Glasgow Necropolis

Whilst we were in Edinburgh we hopped on a train to Glasgow as one of the graveyards on my wishlist to visit was the necropolis.  This is a very atmospheric place, overlooking the city and containing most of the eminent Glaswegions of the 1800's.

The first burial was in 1832 and the graveyard is interdenominational. There have been 50,000 burials at the necropolis - getting the people in their coffins up the hill must have been quite a challenge, let's hope not too many were dropped.

One of the famous people we found was the author of Wee Willie Winkie - how lovely that someone who wrote nursery rhymes is commemorated.

There are some amazing memorials and the architecture very over the top in some cases. It was obviously the last chance for people to show off how important they were, though not a lot different when it comes down to it.

I took a picture of Ken walking past a big memorial so that you can get a sense of the size

I like these two pictures as you can see the city and modern life beyond the peace of the historic memorials

As you wander round you read lots of interesting epitaphs, and see some amazing carvings on the headstones and memorials. One of the most popular themes is the Celtic cross and Celtic patterns - a selection of memorials below.

These two (above and below) are absolutely huge - you could nearly live in them. They must have been very influential families as they dominate the space they're in.

I loved this Angel - someone had put a fresh pink carnations in her hand (they must have been very tall as I couldn't reach it) which made it look even more magical. There were lots of angels, as would be expected, though some were quite ugly - I've only included the attractive ones.

For those who are interested, the upside down torch (pictured above) is a symbol of life being extinguished so features a lot in Victorian cemeteries. The symbology in graveyards is very interesting (to sad people like me).

I love the way that parts or all of Victorian cemeteries are allowed to return to nature and they are now havens for wildlife. Ivy is the most prolific plant, hugging the old headstones - very, very pretty.

The tomb below was by far the biggest - beautiful carvings and I love the colour of stone that has been used. I think this family were very rich and important as it sits in an area alone on the edge of the hill looking out over the city.

The next two pics show more of the graveyard, the lower level, and the view of Glasgow Cathedral from the necropolis.

The area around the necropolis has some great architecture, especially in cathedral square - we loved the street lights with the fish, tree, and bell. The flower pots are very colourful and obviously looked after well.

That's it for today - I hope you've enjoyed a look around a part of Glasgow that not many people may choose to visit. 

Until next time, stay safe, keep smiling, and visit your nearest old graveyard - you might be surprised by what you find.

Pamela and Ken

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S: One of the slightly less attractive angels/cherubs.