The Magnificent Seven cemeteries, London

[nanila]

Hello, flaneurs! I recently completed a photography/walking project in which I visited all of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London. These were established from 1832 to 1841 as a result of a Parliamentary bill designed to deal with the problem of overcrowding in inner London churchyards. Each has a unique character and they are as follows:

• Kensal Green (1832) - Still open for burials, with a straightforward layout and very well kept grounds. Rather sterile in comparison to the others although still beautiful, probably because it lacks overgrown vegetation at its borders to keep it feeling remote and enclosed from the city. The catacombs are accessible via guided tour.
  
• West Norwood (1837) - Similar to Kensal Green, with the additional caveat that the new burials are entirely integrated into the old monuments, creating a rather hodge-podge appearance.
  
• Highgate (1839) - Probably the most famous of the Magnificent Seven and a perennial favourite of mine. Both the Eastern and Western Cemeteries have the haunting, melancholy charm of overgrowth and gentle decay.
  
• Abney Park (1840) - This cemetery has been closed to new burials for decades. It’s easy to find, accessible and wonderfully atmospheric. It features a variety of grave markers and a beautiful abandoned chapel at its heart.
  
• Nunhead (1840) - Feels like an appropriate setting for a murder mystery with its circling bands of calling rooks and confusing, myriad paths. It must be terrifying to be trapped here after dark.
  
• Brompton (1840) - Much like Kensal Green, with the addition of a staggeringly high concentration of angel statuary.
  
• Tower Hamlets (1841) - Like Abney Park, Tower Hamlets has been closed to new burials for quite some time and a large percentage of it was never used. It feels more like a wildlife haven that happens to contain some Victorian monuments than a cemetery.

Each of these links will take you to a Dreamwidth post containing a selection of photographs from that cemetery. I’ve also included a few samples, one from each cemetery, below.

(For people who like to know about methodology/constraints and kit: I restricted myself to one hour per visit, to a 35mm prime lens on my dSLR, to black and white, and to a square format for my chosen images.)

Kensal Green Cemetery


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