Glasgow Necropolis



LOCATION:

It can be found in Cathedral Square, Glasgow, Scotland. It is opposite Glasgow Cathedral and the main gates lie behind St Mungo’s museum of religious life and art. There is another gate found on Wishart Street. The nearest station is High Street (Glasgow) and there are plenty of buses that run past it.
 

FIRST OPENED:

After the proposal was agreed in 1828, the Necropolis was opened in 1832.
 

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Charles Tennant: A chemist and industrialist. He discovered bleaching powder.

John Henry Alexander: Noted scientist and businessman.

John Knox: Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation.

Charles Macintosh: Scottish chemist and inventor of waterproof fabrics.

William Miller: Poet

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Before it was a burial ground it was known as Fir Park.
 

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The site is made up of 37 acres.
 

THE WALKABOUT:

The Merchants’ house bought the land in 1650, the land being part of the estate of Wester Craigs. The west side was too rocky so fir trees were planted there, where it then became known as Fir Park. In 1804, they trees were dying so they were replaced and became known as a Victorian park and arboretum. The foundation stone of the John Knox monument was laid in 1825. The first burial took not long after and it was that of a Jew (the burial ground was always intended to be an interdenominational one).

When approaching this place you can certainly not miss it. Not only is it sitting on top of a large hill but it is massive as well! I could have happily been there all day…had it not been a stormy day. The wind was so strong and the rain was so hard that it was impossible to see everything. I couldn’t take pictures properly and it was very slippery. So I shall tell you about what I did get to see.

It has maintained all of its Victorian glory. It is all built on a big hill however so if you are not that fit then this may not be the best one for you to venture at this time! There are tonnes of monuments and memorials in this place and half of them are at least twice the size of me. To get to the sight you have to go over what appears to be an old bridge. It’s very sturdy so don’t worry yourselves. It is quite grassy but there are lots of little pathways. I never got to venture much downhill as it was not very safe at that time to go down. From what I could see, there appeared to be lots of little graves. I think one was a memorial garden for children. What I love most about this place too, is that it is one of the few cemeteries to actually keep all the records of their dead, everything from profession to cause of death.

They do plenty of guided tours here also as there is so much history! From the top of the hill the view of Glasgow was amazing. It was such a shame that I could venture no more of the place. I can’t wait till I next go back as this is definitely one that I will be checking again.
 

ANY GHOSTS?:

This place is reputedly said to be haunted and there are tales from all over about weird experiences that people have seen or felt. Me personally, I didn’t give myself much of a chance to really look for something due to very bad weather and the fact that I had had no experience so I wasn’t too sure what to do. On this trip I have nothing but I do plan on going back and doing a full investigation of it!
 

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

It really is one of the grandest and most beautiful graveyards that I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Not only are you surrounded by beautiful old graves with an amazing amount of history but if you go right to the top, you have an amazing view of the whole of Glasgow. For anyone living outside of Scotland, this is definitely one to go and visit before you die!

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

RATING: 5/5 – So stunning and worth the trip, if the weathers good that is!

LINKS: http://www.glasgownecropolis.org/

 

 

 

London Road Cemetery



LOCATION:

It is located in Borough of Bromley. It is a couple of minutes’ walk from the Bromley Hill Cemetery. The main entrance is found on Warner Road. There are several buses that stop near it and the nearest train stations are either Bromley North or Sundridge Park.
 

FIRST OPENED:

It first opened in 1877.
 

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Sir Edward Scott: Banker & sheriff of Kent

Sir Ralph Forster: Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey

Frank Pullen: Racehorse owner
 

ALSO KNOWN AS:

At one point it was known as Beckenham Cemetery as it is quite near to the town.
 

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The burial ground is only 4.8 acres, the land is pretty much square shaped so everything is easy to see.
 

THE WALKABOUT:

I completely went the wrong way as I was trying to find this place so I was not in the best of moods when I got there! Plus it was light raining which was inconvenient whilst trying to take photos. Apart from that I was glad to eventually get there. The walls around the place are only about 3-4 feet high so you could see everything while standing outside it. Shame its right next to a busy road. As you enter the cemetery you are greeted by dark iron gates. They are very Gothic looking. Straight ahead of you is a massive archway that joins together 2 chapels. I believe one is the mortuary and the other is the actual chapel. It was shut so I couldn’t go and see for myself. The building is truly beautiful. They are surrounded with lots of plants and little flower beds. Once you walk through the archway, right in front of you is a big flower bed. The bed has 4 paths leading from it (in the shape of a cross).

The graveyard itself is small so there is not an awful lot to see. Doesn’t mean the graves aren’t beautiful though. This is a very well looked after graveyard, very tidy. The men were even in on the day I was there, mowing the lawns and trimming the roses. Considering how old the place is, there aren’t actually that many really old looking graves. There are a few damaged ones but most of them are in pretty good condition! There are a few memorial benches placed around also. They make the graveyard almost look like a park. The back of the graveyard has trees surrounding it. They should have done this with the front also I feel.

Every time I see or read a grave I always feel a bit sad but the one that really got me was a little baby’s grave. It was buried away from the others (I don’t know why) and there was loads of little toys in front of it, all brightly coloured. It was quite sad to see it really.
 

ANY GHOSTS?:

Because of the constant noise, it was very hard to get a feeling of the place. It deserves to have a lot more peace than it does. So I never got a distinctive feeling. However, the photos I took tell a different story. These have not been looked over so I am just pointing out what I think looked strange. Here they are:

This I don’t believe is a ghost photo but it does appear to be some sort of strange little creature. If anyone thinks they have a clue what it might be then go ahead!

This one appears to be a devilish face peering over at me. A spirit not agreeing with what I’m doing maybe?

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

It’s not the largest cemetery I have ever been too, and the constant traffic right next to it is very off putting. Apart from that, it is very simple and very lovely. Nice for a little walk around I feel. If they could somehow make it more private to the traffic then that would be perfect.

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

RATING: 3/5 – maybe not worth a long trip to go and see but beautiful none the less

LINKS: http://www.bromley.gov.uk/directory_record/508042/london_road_cemetery

 

Bromley Hill Cemetery

 

 

LOCATION:

It is in the London borough of Lewisham. It is on Bromley Hill, Bromley. The nearest station is Ravensbourne. A number of buses also stop outside it.

 

FIRST OPENED:

It first opened in 1905 – 1907 (not too sure of the date as this is what keeps coming up).

 

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Sir Edward Campbell: MP for Bromley

“Italian Albert” Dimes: Soho gang leader

Roy Marchand: Battle of Britain pilot

 

ALSO KNOWN AS:

N/A

 

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The site is about 6.5 acres. The rises up but it is still pretty much rectangular shaped.

 

THE WALKABOUT:

As soon as you walk through the gates, the first thing you notice is that the graveyard is sitting on a hill. The clue should have been in the name really! Make sure you are prepared for a bit of a hike if you come here (as I sure wasn’t!). The first thing I also noticed was that this graveyard is certainly tidy, definitely more of a lawn cemetery. It’s quite refreshing really. It’s a big place so prepare yourselves.

They have both a chapel and a mortuary chapel which are both found about half way up the hill. You can’t miss them as they are pretty much bright orange brickwork. They both appear to be abandoned but as far as I know, they are both still in use. There is also a modern hose there that actually used to be a lodge.

All around there are beautiful trees ranging from cedar to silver birch. There are also lots of memorial benches placed around. The memorial garden for cremations is stunning. You can tell that this place is well looked after. It makes it a lot easier if you want to go looking for certain graves. Exploring here is made a lot easier as well as you don’t have any woodland. There are not too many old looking graves considering how old the place actually is. Most are weather beaten but apart from that, they are still in pretty good condition.

 

ANY GHOSTS?:

As I was walking around I didn’t feel a certain presence with me. I felt a big mix of emotions if anything. I didn’t capture any ghosts or spirits during this walkabout. Maybe it just wasn’t my day! I also think that the fact that it was so near a main road did not help matters.

 

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

Not one of the best graveyards I have ever been to, or the quietest for that matter, but it is well looked after and is a lovely sight. I would recommend going there on a nice sunny day.

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

 

RATING: 3/5 – this graveyard doesn’t have a lot of personality to it but in the summer it is still beautiful to walk around.

 

LINKS: http://www.bromley.gov.uk/directory_record/508040/bromley_hill_cemetery

 

 

Richmond Cemetery

 

 

LOCATION:

The graveyard is situated between East Sheen Cemetery, Richmond Park and Grove Road. It is in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames. Richmond station is the nearest one although it is still quite a walk; there is however a bus that pretty much stops outside it.

 

FIRST OPENED:

It first opened in 1839.

 

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Mary Elizabeth Braddon: Novelist

Frances Brown(e): Novelist, journalist and poet. Known as the “blind poetess of Ulster”.

Neil Dennis Bruce – Copp OBE: Well known businessman.

Sir Charles Burt: Solicitor and active member of Richmond’s local government.

Richard Treat: TV producer

Leslie Stuart: Composer

Rev. Montague Summers: Demonologist and ghost story writer.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS:

N/A

 

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The size of the site is not stated on their website (not much is on there to be honest!). the layout of the graveyard, including East Sheen, is almost rectangular shaped.

THE WALKABOUT:

 

Now technically this cemetery and East Sheen cemetery are separate cemeteries but in most cases they are classed as one. Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between each one so unless you have a map, it may be a bit tough to know which is which.

The first thing you will come across is the newer chapel, strange how a new chapel can actually look so old. Not far past it is the older chapel. It is very small and lovely, such a shame it’s closed. It has a gate going around it, if you go in (which you are not really supposed to!) you will find some graves hiding away. This is only the start of the many graves that have become part of the nature reserve. All around the chapel are very weather beaten graves. Once you go past these graves you step into the oldest part. Through time this has been forgotten about. It has overgrown into a nature reserve, beautiful to look at but at the same time sad as so many graves are now completely covered and forgotten.

The rest of the graveyard looks relatively the same. It actually looks pretty new in places! Obviously this is down to it being more cared for. I found some really stunning graves in this place. There was one that was almost like an altar and had a place for a candle to even sit. Another one was almost the size of a large vault! I believe that one was owned by a very rich family. But the best one I came across was one that belonged to an old man who used to be a taxi driver. This was the first grave I seen that the person had wrote what went on the grave themselves. He obviously knew that he was going to die. I got really sad after seeing this as I thought it was very beautiful, it even had a marble taxi on the top!

The structure of the graveyard is pretty simple; a lot of the graves are laid out in rows, making it a bit easier to get to see everything. The strangest part being, for a graveyard that is relatively big, it feels very small and closed in.

ANY GHOSTS?:

It was hard to not feel something on my walkabout. With so much of it hidden away you almost feel like someone is trying to get your attention. Here are some possible ghosts I have collected.

 

 

I took note of the weather and it was not raining that day. I have no other reason as to why this could have been here. This weird orb seems very out of place.

If I am being honest, I took this because it said James Dean on it! However, in doing that, I seem to have caught what appears to be a face in the bushes. The grave also seems to be glowing!

 

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

Although it doesn’t have a whole lot to look at, it has a wonderfully weird atmosphere and the nature reserve and the old church are certainly worth checking out.

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

RATING: 4/5 – it can be confusing but it is worth it. The history alone is enough to go there for.

LINKS: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/community_and_living/deaths/burial/cemeteries/cemetery_and_chapel_locations/richmond_cemetery.htm

 





Nunhead Cemetery

 

 

LOCATION:

The graveyard is situated in the London borough of Southwark. The site is found in Nunhead, London. The main gate (also known as the north gate) is found on Linden Grove. The south gate will be found on Limesford Road. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk from Peckham Rye Park. The nearest station is Nunhead.

 

FIRST OPENED:

The ground was consecrated in 1840. The ground was opened by the London Necropolis Company.

 

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Charles Abbott: A 101 year old Ipswich grocer and Charterhouse brother.

Frederick Augustus Abel: The co-inventor of cordite.

George John Bennett: An English Shakespearian actor.

Edward John Eliot: A Peninsula war soldier.

Jenny Hill: Music hall performer.

Thomas Tilling: A famous bus tycoon.

Alfred Vance: Music hall performer

Thomas Muir: A Scottish founding member of “The society of the friends of the people” and a political reformer.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS:

The site was originally called All Saints Cemetery.

 

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The site is a massive 52 acres.

 

THE WALKABOUT:

When I got there I entered through the south gate. I was immediately greeted with woodland. Straight in front of me was probably the only bit of lawn left there. To my right there was a huge war memorial. It is plain but one of the best I have seen. The walk around this graveyard is almost like a nature trail and it goes in almost one big circle.

If you are slightly claustrophobic then I wouldn’t suggest this one for you. There is so much woodland that some of the time it almost traps you in. it is utterly beautiful to look at though. This graveyard makes me feel very sad though, as a good 80% of the graves have been ravaged by nature (and unfortunately, some vandalism). Most of them, you can barely see anymore, they have either faded away, been covered in vines or have pretty much faded away into the background. Like I’ve said before, no one should be forgotten and that is exactly what has happened here. I believe that when the graveyard was nearly at its full capacity, the company who were looking after it abandoned it.

As you get to the top, you come across a lot of very old monuments. The corrosion really adds to their beauty. There is a point at the top where you have an amazing view of the whole of London. It is a very nice place to sit and think all of your troubles away. This place is almost like a massive maze. Once you get so far around, you come to the middle where there is a derelict chapel. It has no roof and is decaying but again, that adds to its beauty. I think they only open it for choir practices or something like that. You can access this part quicker by going through the main gate. To the right of the gate is a massive obelisk. This is the Scottish political martyrs’ memorial. Another memorial they have is for the sea scouts, these were a group of young boys who all drowned off the Isle of Sheppey.

 

ANY GHOSTS?:

Due to the feeling of claustrophobia, I constantly felt as though someone was watching me. At some Points it felt like a nice presence and other times, it was not a very nice feeling at all. The parts that were completely covered in shrubs felt the most sorrowful. Here are some pictures that I caught from my time there:



This face is in the distance and takes a bit of looking at but it appears to be someone screaming

A face within the trees, there is a clear outline of what seems to be a young girl.

This is one of the best ones I have. It appears to be an old grandmother, popping out to say hello!

  

 Another face in the trees.

 



This one appears as a creepy face with weird teeth.

I call this one my "John Wayne" ghost as he appears to be wearing a cowboy’s hat.

 

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

As creepy as this place felt and as sad as I was to see so many vandalized and forgotten graves, it really is a beautiful place. If anything, it’s a lovely walk (especially for those who may be easily creeped out. I would highly recommend going there, and if possible, giving the local charity a hand to help clean the place up!

“Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see”

RATING: 5/5 – it’s an absolutely stunning place, take out the blatant neglect and you have one of the finest cemeteries in England.

LINKS: http://www.fonc.org.uk/