Postman's Park, London

Postman's Park, City of London

Visited July 2016

I've previously posted some photos of this London park, from a visit in 2009. Although I visit it reasonably regularly, this time I stopped to take more photos. 

Since my last set of photos, one new tile has been added to the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, the first in many years. It's to Leigh Pitt, who died in 2007, and was added in 2009. It's the first new tablet to be added to the wall in almost 80 years, but has been added in such a similar style to the original tiles that you'd be hard pushed to notice at first glance that it's not from the early 20th century. The other two photos show earlier tiles, which are in exactly the same style, with the same borders, as the Royal Doulton produced tablets of 1908.

The memorial tablet for Leigh Pitt

Mortlake Cemetery, London

Mortlake Cemetery, London

Visited April 2016

Managed by Hammersmith and Fulham council (despite being in the borough of Richmond upon Thames), this cemetery opened in 1926 and is still in use. It’s situated near Kew, across the road from another cemetery (North Sheen Cemetery). It was built when Magravine Cemetery (see earlier blog post) was considered full, and is sometimes known as Hammersmith New Cemetery.

The cemetery has a Gothic style chapel in the grounds, although two were planned. It has a lot of mature trees, but being crowded with burials hasn’t become in overgrown. Some areas are being left a bit grassy to encourage nature, and the trees provide welcome shade on a sunny day.

There is a new area for burials near the River Thames as the old area is full, and the crematorium is behind a hedge in one corner. The cemetery isn’t particularly picturesque (although the Swiss chalet in the middle which houses the toilets is certainly different!), and there are very few notable burials. As all the burials date from the 20^th and 21^st centuries, there aren’t any of the overwrought Victorian memorials found in older cemeteries. Worth a visit if you’re in the area, but unless you’re after a specific burial it’s probably not worth a special visit.

St Mary's Churchyard, Walthamstow, London

St Mary's Churchyard, Walthamstow, London

Visited November 2016

The church of St Mary stands in the pretty conservation area of Walthamstow village in east London, and there has been a church on the site since the 12th century. Some parts of the current building date to the 15th century although, like most churches, there was a lot of restoration and rebuilding in the Victorian period and 20th century.

The churchyard is split by paths running to the main entrance of the church, splitting it into 4 sections. Each of these areas is behind railings, but two of the less overgrown parts have gates letting the more curious enter to see the stones; you have to peer over the railings to see the others. As you'd expect, most of them date from the 19th century, but there are some more modern Commonwealth War Graves. Many of the markers are simple stones, but there are some table tombs and the rather splendid lion themed Solly tomb, which stands on 4 large paws, and rather reminds me of Terry Pratchett's luggage...

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Visited September 2016

This may well be one of my favourite graveyards so far! It attracts a lot of tourists, it's not huge, it's not overgrown or mysterious, it's not a secret, but it is wonderful!

The most famous thing about this kirkyard (churchyard) is of course Greyfriars Bobby, the little dog who guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years in the 19th century; a memorial to him stands just inside the gate of the churchyard, piled high with sticks, and there's a statue of him just outside.

The churchyard itself dates to the 16th century, and there are a lot of old memorials here. In particular, the ones around the wall are fabulous; these are the oldest and oh, the memento mori symbols! There are skulls, more skulls, dancing skeletons, cherubs, and more skulls! Some of them are even up against (or built into?) the walls of the surrounding houses!

It's well worth a visit here, just across the road from the National Museum of Scotland on one side, and the edge of the Haymarket on another. The Flodden Wall runs through it, with graves on both sides, adding even more history to the place. It's also the area where JK Rowling wrote some books about a boy wizard, and if you search the graves you might just find Tom Riddle's final place of rest (not that Tom Riddle, but perhaps his namesake).

Neolithic Burial Cairn, Crarae Gardens

Neolithic Burial Cairn, Crarae Gardens, Argyll, Scotland

Visited September 2016

Crarae Gardens are a National Trust for Scotland property in Argyll, western Scotland. The Himalayan gardens are wonderful to visit, albeit a bit remote on the banks of Loch Fyne. In spring the rhododendrons must be spectacular!

Not far inside the gardens are the remains of a Neolithic chambered cairn, dating to circa 3500BCE. Nowadays only the stones which formed the entrance and burial chamber remain, along with an interpretation board. They're not fenced off, so you can walk right up to them.

For lots of archaeological information on the site, and some photographs taken when the tomb was excavated, go to the Canmore website: https://canmore.org.uk/site/40024/crarae-garden

St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen

St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen

Visited August 2016

I’ve written about this churchyard before, and perhaps wasn’t all that complementary about the site. In fairness, that was a dull, cold, damp wintery day. This time it was an overcast but warm summer day, and I had a bit more of a look around.

St Machar’s became a cathedral in the 1130s, when the seat of the Bishop was moved from Mortlach, Dufftown, to Old Aberdeen. Nowadays it’s a Cathedral in name only, as the Church of Scotland has neither bishops nor cathedrals.

The churchyard is rather crowded with gravestones, of people from all walks of life. Of course being Aberdeen there are a large number of burials of seafarers. Among the rather staid and plain granite headstones there are a few more impressive ones, especially at the back of the cathedral where the remains of the old site still stand. In this area there are some late Medieval bishops’ tombs, including that of Bishop Gavin Dunbar (d.1532), which is likely the influence for the Tolquhon Tomb in Tarves Kirkyard (see earlier blog post). There are also some carved memorials on the interior walls of the cathedral, and three rather weathered Medieval effigies of bishops.

In short, it’s rather more worth a visit than I first gave it credit for. Try to get a warm day, and I imagine if the sun’s shining it’s even better! Take time to look around the nearby Seaton Park or Cruikshank Botanical Gardens, and you’ll easily fill a half day.

Salisbury Cathedral Cloisters, Wiltshire

Salisbury Cathedral Cloisters, Wiltshire

Visited February 2016

As with every Cathedral I've visited, the cloisters (and of course the inside) of Salisbury cathedral are lined with memorials to the great and the good of the area, including clergy, parishioners and war dead. For some reason, most of my photos didn't come out properly, but here are a few examples from the walls and floor of the cloister area, as well as a view of the cloisters themselves.

Perhaps most poignant to me is not the memorial to an infant but the original wooden cross from a Great War grave in Cairo - the rows of white Commonwealth War Graves are a common sight in any cemetery I've visited, but this crudely made and painted cross seems a lot more 'real' than those sanitised markers. Maybe that's just me though.

Anyway, Salisbury Cathedral is a wonderful place to visit - not just for the memorials, but of course they have a copy of the Magna Carta there, centuries of history, and a quite frankly splendid font which seems more like a mirror or work of art than a font. My picture of it didn't come out so you'll have to visit to see for yourself!

Pokrov Cemetery, Riga, Latvia

Pokrov Cemetery, Riga, Latvia

Visited July 2016

Adjoining the Great Cemetery of Riga (see earlier post on that one) the Pokrov Cemetery is the burial place of the Russian inhabitants of Riga having been opened in 1773 when Latvia was part of the Russian Empire. The current church dates from 1879, the previous one having burnt down in 1875.

The cemetery is still the main burial place of the Russian community in Riga, and is managed by the Latvian Orthodox Church. Burials were suspended between 1964 and 1991, but now continue. Most of the graves, however, appear to date from the 19th century.

The site is very wooded and feels rural despite being minutes from one of the main tram lines in the city. The old graves are mixed with the new, and there's a real feeling of age and calm to the place. Most impressive is the area with the war graves, and the rather magnificent war memorial featuring an over-lifesize gold-painted Russian solder holding his gun and flag, a genuine piece of Communist art!

Camberwell Old Cemetery, London

Camberwell Old Cemetery, Southwark, London

Visited January 2013

I’ve already blogged a couple of times about this cemetery, but one day it snowed and I set off there (and onwards to Nunhead, see earlier blog entry) with my camera. I stayed on the main paths, and didn’t venture into the older, more overgrown areas, so I’m afraid my photos aren’t as atmospheric as they could be. Another time, maybe.