Liverpool William Mackenzie Pyramid Tomb

With the sinister myth of Mackenzie's debt to the devil, the pyramid in St. Andrew's churchyard is a stark contrast with the uptight Georgian streets around it. The church is a desolate shell of a building, currently surrounded in fences and 'danger' signs.

Supposedly the man is sat clutching a hand of cards sat up above ground in the pyramid to cheat the devil of his soul should his body be committed to the ground, although this seems to be a discredit to the character of the man in order to suitably embellish a book about local ghost stories, the pyramid was built over his grave some 16 years past his burial and similar myths float around other pyramid tombs, such as that of Mad Jack Fuller. We can presume its construction was inspired by some grand tour undertaken by his younger brother after William left him his railway building fortune.

A soundwork was recently installed in the graveyard, continuing the myth.

Beware Chalk Pit

A pyramid for a Racehorse, who supposedly saved his master's life -

Underneath lies buried a horse, the property of Paulet St. John Esq., that in the month of September 1733 leaped into a chalk pit twenty-five feet deep afoxhuntiing with his master on his back and in October 1734 he won the Hunters Plate on Worthy Downs and was rode by his owner and was entered in the name of "Beware Chalk Pit".

The use of a burial mound is striking, although I was slightly disappointed to discover the pyramid shape of the monument was a later addition after the original square monument fell victim to the elements.
The area is a secluded park, where a series of unsolved sex attacks took place, although on a new year's day a walk there felt like some kind of pastoral ritual, slow perambulations strictly to the path, in somber single file.

Stirling Star Pyramid and Martyrs' Monument

In the Valley Cemetery, under shadow of Stirling Castle is the amazing star pyramid, built in 1863 as a monument to those who suffered religious and social intolerance in Scotland.

"Consider mine enemies, how many they are. And they bear a tyrannous hate against me"

The beautiful Martyr's monument stands nearby in the graveyard was commissioned by the same man, William Drummond, in honor of the Wigtown Martyrs.

The graveyard contains many curious memorials, including the grave of a victim of graverobbers, Mary Stevenson. The stone shows death with a gravediggers spade standing over the body of a woman.

Ellis Pyramid of Stonehouse

Rather sinister pyramid tomb in a pretty churchyard in Gloucestershire. As I stood here at midnight on new years eve 2009 I heard screams and ambulance sirens from the streets around me.

Three sided Pyramid of Woodchester

Three sided Pyramid of the Dunn Family, in the ruined churchyard of old St. Mary's.

Castle Howard Hawksmoor pyramid of 1728

The large pyramid is easy enough to find as it looms high on the hill, we found it on a dark december night in the mist and snow. From the village you can walk up the first footpath you see on the left hand side (going into the village from the Castle Howard estate turning) and walk up the field, bearing right when the sign directs you to do so. The pyramid can be seen in a north easterly direction from the footpath, on top of the prominent brow of a hill.

The pyramid is flanked by 8 towers, which seem designed to hold lamps atop them.
The architect for this folly was the Freemason Nicholas Hawksmoor, described as 'the Devil's architect' because of his use of risky quotations in the religious themes in his work from throughout history, from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and other non-christian ideologies.

We threw caution to the wind by visiting the twenty-eight feet high pyramid with no prior preparation, no map, no real directions beyond a knowledge that the pyramid was on a hill over the village. A dog barked in the distance the whole time we climbed the hill, but when we reached the pyramid there was (finally, short lived) silence. The mist around the hill was below us so we could finally see the stars. One of the towers was partially destroyed and we stood on it to see across the land. The inscription on the side of the pyramid had deteriorated quite badly:

TO THEE O VENERABLE SHADE

WHO LONG HAST IN OBLIVION LAID

THIS PILE I HERE ERECT

A TRIBUTE SMALL FOR WHAT THOU'ST DONE

DEIGN TO ACCEPT THIS MEAN RETURN,

PARDON THE LONG NEGLECT.

TO THY LONG LABOURS, TO THY CARE

THY SONS DECEAS'D, THY PRESENT HEIR

THEIR GREAT POSSESSIONS OWE:

SPIRIT DIVINE WHAT THANKS ARE DUE

THIS WILL THY MEMORY RENEW

IT'S ALL I CAN BESTOW

The pyramid has a tiny door to the rear, you can only access it on special tours but we found a photo of the bust of Lord William Howard housed inside the beehive shaped interior:

Yoinked from Neil Levine's Castle Howard and the Emergence of the
Modern Architectural Subject.

Is there a correct way to disembark from viewing such a magnificant folly, you may or probably will not ask? One of our number log rolled from top to bottom of the ridge on which it stands, and it did seem the finest way to do it. Not so much so that the rest followed suit!