A 17th-century English tomb linked to the beloved Tintin comics has been granted official protection as a “remarkable” historic place by heritage chiefs.
In sleepy Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, far from the snowy mountains of Tibet where the intrepid young reporter Tintin roamed, lies the tomb of Mary Haddock, mother of Admiral Richard Haddock.
The admiral is believed to have inspired the character of the ill-tempered Captain Haddock in Belgium author Herge’s “Adventures of Tintin”.
Known for his inventive expletives like “blue blistering barnacles!”, the comic captain was a seafarer like Richard Haddock.
Mary Haddock’s tomb is “notable as a single monument dedicated to a named woman in a period of gender inequality”, according to Historic England, which announced “17 remarkable and unusual historic buildings and places” listed this year on Wednesday.
Other quirky additions include a brutalist concrete Baptist church in Bristol, southwest England, which has a Tesco supermarket on its ground floor and is known locally as the “church above the shops”.
Historic England classed the 1960s building as a “striking example of post-war church architecture”.
A former bungalow-style maternity ward and an early 20th-century fingerpost — a crossroads signal with pointing fingers at the ends of the direction arms — were also listed as Grade II sites this year.
The annual roundup highlights little-known and quirky heritage sites among the 211 buildings and sites of historic interest listed in 2024.
Heritage Minister Chris Bryant said it was a celebration of the “hard work to protect and preserve some truly unique buildings and places that have helped shape our cultural history.”
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