Grounding a fantasy in reality

My first novel, Resurrection Men, is set in Glasgow 1893, and is an urban fantasy/supernatural thriller.

To keep Resurrection Men grounded despite the supernatural elements, I tried to make my depiction of 19th century Glasgow as authentic, using real places wherever possible.

Firstly, the St Mungo Cathedral. It was built in the late 12th century and was the only Scottish mainland medieval cathedral to survive the Reformation intact. Lead bullets can be seen in the old oak doors leading to the vestibule.

It is still in use as a church by the Church of Scotland. It's open to the public.

At its back sits the (northern) Necropolis, which also features in the novel. Opened in 1833, this gothic cemetery has seen approx. 50,000 burials and has about 3500 tombs. Many of Glasgow's wealthy citizens were buried here.

The Southern Necropolis, located in the Gorbals, features at the start of the novel. It opened in 1840 due to lack of space in the parish churchyards. I chose this cemetery for the locale of Chapter One's bodysnatching due to an urban myth that the Gorbals Vampire dwelled inside in 1954, which saw local children turning up at the cemetery to hunt it.

To be continued...