Above Ground on the London Underground—Day 21: The Magnificent Seven
Central Avenue, Bromton Cemetery
IMAGE CREDIT © The Royal Parks
I’m taking a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings. Here are the days that came before. We're in the vicinity of the Piccadilly Line. This is Day 21.
In the first half of the19th century, London’s population doubled from 1 million to 2.3 million, and with that growth, came the overcrowding of the city’s burial grounds, typically small graveyards attached to parish churches. Coffins were stacked on top of each other, the top level just inches under ground. Bodies were routinely moved and dismembered to make room for the newly dead. According to Lee Jackson, author of Dirty Old London, neglectful gravediggers left body parts to rot, and sold chopped up coffins to the poor for firewood. There were reports of rats ravaging the dead, bacteria getting into the water supply and causing epidemics.
Something had to give. That was the atmosphere, foul-smelling, potentially epidemic-causing, that gave birth to the Magnificent Seven. Luckily for the upper middle classes and generally well-to-do, a bill was enacted by parliament encouraging the creation of cemeteries that did double duty as parks, much like the beautiful Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, thus the Magnificent Seven were born: Kensal Green was first in 1832, followed by West Norwood in 1836, Highgate Cemetery (1839), Abney Park Cemetery (1840), Nunhead Cemetery (1840)—we visited Nunhead when we were in Peckham a few weeks ago—Tower Hamlets Cemetery (1841) and the cemetery we’re visiting today, Brompton, built in 1840.
Today, while still a working graveyard, Brompton is managed by the Royal Parks. You’ve likely been to Brompton before by the way; the cemetery has appeared onscreen in Golden Eye, Wings of the Dove, Sherlock Holmes and Johnny English.
image credit: Kal Pacha
The Friends of the Park offer a two-hour long tour every Sunday in May through August, and twice monthly tours from September through April. Tours can also be had by arrangement during the week. Technically I’m a bit early which is a shame, because while I can still walk all over the grounds, and view the ornate monuments, elaborate and opulent tributes to those interred there, I won’t be able to tour the catacombs. And I would really, really love to visit the catacombs. How deliciously creepy they are, at once gorgeously gothic and alive with decay, almost as though they were created for Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction or a concoction from the mind of a Hollywood set designer.
The Catacombs at Brompton Image Credit: The Bohemian Blog
Still, there’s plenty to see outside.
IMAGE CREDIT
© The Royal Parks
The cemetery contains over 35,000 monuments including that of the family Nutkins, possibly the inspiration for Beatrix Potter who lived nearby. Supposedly, there’s also Mr. McGregor, Mr. Brock, Mr. Tod, Jeremiah Fisher and even a Peter Rabbett, impossible to check, although with that vast amount of graves, the odds are in its favor.
While there are park benches where one might sit and enjoy a bit of a picnic, and while I did stop at Tesco to pick up some fruit and cheese and a soft roll, and while people walk their dogs and ride their bikes down the Central Avenue, I am not quite comfortable enough to sit a spell and munch. You know what they say, it’s a lovely place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
I’ll finish my 10,000 steps a day, and then, quick as a bunny before it gets dark, I’ll hightail it out of there.
Visit The Friends of Brompton and the Brompton Cemetery websites to find some of the more famous people buried there including suffragette Emmeline Parkhurst.
Oh, and have I ever told you? I decided long ago on cremation. I'm
having my ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean, where my spirit can float free. Just so you know.
The Brompton Cemetery
Fulham Rd, London SW10 9UG
Phone: +44 20 7352 1201
Fulham Rd, London SW10 9UG
Phone: +44 20 7352 1201
Counting the Fitbit Steps
Day 1-120: 165,690 steps/74.7 miles
Day 21: To Brompton Cemetery 6975 steps/3.1 miles
At Brompton 3375 steps/1.5 miles
10,350 steps/4.6 miles
Total Imaginary Miles to Date 176,040 steps/79,3 miles
Read last week’s post: Day 20
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Linking, as I do every Friday, with Joy’s British Isles Friday
