In March 2018 I was in the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow. I blogged about, amongst other things, the view from my room of the Glasgow Necropolis. It included a winter photo of the Necropolis.
I have, for many years, been meaning to visit this last resting place of the great and the good of Scotland in general and Glasgow in particular.
The Necropolis is next to Glasgow Cathedral and a bridge joins the two:
The cemetery, like most early Victorian cemeteries, is laid out as an informal park rather than the formal layout of later cemeteries. The Glasgow Necropolis has been described as a "city of the dead". Glasgow native Billy Connolly has said: "Glasgow's a bit like Nashville, Tennessee: it doesn't care much for the living, but it really looks after the dead." Having said that it is a beautiful place to walk: an oasis in the hustle and bustle of a large city.
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| An avenue of Whitebeam |
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| John Knox stands atop his monument staring down on the world below including, in the foreground, the tomb of the chemist (he discovered bleaching powder) Charles Tennant who founded an industrial dynasty. |
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| The summit memorial to John Knox |
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| One of the most spectacular mausoleums is the burial place of Major Archibald Douglas Monteath who served in the East India Company before returning to Glasgow the Mausoleum has become an established part of the Glasgow skyline. Monteath made his fortune when an elephant carrying precious gems belonging to a Maharajah was captured and ‘relieved’ of its load by him. |
The following is the view of my bedroom in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary from which I took the original picture on this post (please don't ask me which one is my bedroom window!).
While that looks like an wonderful cemetery, and even though I have now added it to my list of visits when I am in your part of the world, I am not sure I want to stare at one while I am recuperating in the hospital. Love the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. I'm sure that you'll enjoy Glasgow and The Necropolis and the Cathedral are certainly worth a visit.
DeleteI wonder why Billy Connelly said that about Nashville? He is very funny, I do know that!😄
ReplyDeleteKay, I have no knowledge of Nashville but I'm sure that Billy Connelly could have chose a great many places to compare.
DeleteI have lived my entire life in Nashville and I must admit I was puzzled to read the quote from Billy Connelly. We certainly don't have any grand cemeteries in Nashville -- nothing that could hold a candle to the Glasgow Necropolis! Thanks for taking us on a virtual tour. It looks like an interesting place to spend an afternoon.
DeleteYou can definitely see the Victorian architecture through the graves and statues -bet there's lots to explore there.
ReplyDeleteAmy, as a human historical source the Necropolis is a real treasure trove.
DeleteI know London's version (Highgate) quite well. I've always found cemeteries to be fascinating; especially when they're filled with the good and great.
ReplyDeleteCro, cemeteries are usually interesting, especially when one delves into the social history they encompass.
DeleteI must revisit this place, thanks for reminding me. I was impressed thirty years ago and have always meant to return.
ReplyDeleteDon't know who the architect was for the hospital but he should have stuck to multi-story car parks.
I wonder, Adrian, if the locals said the same about the original architectural edifice that is the Royal Infirmary's original building. I agree with you about the new area but it serves it's purpose and is rated one of the best hospitals in Scotland.
DeleteWhat a fascinating place to visit. I've never been to Glasgow, but it's on my list.
ReplyDeleteJules, Glasgow is a wonderful city and full of contradictions but it also has brilliant parks and galleries. It is a friendly city too.
DeleteIt looks splendid in the snow. I wasn't aware of the Cathedral on my recent visit to Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I think you'd like certain aspects of the cathedral but it is a bit touristy.
DeleteCemeteries can be enchanting from this side of living.
ReplyDeleteMaywyn, I'd far rather wander around alive than reside there as a corpse.
DeleteI have always had a thing for cemeteries, from when I was little. Thank you for the pictures of this fascinating place.
ReplyDeleteMeike, I remember you saying that before. I, too, have wandered around many cemeteries wondering about those who lay there at rest.
DeleteWithout the people in the photo of the John Knox monument I don't think I would have grasped the size of it! The cathedral looks enormous as well... However much I like to visit old churches and monuments, I have to say it's not always the biggest that impress me the most, though.
ReplyDeleteMonica, the size of the monuments is hard to capture. The Cathedral is very impressive but not intimate. It is also full of tourists.
DeleteWonderful photos, Graham...thank you very much for sharing. Such great examples of architecture of days gone by the subjects are.
ReplyDeleteLee, the days of the great and the good being so ostentatious in their demise has gone, in the UK at least.
DeleteHow magnificent Glasgow Cathedral is. Great photos of it. Having just jetwashed the block paving stones in front of our house, I wonder how that magnificent church would look if it was also jetwashed - blasting away the industrial blackness of decades past.
ReplyDeleteYP, it is a splendid edifice. Oddly, because it's always been black to me, I've not thought about it being cleaned like so many other buildings have been.
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