Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. She married English poet Ted Hughes in 1956, hence why her grave bears the name 'Sylvia Plath Hughes'. When they separated, Plath moved to London and rented a flat that had once been the home of W.B. Yeats. It was here that she committed suicide on February 11, 1963. She was 30 years old. Plath's grave has become a shrine to her fans, many of whom leave gifts such as pens.

Simon Wilson

February 3, 2025

Sylvia Plath the legendary American poet, novelist, and short-story writer grave is a few hundred feet from the Church of St Thomas a Becket

On the evening of February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath tucked her two children into bed before putting her head in the oven and taking her own life through the inhalation of natural gas.

The surname "Hughes" was repeatedly chiseled from Sylvia Plath's gravestone (as you look at the stone now, again the name Hughes has been scratched off) The stone was vandalized multiple times, and the replacement stone was also removed.

Some of Plath's fans blamed Hughes for her suicide and for contributing to her misery.

Some suspected feminist activists were responsible for the vandalism. They believed that Plath's marriage to Ted Hughes made her a housewife and contributed to her depression.

Monika Majsnerska

June 21, 2025

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Location: Heptonstall, Calderdale, Yorkshire And The Humber, England, United Kingdom

Sylvia Plath Hughes' Grave

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