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Amphitheatre of Death artist Paul Quigley gets out and about with his sketchpad...

Amphitheatre of Death

artist Paul Quigley gets out and about with his sketchpad...

by Paul Quigley,
first published: June, 2020

approximate reading time: minutes

Amphitheatre of Death

At a time when public health... and the idea that the health of one person is dependent on the health of everyone... is debated and contested, here's a sketch of the catacombs in Warstone Lane. Close to Birmingham's city centre but hidden from passers by, the catacombs date from the 1840s, a decade when cholera ripped through the population and, under social pressure for change, the very first English law on public health was enacted.

Sometimes described as an 'amphitheatre of death', they were built to try to cope with overflows from other local cemeteries and they take their shape from the fact that the site had previously been a quarry for sand.

catacombs
Catacombs, Warstone Lane - Paul Quigley


Essential Info
See more pages from Paul's sketchbook on Instagram
Main image © Paul Quigley

Paul Quigley

Paul Quigley sketches what he sees... You can see more of what he sketches on Instagram
about Paul Quigley »»

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