Devonshire Street Cemeteries: Memory, love and gothic horror
Friday 26 February 2021 from 1pm to 2pm
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City of Sydney Library Lunchtime Conversations is a series of free talks with authors, artists, and experts.
The Devonshire Street Cemeteries were the principal burial ground for Sydney city from 1820 to 1867. In 1901 the cemeteries were cleared to make way for Central Railway Station. The fragile memory of the dearly departed is demonstrated in the cemetery landscape’s evolution: from respectful gravesites to an overcrowded cluster of corpses, neglected, forgotten, and overgrown.
In this 1-hour online interactive session, cemetery expert and City Historian Dr. Lisa Murray will take you on an illustrated journey of the Devonshire Street Cemeteries. Her presentation showcasing the cemeteries' evolution with imagery and gothic stories will be followed by the opportunity to join smaller group discussions before a final Q&A session.
Dr. Lisa Murray
Lisa is a public historian and currently heads up history programs at the City of Sydney Council. Her recent publications include the award-winning Sydney Cemeteries: A Field Guide and Our City: 175 Years in 175 Objects. Lisa is the 2021 Hertzberg Fellow at the State Library of NSW.
This is a free event however bookings are essential. Please read your booking confirmation carefully for instructions on how to join the event on Zoom. You’ll need to install the free Zoom software on your own or computer or device to participate.
This event will be Auslan interpreted.