Description: John Constable, stands in front of a gate with many ribbons of coloured material tied on it and rings prayer cymbals. There is a picture of a skull and crossbones on the gate. A digger clears a whole on a building site with the London skyline including the top of Southwark Cathedral in the background. A woman ties a ribbon with writing on onto the gate. John Constable plays a small drum and welcomes the spirits.

41’ Shot of Redcross Way street sign on bankside. Contributor, Stephen Humphrey from Southwark Local Studies Library, says that the cemetery on Redcross Way was in use from the 16th Century until 1853 (old drawing of Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge). It was known as the Crossbones burial ground in the 19th and 20th centuries but in the 16th century was called the Single Woman’s burial ground as it was used for Bankside prostitutes and was mainly used for poor people.

1’16” Contributor, Joyce Newman (sitting with her husband Frederick Newman), explains that her mother was born in Redcross Street (now Redcross Way) in 1895. The buildings were old fashioned with four or five stories and shared washhouses on the landings. This was close to the Crossbones. Relevant black and white photos including one of Willcox’s Engineering Supplies.

1’48” John Constable speaks in front of the site and says it is first mentioned by John Stow in 1600 in his survey of London but talks of it as if it is already an ancient graveyard.

1’59” Contributor Jeanette Pursey (sitting with Margaret Harrison) says she found out there were Roman remains at the site and didn’t’ realise there were English people buried there.

2’08” Frederick Newman says he thought he was told it was consecrated but have heard since that it’s probably not.

2’16” John Constable speaking to a crowd, says the Museum of London did a dig in the 1990s and uncovered 160 skeletons which they estimated was 1% of the total number of people buried in the graveyard. He goes onto state that Shakespearean theatre developed on the Southbank and that the city fathers realised that actors and prostitutes were ‘natural bedfellows’ (at the burial ground).

2’42” Jeanette Pursey and Margaret Harrison say that prostitutes used to be called Winchester Geese as the Bishop of Winchester owned the land and would be paid by the prostitutes to work there. 2’53” John Constable says it is indicative of the hypocrisy of the church although that although the prostitutes were licenced by the Bishop of Winchester, they were denied a Christian burial. He states the land is now owned by Transport of London who want to build three office blocks on it.

3’09” Jeanette Pursey says the people that were buried in the graveyard should be recognised. 3’18” Footage of people outside the site tying more ribbons to the gate, singing, and lighting candles. Contributors talk about the graveyard, it’s sense of presence; it needing to be remembered in the form of a green, natural, social space; that people need space to be and reflect; for it to be a place to see beauty.

4’22” Close up of the picture of the skull and crossbones on the gate saying ‘This is still the Crossbones Graveyard’.