St Georges Church & Graveyard - Beckenham

LOCATION:

You will find the site on High Street, Bromley Road in Beckenham, Kent. The site is relatively easy to get to. Beckenham Junction rail and tram are right next to it. There are also plenty of buses going that way including the 54 and 367. There are 2 entrances; there is the main entrance, located at the front of the church and another which you can access through the park right next to it. The graveyard is in the London Borough of Bromley.

FIRST OPENED:

The building itself dates back to 1100. In 1885, the graveyard and the church began refurbishment and in 1887, it was completed.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

William Eden, 1^st Baron Auckland – A British statesman and diplomat. The Auckland Islands, New Zealand, were named after him.

ALSO KNOWN AS:

The site has no other recorded previous names. Seeing as it was built in the 12^th century however, it could have gone by another name them but we will never know.

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The layout of the site, excluding the park right next to it, is roughly that of a square shape. The size of the site is about 0.6 hectares.

THE WALKABOUT:

I came across this place as I was setting out to do a walkabout of another graveyard. I couldn’t believe that it was right there and I had never noticed it before. I only live about 10 minutes from the place! Straight off, I hate that it is stuck in the middle of quite a busy road. I always feel that these places need the quiet out of respect. At the main entrance, you are greeted by a 13^th century lych gate. This is one of the oldest ones in England apparently. It’s a beautiful dark oak colour. The gate leads on to a stone path that takes you to the front door of the parish. It’s a beautiful Victorian structure with its famous stained glass windows. The building is built in ragstone with an ashlar dressing. It is extremely grand, there are no other ways to describe it.

There are actually quite a few graves around here. All of them from at least the 19^th century, they are very well preserved and looked after. There are a great amount of trees and bushes to give it more of a naturist feel but not enough to destroy or hide the gravestones. There are quite a few monuments here too. Most of them seem to be that of past priests and their families. It is so hard to believe the amount of graves that are actually in here yet it does not seem cramped at all! What I loved most was the line of graves that were facing into the park right next to it. I can’t describe why I like it, I just do. Maybe for me, it was almost like looking into a different world.     

There is not much else I can really tell you about this place as it is quite small. It really is just one of those places where you have to come and see for yourself. If the graves aren’t your thing then the building itself will ce4rtainly take your breath away. They have maintained all of the trees and the bushes so that they can bring a bit of wildlife back to the place. It seems to have worked as there where squirrels everywhere.

ANY GHOSTS?:

Whilst I was there I noticed that even though the site is in the middle of a somewhat busy junction, when you are exploring the place it actually appears eerily quiet. I don’t know whether this is because I subconsciously shut out the noise or it just wasn’t that noisy at all. Due to this, I could get a real feeling of the place. I felt a few times that I could hear whispering but shrugged it off due to the background noise.

As I was going through my photos, I caught this weird image. Not so much a ghost but what appears like a strange creature. I am aware that there could be a great chance that it could be part of a gravestone or even a piece of rock on the floor but I am pretty sure that nothing was there when I took it.

 

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

I am usually quite skeptical with graveyards that are so close to a main road, only because I feel that it ruins the peace and serenity of the place, but this one is truly magnificent. Don’t let the size or the surroundings cloud your judgment, it really does hold its own. It is beautiful in all seasons, especially the autumn, and there is plenty of history to be explored. It is definitely one to check out if you are in the area.   

“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 – Despite the traffic right outside it, I absolutely love this place, utterly stunning.

LINKS: http://www.stgeorgesbeckenham.co.uk/

 

 

 

Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery

LOCATION:

The site is situated in the London borough of Lewisham. The nearest stations are either Crofton Park or Ladywell. There are plenty of buses around that area also.

FIRST OPENED:

The cemeteries were opened within one month of each other in 1858.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS:

Jane Clouson: Murdered girl with a monument paid for by public donations

Ernest Dowson: Poet and decadent movement artist

Sir George Grove: First director of the royal college of music

Sir John Gilbert: Illustrator

Fernando Tarrida Del Marmol: Cuban anarchist writer

Horatio Henry Couldery: One of the best known Victorian painters of animals

David Jones: War poet and artist

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Ladywell cemetery was formally known as Lewisham cemetery and Brockley cemetery was formally known as Deptford cemetery.

SIZE & LAYOUT:

The site is about 37 acres.

THE WALKABOUT:

When you first walk into the site, taking it for granted that you go through the Ladywell entrance; you are greeted by large, black rot iron gates. This cemetery is one of the first of new wave Victorian graveyards so it definitely has a very old vibe to it. On your left you have the lodge; I assume this to be used by the grounds keeper. In front of you lies a cobbled path and on either side you have trees and a number of graves, some hidden. When you follow the path, you come to a huge white marble statue of a cross in the center of a circle. The statue is a war memorial. From the path, there are paths leading off in the shape of a cross which actually makes it easy to explore and remember where you are.

On the left of the memorial is the cemeteries chapel. This was refurbished in 2004 along with the lodge. To my knowledge, it is still being used although, every time I see it, it seems to be all chained up! It’s not the biggest chapel you will find but it is very lovely with its dark stone work. A lot of the grass around the chapel is very overgrown, I would usually moan about this but it actually gives it that very old American look to it. A bit past the chapel you have even more shrubbery. I don’t think that the site is a nature reserve but it sure does look like one.

Further up is the most interesting part in my opinion, it really is very beautiful. There were tall trees everywhere and moss covered path ways. Across from that is a bit of land where all the graves are really clustered together. This has to be my least favourite part as it seems slightly impersonal. I also think that that part was the Roman Catholic part which seems really out of place as I expected it to be grander. You will find the grave of Jane Clouson on your travels. She was a young girl who was brutally murdered and the public bought a memorial for her. I heard about this story years ago so it was a bit sad and surreal to see her grave.

On the walk back, I came across this weird little spot that almost resembled a campsite. There were about 4 very old broken logs in somewhat of a circle shape. There was even a woman relaxing there reading! Wish I had known about it as I would have done the same! There was also a weird broken wall that went right through the cemetery (I was to later learn that the graveyard is actually 2 graveyards in one and the wall was what once separated them). There were plenty of little hidden pathways that kept me completely occupied until it was time for me to leave.

ANY GHOSTS?:

I never caught any ghosts this time on my walkabout; however, I was not disappointed as it was one of the most spiritually active sites that I had been to in a long time. It is situated in quite a quiet spot. This really helps when you are trying to get a feeling of the place. It really is very serene, especially when you get to the grave of Jane. Although you feel sorrow, you also feel at peace. I would certainly lie to come back here and maybe do a night time investigation if possible.  

FINAL (RESTING) WORD:

I absolutely loved this place. I had been here before once whilst doing a photo-shoot and I was determined that I was coming back to investigate it. It may sound silly but, I really feel like I am in another world when I come here. I can hear no traffic and there is plenty of wildlife and nature for me to look at. Also if you give it enough attention, you will be surprised with how much history you could actually learn. Don’t let the fact that it’s 2 cemeteries put you off as you really can’t tell. I never knew until after I had been there! This really is one that needs to be given more attention by the public.

“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 – I only wish that there was more of this place. It is very beautiful and has a lot more history than what I bargained for. This is one to certainly check out.

LINKS: http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/ladywell.htm