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/