a splendid, spirited crowd you were.
It was an honour to wander the ranks of our fallen with you.#graves #cemetery
You braved the biting cold amongst the stones and stood steadfast as any sentinel — and what a splendid, spirited crowd you were.
It was an honour to wander the ranks of our fallen with you.#graves #cemetery
Every stone tells a story, even the ones whose inscriptions are almost gone. #churchyard #grave
November 12, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Every stone tells a story, even the ones whose inscriptions are almost gone. #churchyard #grave
Beneath brooding November skies, our Blue Plaque was unveiled — a tribute to time, memory, and the eternal hush of stone. Grateful to all who walk with us among the shadows #thecemeterylady #blackpool #history #heritage
November 8, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Beneath brooding November skies, our Blue Plaque was unveiled — a tribute to time, memory, and the eternal hush of stone. Grateful to all who walk with us among the shadows #thecemeterylady #blackpool #history #heritage
St Oswald’s Churchyard in Winwick, Warrington, beautiful stones from the 1600s #History #heritage #grave #graveyard #TheCemeteryLady
November 4, 2025 at 5:47 AM
St Oswald’s Churchyard in Winwick, Warrington, beautiful stones from the 1600s #History #heritage #grave #graveyard #TheCemeteryLady
The end of an era . . .
Stephen, our Victorian Ghost Hunter, takes his final bow — beloved by both the living and the dead 💀
But beware . . . the darkness never sleeps.
This festive season, Blackpool Ghost Walks will rise again 👻
#Blackpool #ghosts #haunting #walk #spooky
Stephen, our Victorian Ghost Hunter, takes his final bow — beloved by both the living and the dead 💀
But beware . . . the darkness never sleeps.
This festive season, Blackpool Ghost Walks will rise again 👻
#Blackpool #ghosts #haunting #walk #spooky
November 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The end of an era . . .
Stephen, our Victorian Ghost Hunter, takes his final bow — beloved by both the living and the dead 💀
But beware . . . the darkness never sleeps.
This festive season, Blackpool Ghost Walks will rise again 👻
#Blackpool #ghosts #haunting #walk #spooky
Stephen, our Victorian Ghost Hunter, takes his final bow — beloved by both the living and the dead 💀
But beware . . . the darkness never sleeps.
This festive season, Blackpool Ghost Walks will rise again 👻
#Blackpool #ghosts #haunting #walk #spooky
By his mid-twenties, Alfred Tysoe was one of the finest middle-distance runners in the world. He broke records, won championships, and became known across Britain for his grace and power on the track.Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #history #sportsman #runner #grave #cemetery
October 26, 2025 at 8:59 AM
By his mid-twenties, Alfred Tysoe was one of the finest middle-distance runners in the world. He broke records, won championships, and became known across Britain for his grace and power on the track.Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #history #sportsman #runner #grave #cemetery
Congratulations to all who survived last night’s Ghost Walk with myself and The Victorian Ghost Hunter…
It was a dark delight to make your acquaintance — your courage did not go unnoticed.
Perhaps we shall meet again … don’t be strangers.
#Blackpool #ghosts #history #hauntings
It was a dark delight to make your acquaintance — your courage did not go unnoticed.
Perhaps we shall meet again … don’t be strangers.
#Blackpool #ghosts #history #hauntings
October 19, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Congratulations to all who survived last night’s Ghost Walk with myself and The Victorian Ghost Hunter…
It was a dark delight to make your acquaintance — your courage did not go unnoticed.
Perhaps we shall meet again … don’t be strangers.
#Blackpool #ghosts #history #hauntings
It was a dark delight to make your acquaintance — your courage did not go unnoticed.
Perhaps we shall meet again … don’t be strangers.
#Blackpool #ghosts #history #hauntings
A moment of calm in St James’ Churchyard, Burton in Kendal — where weathered 18th-century stones rest on ground sacred for centuries. 🖤
#TheCemeteryLady #BurtonInKendal #CemeteryStories #WhispersOfThePast #HistoricChurchyards
#TheCemeteryLady #BurtonInKendal #CemeteryStories #WhispersOfThePast #HistoricChurchyards
October 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
A moment of calm in St James’ Churchyard, Burton in Kendal — where weathered 18th-century stones rest on ground sacred for centuries. 🖤
#TheCemeteryLady #BurtonInKendal #CemeteryStories #WhispersOfThePast #HistoricChurchyards
#TheCemeteryLady #BurtonInKendal #CemeteryStories #WhispersOfThePast #HistoricChurchyards
🖤 Eternal thanks to Stephen Mercer, The Victorian Ghost Hunter – it’s with his blessing that I now carry the lantern of the Blackpool Ghost Walks into its next chapter. #blackpool #ghosts #hauntings #heritage
October 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM
🖤 Eternal thanks to Stephen Mercer, The Victorian Ghost Hunter – it’s with his blessing that I now carry the lantern of the Blackpool Ghost Walks into its next chapter. #blackpool #ghosts #hauntings #heritage
SUNDIAL & STOCKS
the endstones are most probably C17. An older pair of oak stocks is preserved in the church.
The sundial, dated 1714, on a turned shaft of stone has inscribed on the dial ‘Pulvis et umbra sumus’ which translates as ‘We are dust and shadow’ Grappenhall #History #stocks #sundial
the endstones are most probably C17. An older pair of oak stocks is preserved in the church.
The sundial, dated 1714, on a turned shaft of stone has inscribed on the dial ‘Pulvis et umbra sumus’ which translates as ‘We are dust and shadow’ Grappenhall #History #stocks #sundial
September 1, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Read it and weep fellow taphophiles . . . Memento Mori on a stone from 1674 🖤 #grave #gravestone #churchyard #17thCentury #mementomori
August 31, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Read it and weep fellow taphophiles . . . Memento Mori on a stone from 1674 🖤 #grave #gravestone #churchyard #17thCentury #mementomori
I wandered lonely as a goth… and naturally ended up in a graveyard . . .
Whose final resting place did I discover today?
#poet #grave #churchyard #lakedistrict
Whose final resting place did I discover today?
#poet #grave #churchyard #lakedistrict
August 29, 2025 at 6:31 AM
I wandered lonely as a goth… and naturally ended up in a graveyard . . .
Whose final resting place did I discover today?
#poet #grave #churchyard #lakedistrict
Whose final resting place did I discover today?
#poet #grave #churchyard #lakedistrict
Rising from Sandbach’s market square, the ancient Saxon crosses whisper of a world over a thousand years gone. Their weathered carvings—saints, angels, and sacred stories—still cling to the stone, echoing the faith and power of early medieval England.
#History #Heritage #AngloSaxon
#History #Heritage #AngloSaxon
August 27, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Rising from Sandbach’s market square, the ancient Saxon crosses whisper of a world over a thousand years gone. Their weathered carvings—saints, angels, and sacred stories—still cling to the stone, echoing the faith and power of early medieval England.
#History #Heritage #AngloSaxon
#History #Heritage #AngloSaxon
This standing medieval cross ( repurposed as a Sundial) is situated 10m south of the nave of St Mary's Church, Sandbach
#history #heritage #ancient #churchyard
#history #heritage #ancient #churchyard
August 26, 2025 at 6:38 AM
This standing medieval cross ( repurposed as a Sundial) is situated 10m south of the nave of St Mary's Church, Sandbach
#history #heritage #ancient #churchyard
#history #heritage #ancient #churchyard
Another one ticked off the bucket list 🖤
Tiny ferry. Huge history.
From the haunting ruins of Piel Castle to a pint with the King of Piel – this island is like nowhere else on earth. #PielIsland #ShipInn #KingofPiel
Tiny ferry. Huge history.
From the haunting ruins of Piel Castle to a pint with the King of Piel – this island is like nowhere else on earth. #PielIsland #ShipInn #KingofPiel
August 22, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Another one ticked off the bucket list 🖤
Tiny ferry. Huge history.
From the haunting ruins of Piel Castle to a pint with the King of Piel – this island is like nowhere else on earth. #PielIsland #ShipInn #KingofPiel
Tiny ferry. Huge history.
From the haunting ruins of Piel Castle to a pint with the King of Piel – this island is like nowhere else on earth. #PielIsland #ShipInn #KingofPiel
No visit to Heysham is complete without seeing the rock-cut graves, reliquaries carved into the cliff edge. Ancient, mysterious, and seemingly resting at the edge of the world #ancient #history #lancashire
August 16, 2025 at 4:48 AM
No visit to Heysham is complete without seeing the rock-cut graves, reliquaries carved into the cliff edge. Ancient, mysterious, and seemingly resting at the edge of the world #ancient #history #lancashire
The hogback stones at St Andrew’s, Penrith, are over 1,000 years old. Shaped like the curved roof of a house, they were Viking-era grave markers – a “home” for the dead – decorated with intricate carvings that blend Norse and Anglo-Saxon styles.
August 15, 2025 at 6:58 AM
The hogback stones at St Andrew’s, Penrith, are over 1,000 years old. Shaped like the curved roof of a house, they were Viking-era grave markers – a “home” for the dead – decorated with intricate carvings that blend Norse and Anglo-Saxon styles.
August 15, 2025 at 5:17 AM
