Charles Blondin

AKA:
The Great Blondin, The Little Wonder
Birth Name:
Jean François Gravelet
Birth Date:
February 28, 1824
Birth Place:
Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, France
Death Date:
February 22, 1897
Place of Death:
Blondin's "Niagara House", Northfield Avenue, Northfields, London W5 4UG, UK
Age:
72
Cause of Death:
Diabetes
Cemetery Name:
Kensal Green Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
The Odd and the Interesting
Charles Blondin was a French tightrope walker and acrobat. During the winter of 1858, a 34-year-old French acrobat traveled to Niagara Falls hoping to become the first person to cross the “boiling cataract.” Noting the masses of ice and snow on either bank and the violent whirls of wind circling the gorge, Blondin delayed the grand event until he would have better weather. He always worked without a net, believing that preparing for disaster only made one more likely to occur. Known for his numerous crossings of the 1,100 ft (340 m) Niagara Gorge on a tightrope, he added a touch of showmanship - once stopping midway to cook an omelette and once carrying his manager on his back. Believe it or not, he died in bed at the ripe age of 72.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Kensal Green Cemetery

Harrow Rd

North Kensington, London, W10 4RA

United Kingdom

Europe

Map:

Grave Location:

Grave 13198, Square 140, Row 1

Grave Location Description

After entering through the main entrance, turn right at the first intersection and head west. Continue heading straight along this road for about 1,850 feet until reaching the church. Go around the church. You can either go right to go around or go left, and continue heading west. Charles Blondin’s grave is about 95 feet directly west of the church. After going around the church and heading west, drive about 95 feet and park your car along the road. Blondin’s grave will be on your left and near the road.

Grave Location GPS

51.528554, -0.226546

Photos:

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FAQ's

Charles Blondin was born on February 28, 1824.

Charles Blondin was born in Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, France.

Charles Blondin died on February 22, 1897.

Charles Blondin died in Blondin's "Niagara House", Northfield Avenue, Northfields, London W5 4UG, UK.

Charles Blondin was 72.

The cause of death was Diabetes.

Charles Blondin's grave is in Kensal Green Cemetery

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popular name: William Duggan

date_of_death: December 22, 1950

age: 51

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

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Diana Mosley

popular name: Diana Mosley

date_of_death: August 11, 2003

age: 93

cause_of_death: Heat Stroke

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

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W W Pool

popular name: W W Pool

date_of_death: February 26, 1922

age: 79

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: The Odd and the Interesting

best_know_for: William Pool was a well respected account manager and bookkeeper for the wealthy and influential Bryan estate. His wife died in 1913 with William passing away several years later. They are entombed at Hollywood Cemetery and you would think that would be the end of the story. Years later local residents claim that the mausoleum of W. W. Pool (dated 1913) in Hollywood Cemetery holds the remains of a vampire with the rumor that Pool was run out of England in the 1800s for being a blood-sucking creature of the night. The legend may have been influenced by the architecture of the tomb, which has both Masonic and ancient Egyptian elements, and the "WW" over the entry to the crypt looking like fangs. At the same time another version of events began on October 2, 1925, when a disastrous cave-in at the Church Hill Tunnel occurred, with tons of rock and soil crashing down on a work train, killing, trapping and wounding several laborers. Shortly after the catastrophe, eyewitnesses saw a horrific creature running from the tunnel’s end – with fanglike teeth and rolls of decomposing flesh hanging from its body. The creature is said to have sprinted into Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery and disappeared into the mausoleum of W.W. Pool where today the iron doors remain sealed to prevent the creature from escaping.

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