Even though I already have a ton of hobbies to fill my time during the COVID 19 lockdown, I’ve recently taken up yet another new pastime and have been researching my family tree. This has thrown up a few spooky coincidences as well as a few surprises along the way…


I’ve always considered myself to be a London girl. I was born in London and moved to North Hertfordshire during my childhood. But London has always been in my blood and it’s the one place in the world where I feel ‘home’. 


Although my childhood was spent mainly around North London, I’ve always had a fondness for Greenwich and for many years now, whenever I’m asked where I would live in London (if I could afford to that is) then I’ve always said Greenwich although I’ve never been entirely sure why.  I love Greenwich Market, the park, the maritime museum and the view of London from the top of hill next to the Royal Observatory. I’ve always had an interest in the Prime Meridian and stargazing too so I guess it's where quite a few of my interests get wrapped up all in one place.


So imagine my surprise when I discovered that my great-grandmother was born in Greenwich and that my great-great grandparents owned a shop there in Trafalgar Road! Spooky eh? 


It does make me wonder if there is such a thing as 'Genetic Memory' where memories can be passed down through the generations via our DNA. Could this be the reason for that ‘déjà vu’ feeling we get sometimes when we go somewhere we’ve never actually been before or why we feel a particular affinity to a place or a time period?


Is it scientifically possible that our experiences are, over time, somehow imprinted into our genetic makeup which can then be passed down through subsequent generations?