Yes, Little Miss Macabre has been at it again- I was at the tail end of a lurgy when I decided to hop on the Tube to Kensal Green Cemetery and blow the cobwebs away, in the pleasant and peaceful company of those who have gone before.
It is now officially British winter time- I forsook my usual strappy sandals or court shoes for socks and boots! Well, I wasn't feeling 100% and didn't want to further endanger my health by not wrapping up warmly enough.
The cemetery was the first of the 'Magnificent Seven' (a term which refers to the seven large, private London cemeteries which were opened in the 19th century to alleviate dangerous overcrowding in parish burial grounds) to be established.
The other six are: West Norwood Cemetery (1836), Highgate Cemetery (1839), Abney Park Cemetery (1840), Nunhead Cemetery (1840), Brompton Cemetery (1840) and Tower Hamlets Cemetery (1841). Kensal Green is the only cemetery of these which is still owned by the original company- the General Cemetery Company. Highgate is operated by a charity, Brompton is owned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the others are owned by local councils.
Inspired by the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, which dates back to 1804, Kensal Green Cemetery- also known as All Souls Cemetery- opened for business early in 1833.
The only other of the Magnificent Seven I have visited is Highgate Cemetery. Read all about it here:-
My first impression, in comparison, was that Kensal Green seemed a bit more spacious than Highgate and, although a stunning necropolis, was less evocative.
Here's a PDF showing a map of the cemetery. Common sense dictated that I print this off and take it along!
I entered through the main gate. Here is the inside view. Apart from workmen, there were only around half-a-dozen other people around.
I'd also printed off a self-guided tour from the internet. Tours of the cemetery take place on Sundays, at 2 p.m. I went on a weekday and, quite frankly, wouldn't want to do a tour at this time of year as they last two hours and it would be getting dark by the time the tour finished. This is from a practical, common sense point of view, you understand- not because I'm scared of ghosts!
Firstly, I veered off to the Dissenters' Chapel. This is for persons who are not of the Anglican faith, and was closed.
Many famous people are buried in here, but I was not impressed with the self-guided tour as it was a bit unspecific and took me on wild goose chases, hot-footing it over old graves! There were references such as it's by the seventh tree on the right... and you have to question what the writer meant by a tree (a massive, majestic thing or a spindly thing? Both were in abundance) and also directions such as turn right at the holly bush... In fact, holly bushes seemed to get mentioned a lot, yet I didn't encounter one. Or maybe I'm just daft!
One of these, according to my instructions, was supposed to be significant, but somehow I don't think so...
A bit of later Googling told me that none of these was the resting place of Mary Hogarth (1820-1837), sister-in-law of Charles Dickens...
I tried to follow my guide but I doubt this is the grave of artist Daniel Maclise (1806-1870). Or maybe I'm wrong. I have two choices- to go back and give the guide another go or pop in on a Sunday and do a tour. If I do go back, I will do both.
Although I didn't spot any holly bushes, I certainly saw lots of ivy. I like the way it's clambering over these three conjoined graves...
I find cemeteries very peaceful and not at all scary. My mother always said to me, 'Nothing dead can hurt you.' Very true. It's the living we have to be afraid of.
These graves are being claimed by the earth...
As a writer, one of the graves I HAD to see was that of William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863). His masterpiece, Vanity Fair, is one of my top ten favourite all time novels. I also saw a brilliant adaption of the book serialised on television recently.
He was easier to find as he was (as per instructions) right of where the wall becomes iron railings. Trees and holly bushes can be felled- but walls and iron railings are harder to shift!
View from the back. Thackeray's tomb is the the one with railings around it. Two graves down, to the front of the picture, is the indecipherable grave of his friend, John Leech (1817-1864). He was the principal cartoonist of satirical magazine Punch.
Thackeray's grave detail is almost impossible to read. Here's a photo I flipped and blew up...
A little further up and in are Victorian engineers Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849) and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859).
The former was mastermind of the Thames Tunnel, a railway tunnel which connects Rotherhithe and Wapping and forms part of the London Overground today. The latter was responsible for numerous bridges and railways, including the Great Western, which passes close by to this very cemetery.
I continued the tour and thought I was going in the right direction. I rather liked this view of the great tree, through the wonky, timeworn graves...
I loved this 'helmet' grave. There was no obvious legible inscription.
The self-guided tour then took me off on a bit of a wild goose chase, so I gave up and headed towards the Anglican Chapel, which was visible through the trees.
Here are some of the impressive mausoleums I saw, like this church-like edifice in the background...
My high heeled boots were probably a bit too impractical for these kind of paths- I did manage to chip a heel. Oh well, the boots were nine years old...
Do I believe in the Afterlife? Yes. People I have loved have contacted me from 'the other side' through my (often vivid and sometimes very poignant) dreams.
Have I ever seen a ghost? Yes- the much-written-about Grey Lady, in the Duke's Head Hotel in King's Lynn, Norfolk. No, I wasn't drunk or on drugs.
Yes, this place was certainly atmospheric. It was a chilly autumnal day and the air was as still as the occupants of the graves...
There is an angel in here, but this reminded me of a bell tower...
I veered off right and headed towards the catacombs. These are not open to the public and are currently undergoing some sort of conservation. This was as close as I could get.
The grave in the direct centre of the photo reminded me of the Chrysler Building, which is my most favourite New York skyscraper.
The Anglican Chapel was well and truly closed...
One of two symmetrical, columned walkways at the back. I got a real sense of infinity, and a feeling of being really alone, as I looked down here.
The other walkway, taken standing behind the chapel...
Back of the chapel, taken from the corner.
Looking down into the vaults...
The London skyline is just visible in the distance- the old juxtaposed with the new makes for a good comparative composition...
I headed back round to the front of the chapel, and continued my own searching, as the self-guided tour mentioned nothing about the members of the British royal family who were buried here. Fortunately, Google did, and I'd done my research.
Not to be confused with the current man who owns this title, this is the resting place of the ninth child and sixth son of George III, HRH Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773-1843). This tomb was large and easy to identify from memory.
The prince was known for his liberal views, which included the abolition of the slave trade and reform of parliament. He also illegally married twice, in contravention to the Royal Marriages act of 1772.
His sister, HRH Princess Sophia (1777-1848) was the twelfth child and fifth daughter of George III. She was rumoured to have had an illegitimate child and chose to be buried here, rather than at Windsor Castle, as she wanted to be near her brother.
Her 'bathtub' grave, with the gas works looming behind, was also easy to spot.
If you walk through to the back of the chapel the tomb of the nephew of these two, HRH Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904) can be found. He was a grandson of George III and is also not to be confused, as his five-year-old namesake is currently alive and well.
I referred to my self-guided tour to find the next few deceased, as it used the chapel as a reference point and I figured that it wasn't easy to go wrong with something as solid as that as a starting point.
Blondin's real name was Jean Franćois Gravelat (1824-97) and he was probably the best know tightrope walker of all time. He took his name from the owner of the first circus he worked at.
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was another 'must see' for me. I own a copy of Barchester Towers (part of the Chronicles of Barsetshire series) which sits proudly on my bookshelf.
The grave of author Wilkie Collins (1824-1889). His novel, The Woman In White, also makes my top ten all time favourite books list.
Kensal Green Cemetery has been described as a Who's Who of fashionable 19th century society. Whoever wrote that is not wrong!
I walked up to the crematorium to encounter this structure, which reminded me of a summer pavilion...
It is the heartrending memorial to Medi Oliver Mehra (2003-2014). He died at only eleven years old in a horse riding accident.
The sight of his cute little face brought tears to my eyes.😢
I made my way towards the crematorium. This was very much in use and a couple of mourners were hanging around outside. I was dressed head to toe in black, so was unobtrusive!
Gardens of Remembrance...
This plinth was of particular interest to me...
...As above Ron Clarke and below Patrick and Maria Barrett, a plaque for this guy was once in place...
The above is a PDF photo taken just after its discovery, around 2013. Mysteriously, the plaque disappeared only a few weeks after this news went public.
Farrokh Bulsara was the birth name of the legend that is Freddie Mercury, and the dates of birth and death match, so I can think we can safely assume that it's a dedication to him. I should imagine the plaque was removed to stop hordes of fans visiting this site, or even pinching the plaque.
I'm not someone who would dare to pinch it- I don't want to be haunted and woken up at 3 a.m. every night for the rest of my life by a man striking a fist in the air pose and screaming DAY-OOOOOOOO at the top of his voice!
It wouldn't surprise me if it's been relocated to somewhere subtle and unobtrusive in the garden. Coincidentally, my visit was very close to the date of the anniversary of his death.
I've seen the outside of his mansion, 1 Logan Place, in west London. Read about it here, via a previous blog:-
It's a known fact that his cremation took place here, but only his ex-girlfriend, Mary Austin (who also inherited his house and a large chunk of his wealth) knows where his ashes are. She took possession of them and, as per Freddie's instructions, has revealed their location to nobody- not even his family or the other members of his band, Queen.
Apparently, Freddie had a real fear that once he was dead his grave might be defiled (he died of AIDS related illness, and there was a lot of ignorance surrounding the disease at the time) or that he could be dug up. I've read that he wanted his remains to be interred underneath the cherry tree in the Japanese garden of his home, but both Mary's ex-husband, Nick Holford, and Freddie's partner at the time of his death, Jim Hutton, dispute that. Mary claims that she sneaked out of the house covertly (as staff have prying eyes) one morning and buried the ashes.
But did she? As Freddie was so scared about being dug up, I bet he wasn't buried at all, and was scattered instead. It wouldn't surprise me if Mary's little story is fabricated and he's in this Garden of Remembrance, despite her insistence to the contrary. I guess we'll never know, but if he is here then it's a lovely and peaceful spot.
R.I.P. Freddie. XXXX
I made my way back to the front of the Anglican chapel, trying to find the memorial to George Cruikshank (1792-1878). He was originally here but exhumed and re-interred at St Paul's Cathedral. He was a cartoonist and illustrator and I did a project on him whilst undertaking my art foundation course, but could I find him? No. At this point the stupid guide went in the bin.
I did find this chap- Dr. George Birkbeck (1776-1841) was a physician, academic, philanthropist, professor and a pioneer of adult education. He founded Birkbeck, University of London.
I made my way out down the central walkway and here are some random tombs I liked the look of...
Kensal Green is not an area I know- in fact, north west London as a whole is not an area I'm familiar with. The closest I would have been before is West Hampstead or Ladbroke Grove. I don't often use the Bakerloo line, but I quite liked the trains as they have a bit of an 'old' feel about them (little things please little minds!)
We'll finish with a Vain Old Tart photo...
TTFN
The Miss Elaineous
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