Write your own adventure

I love the way this photo seems to inspire a story. Who are these men? Why are they meeting in a crypt? What is the man on the left carrying?

(Spoiler alert: It's a bag lunch, courtesy of the kitchen crew at Merton.)

The residents

Coffins in the catacombs, in the light from the guide's flashlight.

The Terrace Catacombs

The view of the city from the terrace outside the church in Highgate made it one of the most popular places to see and be seen in Victorian London. Underneath that terrace though are some truly creepy catacombs, which can only be visited with a guide—who locks the gate behind you before the tour begins. (Not sinister at all!)

There are a few skylights, and windows at either end of the 320 foot passage, but most of it is actually darker than it appears in this photo.