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/