Burying Quote by Peter Ackroyd
““To explain this Matter, and to wind up Time so that I am returned to my present State: Beside my Church at Limehouse there had antiently been a great Fen or Morass which had been a burying-place of Saxon times, with Graves lined with chalk-stones and beneath them earlier Tombs. Here my work men have found Urns and Ivory Pins once fasten'd to wooden Shrouds, and beside them Ashes and Skulls. This was indeed a massive Necropolis but it has Power still withinne it, for the ancient Dead emit a certain Material Vertue that will come to inhere in the Fabrick of this new Edifice. By day my House of Lime will catch and intangle all those who come near to it; by Night it will be one vast Mound of Shaddowe and Mistinesse, the effect of many Ages before History. And yet I had hot and present Work on hand, for I was in want of the Sacrifice to consecrate this Place: the Observations of Mirabilis upon the Rites, which I explained further back, are pertinent to this Matter; but this onely by the way.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The House of Lime, Peter Ackroyd, 1995
The narrator describes a burial site whose ancient spirits influence a new building, blending past and present supernatural forces.
In simple terms: Old graves affect a new house.
Key Takeaway
Respect the past when building anew.
Themes
history
supernatural
architecture
memory
spirituality
Mood
reflective
mysterious
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- archaeological excavation
- construction planning
- heritage preservation
- urban development
- ritual consecration
Key Concepts
necropolis
material virtue
temporal overlap
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we honor ancestral sites in modern projects?
- What responsibilities arise when building on historic grounds?
A Different Perspective
The claim of material virtue is metaphorical, not scientifically proven.
