Headstones and Worms...: January 2006

Falls Road Garden of Remembrance, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Now technically this is not a burial ground, but I
feel it IS closely enough linked to be included here.
It is a Republican memorial on the Falls Road.
I saw a similar memorial further up, and off of,
the Falls Road, which I took a few snaps of. I have
included them on my general photoblog, and you
can look at them here.
(Though my politics unashamedly lean with the Irish
Republican cause, the only reason I do not include a
Unionist/Protestant memorial is for the simple reason
I was only in Belfast for a weekend, and did not have
enough time to venture into the Protestant Shankhill
Road area).

Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, London, EC1

I came across this place through taking snaps for
"The Way We See It", which was a right bonus, as
I was not even aware that this burial spot existed!

This is the entrance on City Road.

The bottom left of this board tells you there is
a booklet available on site (closed) and from the
City Information Centre, by St. Pauls Catherdral.
Next time I'm over that way I'll purchase one.

Some individual plots

This is a detail from the resting place,
in the next two snaps as well, of
John Bunyan, and has a museum dedicated
to him in Bedford.

The resting place of William Blake.

And Daniel Defoe, most famous for
writing 'Robinson Crusoe'.

And general panoramas

This is from outside, the Bunhill Row end of the
grounds.

This is the landscaped park area, with headstones
around the edge. A lovely place to sit and enjoy your
sandwich for lunch in the summer for lots of
local office workers.

St. Paul's Church & Burial Ground, London, WC2

Although a burial ground, there is actually very
little to see here.
Of interest to most are the memorial plaques to
a host of thespians inside what is known as the
'Actors Church'.

The gardens here are the burial grounds. There
are many plaques to those departed from the acting
fraternity, many of whom have had their ashes
scattered here over the years.

Another view of the gardens

The headstones in these pictures are the ONLY
ones left in the entire churchyard.

Camberwell New Cemetery, London, SE23

This is where my mum & dad are buried, their grave
is in the most recent part, reclaimed land from the
Honor Oak Sportsground, and next to the
crematorium I featured a few days ago.

Some general panoramic views

This one actually from outside on the road Brenchley
Gardens It is 'Brenchley Gardens' that most local people
refer to the cemetery as.

Surprisngly I'd never been up to this old part,
on top of the hill, with the views towards central
London.

This small ones from the early fifties were all
grouped together. I wonder if they were some sort
of 'paupers grave' area?

Still room, among the old, for some recent burials.

Commonwealth War Graves

With the usual 'wall', but no actual group burial
area, though I spotted a few individual headstones
dotted about.

Here is one on its own.

"Called to higher service"

The catchphrase for dying used by the
Salvation Army, who have their own plot here.

Second World War Civilians Memorial

The three old Boroughs that now comprise the
Lonodn Borough of Southwark (Southwark,
Bermondsey, and Camberwell) were heavily bombed
during the Second World War.

A selection of graves...

Was he a boxer himself, who maybe lost more than
just a fight, but his life for the noble art, or just a loyal
fan?

Lots of religious icons on graves

A small grave, with a lovely personal touch.

I just fancied this with the chapel behind...

A young mans death...probably a half
decent sunday morning footballer, if you
could hazard a guess from this.

The flowers, as well as the informal message,
caught my eye here.

Nice horse & cart on the stone.

Infant death...

No one cares, or no-one left to care?

Always seems more of a loss than a 'natural' death.

I have no idea what this one is about.

Slightly more unusual than the ones
around it.

Another of the war ones.

Long lives indeed!

A famous sportswoman, though I couldn't
recall her name.

The metal cross looked so unusal, homemade I
presume.

Some personal ones to finish...

This is my mum & dad. Personally I
don't like the colour, the style of lettering,
or the actual wording...but I didn't have much
say in it. I am the youngest of four, who
listens to me eh?

Pete Shaughnessy, an old school
friend, a few years older. Sadly took
his own life by throwing himself in
front of a train.

A can of Guinness by his headstone. Many years
before, when we were both drinking, I was a bit
depressed, and he picked me up. We 'agreed' that if I
died before him he'd pour a can of lager over my grave,
& I said I'd do the same with him with the black stuff.
At his funeral, on Christmas Eve 2002, out of sight of
his father & sisters I did just that. Other friends have
carried on that 'tradition'.

This is the stone for Anton Formosa. He was a
year older than me, and died after being hit by
a car at the top of Court Lane, Dulwich in 1976.
He was in my sisters class.
It was the first funeral I ever went to.

This is the full view of his family grave.

I always make a point of visiting these two graves
whenever I pop up there to 'see my mum'.

Honor Oak Crematorium: my local!

Part of the Camberwell New Cemetery, known to
all locals as Brenchley Gardens, where it is located
in SE23, though the Crem entrance is in Brockley
Way,SE23.

This is the Brockley Way gates.

Part of the gardens of remembrance, from behind
the chapel.

Around the gardens...

The old Camberwell Borough Council crest, over the
windows of the chapel, became part of the London
Borough of Southwark in 1965.

By the entrance to the chapel.

Around the memorial gardens

To the right, through the railings you catch a glimpse of
the newest part of the adjacent cemetery. Land claimed
from the Council sportsground, on the left. It won't
be too many years before there's a local fight:
football pitches v. graves.

Flowers left from recent cremations...

And inside the chapel:

This is where I hope to be cremated,
my ashes then partially laid to rest on the
pitch at Dulwich Hamlet Football Club, & sent into
orbit in a firework display from the terraces!
I've lost count of the amount of services I've been
to here over the years.Well into double figures.
Hopefully my own won't be for a long time yet...

St. Marys Churchyard, Rotherhithe, SE16

This church has historic connection with America,
for it is from near here that The Mayflower set
sail, with a cracking riverside pub, of the same
name, right outside. Buried in the churchyard in
a box tomb, is Prince Lee Boo.