# Kensal Green Cemetery - London - Oct 2011



## nelly (Jan 1, 2012)

The General Cemetery of All Souls, Kensal Green, is one of England's oldest and most beautiful public burial grounds












The plan for London's first garden cemetery was initiated by the barrister George Frederick Carden, who was inspired by a visit to Père-Lachaise in Paris in 1821. Alert both to the need for new burial grounds, and the commercial potential of the venture, Carden founded the General Cemetery Company in 1830, with influential supporters including Andrew Spottiswoode MP and the banker John Dean Paul of Rodburgh











The cemetery was established by Act of Parliament which had its final reading in July 1832, during a cholera epidemic -- a coincidence that implicitly made the case for reform.











The Bishop of London consecrated the first 48 acres in January 1833, and the first funeral was conducted a week later. 





















From the funeral of HRH The Duke of Sussex in 1843 to that of his nephew HRH The Duke of Cambridge in 1904, Kensal Green was the most fashionable cemetery in England
















Its notable personalities include some 650 members of the titled nobility and over 550 individuals noted in the Dictionary of National Biography. 
















Kensal Green is the resting place of the engineers Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the mathematician Charles Babbage, and the novelists Wilkie Collins, Anthony Trollope and William Makepeace Thackeray; Lord Byron's wife, Oscar Wilde's mother, Charles Dickens' in-laws and Winston Churchill's daughter; a cross-dressing Army doctor and the surgeon who attended Nelson at Trafalgar; the creator of Pears' Soap, and the original WH Smith; the funambulist Blondin and the Savoyard George Grossmith; the first man to cross Australia from south to north, and the last man to fight a duel in England; the Duke's nephew who ruined the richest heiress of the day, and the English adventuress who became a French baronne disgraced by the accusation of murder.






Kensal Green boasts some 140 Grade I, II* and II Listed buildings and monuments, including the magnificent Anglican Chapel (Top 2 pano's)
















The Cemetery is cared for by "The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery" which is an independent registered charity





























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## UrbanX (Jan 1, 2012)

Absolute beauty! Loving the panoramics as usual! Love the big gothic memorial too.
I suppose highgate has to be next? I've done the organised tour, which is quite interesting, especially the stuff with litvinyenkos grave!


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## night crawler (Jan 1, 2012)

Brilliant, I love old cemetery's and that is one best I have seen yet along with some great photo's of the place to do it justice.


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## godzilla73 (Jan 1, 2012)

Kensal Green Cats are open one sunday a month I believe as well. Must do these at some point. Nice pics Nelly
GDZ


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## nelly (Jan 1, 2012)

UrbanX said:


> Absolute beauty! Loving the panoramics as usual! Love the big gothic memorial too.
> I suppose highgate has to be next? I've done the organised tour, which is quite interesting, especially the stuff with litvinyenkos grave!



Ah, SK and I have been yapping on about falling over the wall of Highgate one misty morning for ages, will have to get around to it


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## Munchh (Jan 1, 2012)

Lovely nelly. Top photos, particularly the black and whites and the one of the two headstones with the colourful leaves hanging down.

Not a big fan of religious sites but this is pucker mate. Thanks


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## smiler (Jan 1, 2012)

That is exceptionally well captured Nelly, some of those Angels and Cherubs look downright miserable, but after standing in the same position for 150 years or so I suppose they have that right. Thanks


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## UrbanX (Jan 1, 2012)

Oh, and if you're ever passing, warstone road cemetery in Birmingham is a hidden gem! Beautiful and really derelict!


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## klempner69 (Jan 1, 2012)

I adore the black n whites Nelly..did you doctor em up?..you must do West Norwood now you have mastered the Nikon ok..Happy New Year fella


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## nelly (Jan 1, 2012)

klempner69 said:


> I adore the black n whites Nelly..did you doctor em up?..you must do West Norwood now you have mastered the Nikon ok..Happy New Year fella



Maybe a little bit of the dreaded Tone Mapping  and don't go using the 'N' word to me!!!!



Happy New Year to you to fella, lets have another meet up in 2012, I miss getting nearly run over by trains


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## scribble (Jan 1, 2012)

Gorgeous! Victorian Garden Cemetery AND a gas holder in the background. My idea of heaven.


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## Pincheck (Jan 1, 2012)

very nice , these older cemetery's are so interesting


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## RichardH (Jan 2, 2012)

I see a "quote" button, a "multi-quote" button, a "quick reply" button and a "thank" button. But no "drool" button. Where's the drool button? There ought to be a drool button.

Drool!


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## TeeJF (Jan 2, 2012)

I fancy getting in the catacombs there but they aren't accesible apparently. I think there's four or five cemies around London where they buoilt huge catacombs and a railway et all. Great photos Nelly! Happy new year.


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## Krypton (Jan 2, 2012)

RichardH said:


> I see a "quote" button, a "multi-quote" button, a "quick reply" button and a "thank" button. But no "drool" button. Where's the drool button? There ought to be a drool button.
> 
> Drool!



Thats interesting... I can see the drool button perfectly fine. Perhaps you should take a trip to specsavers?


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## Priority 7 (Jan 2, 2012)

nelly said:


> Ah, SK and I have been yapping on about falling over the wall of Highgate one misty morning for ages, will have to get around to it



Maybe falling over the wall isn't a good plan have you seen those spikes  If you hit one of those Nelly you will do the old punctured balloon impression


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## manof2worlds (Jan 2, 2012)

And just when I thought I was all cemeteried out......


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## nelly (Jan 2, 2012)

Krypton said:


> Thats interesting... I can see the drool button perfectly fine. Perhaps you should take a trip to specsavers?



Ah, somebody has way too much time on their hands 

Cheers for the comments guys, I wasn't relay sure whether to put this report up as it;s not truly dere,


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## Jimthething (Jan 3, 2012)

Fantastic photography. Really atmospheric! Thanks.


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## Foxylady (Jan 7, 2012)

Beautiful photos Nelly. I always wanted to visit the London cemetaries. Fantastic stuff.
Drool button? Hey, I'm a mod and I don't get a drool button? Where's my drool button???


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## Walshy (Jan 7, 2012)

Man, that was an awesome set of pics.
Love it .
Cheers.


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## nelly (Jan 7, 2012)

Foxylady said:


> Beautiful photos Nelly. I always wanted to visit the London cemetaries. Fantastic stuff.
> Drool button? Hey, I'm a mod and I don't get a drool button? Where's my drool button???



Get on to the big fella, tell him if you don't get a drool button then you will scream and scream untill you are sick!!!


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## godzilla73 (Jan 7, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> I fancy getting in the catacombs there but they aren't accesible apparently. I think there's four or five cemies around London where they buoilt huge catacombs and a railway et all. Great photos Nelly! Happy new year.



TeeJF - you can go into the Anglican catacomb twice a month on the Sunday tour. This is Catacomb B which is still accessible. Catacombs A and Z are sealed owing to bomb damage apparently.http://www.kensalgreen.co.uk/ Worth a go though...
The one you are thinking of with the railway is actually Brookwood, in Woking which was called the London Necropolis because it had a direct rail service from Waterloo! http://www.tbcs.org.uk/index.htm
Godzy


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## krela (Jan 7, 2012)

nelly said:


> Get on to the big fella, tell him if you don't get a drool button then you will scream and scream untill you are sick!!!



That sounds quite entertaining, do it!


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## nelly (Jan 7, 2012)

krela said:


> That sounds quite entertaining, do it!



Well if she IS going to do it, then she might as well record it and then put the link up then 

Go Foxy!!!!


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## Foxylady (Jan 7, 2012)

Not just now dears. I've got a headache!


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## krela (Jan 7, 2012)

nelly said:


> Well if she IS going to do it, then she might as well record it and then put the link up then
> 
> Go Foxy!!!!



Agreed. It's compulsory. The law says so*.








(*) I'm not sure which law, but there must be one somewhere surely?


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## Dr Phibes (Jan 17, 2012)

Wonderful photos - Really enjoyed looking through.

I did the Kensal Green Tour of the Catacomb underneath the Anglican Chapel a few years ago. Absolutely stunning !

Do it. You won't be disappointed. 

Not sure if they still do it now, but they used to have Hearse days there too with all sorts of hearses on show. (June I think it was)

I did the Highgate tour too, but it wasn't as good as Kensal Green.

Thanks again for the photos


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## fluffy5518 (Jan 17, 2012)

Fantastic stuff Nelly !! The black n whites are stonkin' !!! Trouble is being the underground boy that i am i couldn't visit here without some catacombey goodliness and although as Godzy says there are organized visits i think that photography is banned !!:icon_evil


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## RichardH (Jan 17, 2012)

Apologies for this being slightly off-topic (or it might not be). There is a cemetary in (I think) London which is divided by a main road. Because of the law which prohibits the removal of a corpse from a cemetary once it has passed the gates, a tunnel was built under the road so that coffins brought into the chapel on one side could then be buried on t'other.

Anyone know which one I'm talking about, or have I drunk too much paint stripper?


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## LostBoy (Jan 18, 2012)

West Brompton is another great cemetery , although not much in the way of dereliction it does have catacombs , which you could go down during their open day.

Nunhead is also worth a visit , it has a small catacomb under the ruined chapel , but only time I've been in there is during the open day they have each year.

Kensal Green has an open day each year in July with guided tours including the catacombs & we take a few cars up from the Hearse club to put on display.


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## nelly (Jan 18, 2012)

RichardH said:


> Apologies for this being slightly off-topic (or it might not be). There is a cemetary in (I think) London which is divided by a main road. Because of the law which prohibits the removal of a corpse from a cemetary once it has passed the gates, a tunnel was built under the road so that coffins brought into the chapel on one side could then be buried on t'other.
> 
> Anyone know which one I'm talking about, or have I drunk too much paint stripper?



Don't know which one that is Richard, but I like the idea of it, mind you I also like the idea of paint stripper intoxication


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## Ninja Kitten (Jan 18, 2012)

Lovely report Nelly and brilliant pics.i love grave yards, such atmosphere and you captured it well..


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## nelly (Jan 18, 2012)

Ninja Kitten said:


> Lovely report Nelly and brilliant pics.i love grave yards, such atmosphere and you captured it well..



Thanks Bec's and when is our next get together????


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## Ninja Kitten (Jan 18, 2012)

nelly said:


> Thanks Bec's and when is our next get together????



your welcome..trying to get a plan together at the mo


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