Vienna Kaisergruft

Don't worry- this is the last Austria post. You can all breathe a sigh of relief! When we checked into our hotel in Vienna, we were given a map with all the local attractions. Quickly scanning through the list, I saw something called the Funeral Museum which was located at Zentralfriedhof- Central Cemetery, which happens to be the 9th largest in the world. Of course, I got really excited, until I discovered it was a 20 minute drive out of the city centre. Since we were only in Vienna for one night, I didn't really have time so, instead, Rich suggested the Kaisergruft. To be honest, I wasn't really listening to him when he discovered it so I didn't know what it was. Something to do with emperors was my best bet. Still, I didn't have any better ideas and it was a 5 minute walk from our hotel so I agreed to go.

Petersfriedhof and Catacombs

When researching things to do in Salzburg, it crossed my mind to look up cemeteries (because that's the kind of thing I do on holiday) and discovered Petersfriedhof- St Peter's Cemetery. This small graveyard, the oldest in Salzburg, is in the grounds of St Peter's Abbey and dates back to 1139. It was also the inspiration for the cemetery scene in The Sound of Music so it was at the top of my list!

Southern Cemetery, Manchester

Last week I visited the University of Winchester to talk to a lecturer about my masters degree. I was worried that my teaching degree might not be accepted as an adequate "related subject" for an MA in death. Luckily, the lecturer was really positive, recommending some summer reading and even said "I'll see you in September" so that sounds promising! The next day, I was travelling to my brother's in Manchester and happened to drive past Southern Cemetery. Well, you know me. I couldn't resist! It's research for my degree, I swear!

Arnos Vale Cemetery

When I was looking up Bristol attractions for our festive day out, I found Arnos Vale Cemetery listed. Well, you know me! My interest was certainly piqued and a quick Google showed that it is one of the Victorian necropoles* that I love so much.

*Apparently necropolises is a perfectly acceptable plural of necropolis, but why would I turn down the opportunity to use necropoles?

Lunch in Odiham

Although I am hugely proud of my county, I haven't actually visited a huge amount of Hampshire. Recently I made the decision to visit a lot more of my home county and started off with a little jaunt to Odiham.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

A long, long time ago (well, two years ago exactly), I wrote a post about my visit to Highgate Cemetery. A couple of people recommended Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and, after a bit of research, it went straight to the top of my second 101 in 1001 list. Needless to say, when I found out we were going to Paris for our anniversary, this was at the very top of my itinerary.

Old Calton Burial Ground and Calton Hill

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll probably know that I have a thing for cemeteries. Of course, Edinburgh is a hotspot for old burial grounds, so I made it my business to plan a couple of visits. First up was Old Calton, which lured me in with the "old" in the name. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about New Calton Burial Ground until afterwards, so that will have to go on the list for next time. 

Although smaller than I expected, it was absolutely stunning with beautifully ornate, Gothic architecture. This obelisk, the Political Martyrs' Monument, can be seen for miles.



I noticed a lot of Euphemias on the headstones. Is this a particularly Scottish name? I've never heard of it before. Can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that Euphemia Brown here lived to 100 in the Victorian era? That's a real achievement! 




The Scottish-American Soldiers Monument, with its bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, is another focal point of the cemetery. It creates the most striking silhouette at sunset. 



The thing I love about cemeteries is the history of real people. At school, it wasn't the royals or the knights who interested me. It was the every day people and how they lived. These two headstones document four generations of the same family. After carefully studying both sides of the stone in the foreground, as well as the more recent one behind, we could trace the family tree of the Purdies and hypothesise as to their lives. It was fascinating and I love how these details keep the family legacy alive. 

While in the cemetery, we spotted this monument across the road and decided to explore. It turned out to be Calton Hill, which is well worth a trip.

The interesting monument we'd spotted from below turned out to be the Dugald Stewart Monument, erected as a memorial to the philosopher of the same name.

From the top of the hill, the views over Edinburgh are stunning.




Maybe next time I'll visit Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat. Maybe. 

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is probably my new favourite cemetery. Yes, I'm the sort of person who has favourite cemeteries, and this one has just taken the number one spot. It's like Myspace for graveyards in here. 

For some reason, and I have no idea why, I had it in my head that Greyfriars Kirkyard was a little church burial ground. It's not. It's actually about 5 acres which is fairly large for a churchyard. 

Like Old Calton Burial Ground, the architecture is absolutely stunning. It's very true to that of the surrounding city, with Gothic details and Craigleith sandstone a-plenty. 

However, Greyfriars is probably best known for the story of Greyfriars Bobby, the little dog who would sit at his master's grave every day. Although it seems to be a fabricated story, it's still very sweet, and Bobby even has his own pub outside the cemetery gates.

Anyway, back to the cemetery...

This was my favourite part of the burial ground: Covenanter's Prison. In 1679, this part of the churchyard was used to hold over a thousand men who supported the National Covenant. At the time, it wasn't a burial ground- They didn't just chuck them in with the graves! 

These days, the area is gated off due to- and I kid you not- poltergeist activity. The council presumably thought it a health and safety risk although, funnily enough, they do allow tour guides to lead their groups in during ghost tours.


There are many almost-anonymous graves in Greyfriars and I think they fascinate me more than those which have full obituaries engraved.




I found more Euphemias!




The real Tom Riddle!




These iron bars are called mortsafes, and where installed to prevent resurrection men stealing bodies and selling them to medical schools as cadavers. This was a big business on the black market until the Anatomy Act of 1832. In some cases, families would rent mortsafes just long enough for the body to decay. 

This grave fascinated me because the spelling of the surname changes from Ray to Rae around the 1630s. 

I highly recommend Greyfriars Kirkyard to any morbid folk like me who happen to be visiting Edinburgh. When you look past the myth of Bobby, there is a whole churchyard filled to the brim with history. 

Brookwood Cemetery: South Side

Once I'd explored the north side of Brookwood Cemetery, I'd spent 2 hours there and was ready to go home. I just thought I'd check out the gnarly tree in the corner... and spotted more cemetery across the road! It then transpired that I'd only been around the smaller side of the cemetery. I contemplated going home and coming back another day but, since I was there, I figured I might as well explore the whole thing. I'm very glad I did, because this part of the cemetery had some of the most beautiful monuments I've ever seen. 

This is one of the most beautiful gravestones I've ever seen. Her stance is perfect: She's completely throwing herself to heaven with the utmost trust. 

Here's how it looks from the front. I think the flower she's clasping is a lily, which symbolises innocence and purity. 

The most picturesque chapel is found near the entrance to the south side of the cemetery. It looks as though it's in Colonial America. 

Behind the chapel are the monastery buildings, which are the residences of the St Edward Orthodox Brotherhood.

This is another one of my favourite headstones. The landscape appears to be St Paul's Cathedral, with the beautiful angel overlooking.

I've saved the best for last. When I spotted this monument, I gasped out loud. It's the most beautiful, tragic headstone I've ever seen. It's a little difficult to see clearly from the photo above, but it features a mourning man cradling his wife, with an angel at his shoulder. The angel seems to be both comforting him and, at the same time, taking his wife away to heaven. The sheets below the wife are engraved with the words "Into the way of peace". I've never seen anything like it before. 

 Here's a clearer photo of the wife and her mourning husband. Isn't it amazing?

If you're interested in cemeteries, I definitely recommend Brookwood Cemetery. Although be prepared to spend several hours there and don't forget to wear your comfiest shoes! It's a wonderful place that's absolutely steeped in history. Absolutely worth a visit.