In 1985, escapologist Karl Bartoni and his bride, Wendy Stokes, created an unforgettable spectacle when they married while suspended high above Blackpool Tower. Surrounded by flowers, the couple was lowered in an open cage, 450 feet above a crowd of 20,000 onlookers below. With a vicar, a choir, and a church organ stationed at the top of the Tower, they exchanged vows while standing on a plank, suspended in mid-air. Sadly, the couple later parted ways, and Bartoni\u2014whose real name was Antoni Peter Bartnik\u2014humorously arranged for his headstone to be made in advance, joking that it would allow him to “spell-check” his unusual name.<\/p>\n
In a 1985 interview with the Evening Gazette<\/em>, Bartoni shared an unusual decision regarding his final resting place. He revealed that he intended to be buried alongside his beloved pets, Charlie the Yorkshire Terrier and Barney, at a pet cemetery. At the time, Bartoni, aged 62 and living in Grange Park, explained that he had first considered the idea after the death of his dog Barney 17 years earlier. However, it wasn\u2019t until the death of Charlie in 1984 that he took steps to put his plan into action. He was granted special permission to be buried at the Rossendale Pet Crematorium, where his pets had been laid to rest. Bartoni saw nothing unusual about his request, stating that his dogs had been more than just pets; they were family. He believed that Charlie and Barney deserved the same respect that would be given to any family member.<\/p>\n Bartoni had already made clear what he wanted on his headstone and didn\u2019t want to leave anything to chance. Having performed numerous stunts in Blackpool, including hanging from the top of the Tower, he expressed that death didn\u2019t faze him. Russell Gray, the manager of Rossendale Pet Crematorium, explained that their facility was one of the few in the country licensed to bury both pets and humans, which made Bartoni\u2019s burial request particularly unique.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"