Heritage - 49: In Memoriam, Another Visit to the City of London Cemetery

There is a short section that runs north-south to the east of St Paul's Cathedral, and there is another section towards the river near where Lower and Upper Thames Street meet. This was where the fire of 1666 raged for days, destroying businesses, dwellings, manses and churches alike. In "HERITAGE - 48..." I've shown several Wren churches and St Paul's cathedral, some partly destroyed by the 'Blitz' - German saturation bombing - in 1940. Churches too badly destroyed to restore were reduced to leaving the tower only, and human remains from the church yards were moved to be interred here in the City of London Cemetery. Some churches were demolished in order to make way for urban improvement, as in the case of two churches near Holborn Circus that had to make way for the building of Holborn Viaduct over Farringdon Street (sic), linking the cities of Westminster and London over what was once a river that had become an open sewer (ever seen 'Oliver'? The backdrop of the film is a 'reconstruction' of the old River Fleet environs that now runs underground to the Thames beneath the wheels of buses, trucks and taxis. It rises at Hampstead Heath and makes its way through the northern suburbs). The churches of St Andrew and St Sepulchre were considered surplus to requirement anyway, due to depopulation in the City of London. Road widening either side of the viaduct approach road meant something had to go. The decision fell to Lord Mayor, the Right Honourable Thomas Dakin to authorise work to go ahead, and so in 1871 a memorial obelisk was raised in the recently opened cemetery to mark the passing of these two churches. On a sunny day the obelisk looks handsome, you'd have to agree.

The churches of St Mary Somerset and St Mary Mounthaw near Upper Thames Street, (London EC4) themselves were so severely damaged in December,1940, that restoration was not considered to be feasible. The interred remains - some dating back to before Wren's commission to rebuild 1666 fire-gutted churches - were re-interred at the newer City of London Cemetery. There is most likely a vault beneath the monument that goes down deep to store the remains - in effect it is an ossiery, or store for human bones.

Many opt for cremation, but a large percentage of the population - through personal or religious conviction - still prefers the burial of their 'departed'. In other parts there isn't the urgency for re-use. Here graves are overtaken by ivy and holly bushes of varying size, the.descendants or distant relatives either don't know of the whereabouts of the cemetery's location, let alone these graves. Some may have emigrated or moved too far away to visit the graves. So they become overgrown, forlorn, sometimes broken. Iron railings rust away, the surroundings become havens for wildlife and people like me (not a lot) wander round to take pictures for posterity, for articles or blogs about the state of some of our cemeteries. On the whole the City of London Cemetery is well run. there is a small group of people that call themselves 'Friends of the City of London Cemetery', and wander round to investigate how (maybe) work might be done to improve some areas. It is a very large area, the size of a village or small town. Budget cuts mean less staff are taken on to maintain the facility, but the main areas are kept immaculate. Now and then grass cutters are driven between the grave divisions, to keep the place looking tidy.

These are more interesting. Why? Tidiness is all very well to create a favourable impression for the better-off bereaved. They take away an image of their loved ones in serene surroundings, acres of closely cut grass and ornamented memorials. Come away from the 'nice bits' with me and go on a journey of discovery. It's almost like looking for lost treasure. There's a dearth of Smiths, Joneses and Evans amongst the late Victorian stones. Names that conjure up the hinterland, some that reflect the migration of Central Europeans to England, some of educated barristers who defended or prosecuted the famous - or infamous - in the late 19th Century. Somewhere there is a memorial to one of the senior police officers who pursued the Ripper Case - two of his victims are marked on the edge of the well-trimmed memorial gardens - and there are the great unremarked, or unremarkable, whose gravestones lean awkwardly on or toward one another. "Fell asleep" was once the favourite. As one wag put it - Jeremy Clarkson - "they'd be pretty miffed when they woke up, in a box six foot underground" (paraphrased, this is a family site).

Some of the oldest stones were laid flat on the ground above the grave. Names, dates and any other particulars have been lost to countless winters. Frosts, driving rain, biting wind have taken their toll, soil and grass encroach over the aged stone. Some better quality stone memorials have weathered better, and serve to remind descendants and distant relatives of where their inheritances went. In some cases it looks as if the bereaved had turned belligerent, with smashed stones and headless angels marking the miscreants' trail of destruction. In some instances belligerents and so-called cult worshippers have gained access. Some graves and tombs have proved indestructible, others less lucky. Those 'asleep' will slumber on... . .

Wandering around with my camera has proved fruitful to some degree. A certain amount of composition, juxtaposition of features helps prevent the need for 'messing about' in the picture file to bring an image up to scratch. A good pair of shoes or boots is a prerequisite for exploration in the older parts... Oh, and er... watch out for newly dug graves. You wouldn't be the first to land in a grave prematurely - and you won't be the last..