A Victorian Death: Community Deathcare, Then & Now

How can the way we cared for the dead in the past teach us about how we care for one another today?

Community Deathcare Ottawa invites you to A Victorian Death, a community gathering exploring death, mourning, burial, remembrance, and care through a Victorian-inspired lens.

During the Victorian era, death was woven more visibly into everyday life. Families often played a hands-on role in caring for their dead, mourning rituals were shared within communities, and remembrance took many forms, from memorial jewellery to photographs with the deceased.

Some of these practices have disappeared. Others have evolved. And some are surprisingly familiar.

This gathering offers a thoughtful, hands-on, and deeply human exploration of deathcare, then and now. Move through demonstrations, conversations, creative activities, and spaces for quiet reflection as we connect historical practices with contemporary choices around dying, grief, burial, and remembrance.

Here's some of what you’ll find throughout the gathering:

• Shrouding demonstrations exploring family-led and traditional approaches to caring for the dead.
• The Grief Phone, a space for private reflection and messages to those who have died.
• Maze and labyrinth symbolism in grief, transition, and remembrance.
• Telling the Bees, a look at the old mourning custom of sharing news of a death with the household bees.
• The coffin maker, with a cabinet maker reflecting on a time when local furniture makers often built coffins for their communities.
• Death Café tea service, offering a gentle setting for open conversations about mortality and what matters to us.
• Death doula information, with an opportunity to learn about emotional, spiritual, and practical approaches to end-of-life care.
• Green and conservation burial, with an expert available to answer questions about more natural approaches to burial and remembrance.
• Victorian-style photography, with old-time portrait opportunities inspired by historic mourning and memorial photography.

Whether you’re curious about history, interested in greener burial options, navigating grief, thinking about planning ahead, or simply looking for a meaningful way to connect with your community, A Victorian Death offers a welcoming space to learn, wonder, create, and talk about something we all have in common.

Come explore what the past can teach us about death, remembrance, and the ways we care for our dead and each other.

Please read the parking information carefully before arriving. Parking in the area is limited and some nearby lots are privately managed or reserved for other organizations.

There is limited parking available at the venue. Please do not park in the following areas, as you may be ticketed or towed:

• The large unpaved lot off Madison, behind 369–373 Richmond Road (the low, long grey building units).
• The parking lot at 376 Madison Avenue (Professional Building).
• Parking spaces designated for the Churchill Seniors’ Centre.
• The lane west of the venue’s parking lot, behind Pure Kitchen.

Please also pay close attention to parking signs and restrictions on surrounding streets. Paid street parking is available on Richmond Road and Churchill Avenue, where indicated.

We encourage you to arrive a little early and allow extra time to find parking.

Walking, biking, carpooling, or taking transit are also great options if available to you.

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