Category Archives: London

Victorian Cemetery

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It was a beautiful sunny winter’s day today: a perfect day to go out and take pictures since the light outside is brilliant for photography during the winter months. I watched a documentary about The Magnificent Seven on the BBC a while ago and decided that evening that I just had to go and check things out for myself. The Magnificent Seven are seven cemeteries used by the citizens of nineteenth century London, the first was Kensal Green-1833, followed by Norwood-1838, Highgate in 1839, Abney Park, Brompton and Nunhead in 1840 and finally Tower Hamlets in 1841.

One particular cemetery caught my attention because of the amazing wildly overgrown Victorian tombs, mausoleums and gravestones. Not just that, this cemetery is also known to be of inspiration to Bram Stoker and his book Dracula. Additionally, the Highgate Cemetery is well known for its so-called occult past, being the site of the alleged Highgate Vampire according to the local tales. Some of the graves have been seriously damaged, vaults broken open and coffins smashed apart, mostly in the sixties and seventies by vandals and/or those looking for vampires.

Rumour has it that there also has been devils worshippers activity, some masses were held in a maze of catacombs that ran beneath the cemetery. One particular tomb hidden deep within the heart of the cemetery, a small mausoleum with a marble floor but which contained no coffins, had been converted into a small temple where these activities seemed to have taken place. These days access to the cemetery is only possible through a guided tour. Today the owners are The Highgate Cemetery Charity and management is by Friends of Highgate Cemetery Ltd, both charities.

The Cemetery houses a colony of urban foxes and lots of different plants including hornbeam, exotic limes, oak, hazel, sweet chestnut, field maple, tulips and one California Redwood [it’s unknown how it ended up in London at the cemetery but growing steady and tall]. Some fifty species of bird and eighteen of butterfly have been spotted here, and among the spiders, three rarely sighted in the United Kingdom. Today was the perfect opportunity to feel the vibes of this intriguing and amazing place and not just because of its history, but also because of its woodland paths, its Victorian funerary architecture and beautiful wild landscaping.

Highgate cemetery

Highgate cemetery

Highgate cemetery

Egyptian Avenue

Egyptian Avenue

Circle of Lebanon

Circle of Lebanon and the 300 year old tree: Cedar Of Lebanon

Highgate cemetery

Circle of Lebanon

Tomb of Thomas Sayers with his hound and a Redwood on the right

Highgate cemetery

Highgate cemetery

Highgate cemetery

Highgate cemetery

Spring Arrived?

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While I read about the winter in the Lowlands which has been cold and below zero at some point, the weather over here has been really odd this winter… I was sitting in the lounge watching a show on TV last week. I had the window open because it was sunny and not cold at all while I heard a familiar sound all of a sudden. It was the sound of screeching hungry baby sparrows [of the common house sparrow]. I had to listen again because I couldn’t believe what I heard since it was still January and way to early for baby birds. But I wasn’t fooling myself; I kept hearing it every five minutes…

In the UK the drainage pipes are placed on the outside wall of the old Victorian houses and when I look out the kitchen window I can see one in the opposite corner of the neighbour’s house. Last year while I was doing the washing-up in the kitchen I noticed something flying about from the corner of my eye. Two sparrows were busy flying back and forth from the garden to the nest that they had built right behind the main drainage pipe in that particular corner. Both were taking turns feeding their screeching babies for weeks and it was fun watching them doing their thing. But that must have been in April or May and definitely not in January.

Then last Saturday I had to go out and collect something at the pharmacy on the high street and while I walked down there I noticed some beautiful bright yellow daffodils that were planted near a tree in my street. The mild conditions of this winter definitely must have confused plants and birds. I guess I’m not the only one who noticed since two days ago it was actually mentioned on the BBC news later that evening. Climate change is a big issue here in the UK and a regular topic on TV shows or the news. It doesn’t really surprise me since I’ve seen the effect with my own eyes.

Let’s hope there won’t be a spell of cold weather in the next few weeks, it would be awful if those tiny baby sparrows won’t survive…

© Rex