Gothic Tourism: John William Polidori and St Pancras Old Church

This project focuses on the legacy of Romantic era physician and writer, John William Polidori (1795-1821); the uncle of Christina Rosetti and her brothers William Michael and Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Polidori died a suicide aged 25. He lies in the graveyard of St Pancras Old Church in an unmarked grave. Significantly, he is the author of the first vampire story in English (1819). In an attempt to preserve his legacy, and with the blessing of Father James Elston, I aim to put together a Polidori tour which addresses his literary significance and uncovers the gothic history of the churchyard (the site of Mary Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s courtship) and publish an accompanying souvenir booklet.