West Norwood Cemetery, August 2019

West Norwood Cemetery

Visited August 2019

Another visit to one of my favourite of the Magnificent Seven, this time as the colours of autumn were starting to come through on an overcast late August day.

Streatham Cemetery, London

Streatham Cemetery, London

Visited June 2019

Streatham Cemetery isn't actually in Streatham, but a short walk from Tooting Broadway tube station. It's a late Victorian cemetery, with two lovely chapels which mirror each other near the entrance. A lot of clearance was done in the second half of the 20th century, especially in areas away from the entrance and chapels so there are large stretches of grass with only a few monuments left in them. However, this is left uncut in summer, except around the Commonwealth War Graves, so it's a haven for wildlife, and the cemetery is managed for wildlife (and people!) by the Friends of Streatham Cemetery.

There are very few large, impressive monuments here - most are quite small-scale gravestones rather than imposing mausoleums and suchlike. There's also quite a few traces of vandalism, including headless angels and toppled stones. Despite this, it's well worth a visit - quiet, full of wildlife, and with lots of accessible paths to make wandering round a joy. All this and clean toilets too!

St Laurence Churchyard, Ramsgate, 2018

St Laurence Churchyard, Ramsgate

Visited April 2018

I've previously visited this churchyard (back in 2015, again at Easter). That time was on a guided tour, whereas this time I was killing time, wandering through the gravestones on a grey early Spring day - although if it wasn't for the daffodils and primroses it could easily have been January!

The churchyard has been in use for many centuries, and today you can find graves going back to the 17th century. Look out for the multitude of skulls watching you from the stones as you walk past! There are well maintained areas close to the church (where most of the older graves are), and some much wilder places further in. 

Despite being surrounded by houses, and on a busy main road, is a quiet, tranquil place in the Ramsgate suburb of St Lawrence - the place and the church are indeed spelled differently.The church itself is the oldest building in Ramsgate, dating from 1062. Most of the architecture is Norman and Medieval, although of course there were some Victorian alterations...

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!) 

St Augustine's Church, Northbourne, Kent

St Augustine's Church, Northbourne, Kent

Visited April 2018

The village of Northbourne, near Deal in Kent, is a small picturesque village with a lovely church and churchyard. There was a service going on in the church when I visited, so I contented myself with wandering around the churchyard. The cruciform church itself dates from the 12th century, and is on the site of an older Saxon church, traces of which can still be seen, I'm told, in the current building. 

The churchyard can be entered via paths from the village, or through a lychgate beside the village hall. It's been cleared in the past, so there are not a huge amount of old stones in situ; there are some along boundary walls, as is typical in older churchyards which have been cleared to make more room, and a few 17th & 18th century stones remain near the church, and the remains of what appears to be a mausoleum in one corner. 

There are also some lovely country walks in the area, so if you're passing do stop and take a look!