Bath Abbey Cemetery, Bath

Bath Abbey Cemetery, Bath

Visited February 2018

A mile or more away from the Abbey itself and a bit of a walk away from the city centre and railway station, is Bath Abbey Cemetery. On a sunny day it probably has stunning views over the city, perched as it is on a hillside, but as you can see it was a grey, misty and damp late winter day when I visited. Whether due to the weather, or the location, I had the entire place to myself for the hour I was there.

The cemetery was opened in 1844 due to there being no more room for burials at Bath Abbey itself, and it was closed in 1995. The chapel also dates from 1844 - it seems a peculiar shape, with more tower than body, as it was meant to have cloisters at both sides but these were never built.

There are some interesting graves scattered around the cemetery - the Bath Archives website has a fascinating page about the cemetery including the names and grave locations of the great and the good buried there. There's also a Crimean War memorial, to those of Bath who died in the war. 

Areas of the cemetery are quite overgrown, and the lack of visitors makes this a wonderful place to visit even on a dismal day. Should you be in or near Bath, this is well worth a visit - it's an easy walk or bus ride from the Abbey, but easily done in a morning (I fitted in the cemetery, Abbey, Roman Baths, 2 churches and a long lunch, all in a day trip!) 

Arbroath Abbey Kirkyard

Arbroath Abbey Kirkyard, Scotland

Visited August 2011

Right beside Arbroath Abbey, within its grounds, is Arbroath Abbey kirkyard, containing over 1400 stones. In the past this kirkyard has been ruthlessly tidied and straightened. There are lots of stones mentioning those lost at sea, or seamen who died abroad, a reminder that Arbroath is perhaps most famous (after the Declaration of Arbroath, of course*) for its fish, Arbroath Smokies in particular.  most stones date from the Victorian period, but a few are older.

If you really only want to visit the kirkyard, you can go via the Visitor Centre, persuade them of your intention not to visit the ruins, and you should get in free. But be spotted straying towards the Abbey and you may be thrown out! 

* The Declaration was signed at the Abbey in 1320 by various Scottish earls and barons, supporting Robert the Bruce and asserting Scottish independence. The most quoted passage is of course "...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

St Mary's Church, Whitby

St Mary's Church, Whitby, North Yorkshire

visited October 2013

On the hill above the town, right outside Whitby Abbey, is St Mary's Church, and the lovely churchyard. Always a few people around as it's at the top of the steps up from the town, the churchyard is packed with gravestones. Most of the stones have been rendered illegible by the weather, as they're mostly soft sandstone. The churchyard is right on the cliff edge, and a couple of recent landslips have left it quite precariously balanced.

The churchyard is, of course, famous for its appearance in Dracula:

"For a moment or two I could see nothing, as the shadow of a cloud obscured St. Mary's Church. Then as the cloud passed I could see the ruins of the Abbey coming into view; and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visible... It seemed to me as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell."