Yesterday was the first day of my summer program at University College London. One of the first things our professor had planned was a tour of the campus, including a visit to Jeremy Bentham. He died in 1832, and left quite a bit of money to UCL in his will on the condition that his body be preserved at kept at the University. They keep him in a cupboard just down the hall from the main library.
The head in this picture is a wax replica, since Jeremy's real head is kept in the school safe. Andy, one of our professors, told us that rival universities used to steal the head as a prank, so they locked it up. It's morbid, and it's creepy, but it's fascinating.
At night, they close the doors of his cupboard, presumably so he can get some sleep. We giggled a bit every time we walked past him yesterday.
Sometimes, the truth really is stranger than fiction!
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