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gravepix at ukgraves.info |  |
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gravepix at ukgraves.info | |
May 2006: Update: I'm reading a wonderfully interesting book at the moment, called Underground London,
subtitled Travels Beneath the City Streets, by Stephen Smith. It was a birthday present from my son, who is aware of my predilection for
the hidden, the derelict, the abandoned, and the mysterious. Mostly it's about the hidden morsels to be found under the
surface of the metropolis, but I've found by Stephen a couple of references to two of my favourite burial sites, both of which are covered
by me here on UKGraves: Bunhill Fields itself, and Brookwood Cemetery.
With respect to Bunhill Fields, Stephen says, in his chapter entitled Lifting People, subtitled The Plague, the following:
We Londoners can stand directly on top of plague pits, we can stroll right through their
landscaped precincts, and indulge in the tantalising vicariousness of thinking that we're almost within touching distance
of this grisly history and yet are safe from its scourge. Bunhill Fields, its very name a corruption of 'bonehill',
contains more bodies than there are living souls in a city the size of Southampton. 'Many who were infected and near their
end ran wrapped in blankets or rags and threw themselves in and expired there, before any earth could be
thrown upon them,' wrote Daniel Defoe of Bunhill Fields, where he himself was later interred."
I am most grateful to Stephen for these interesting comments, which, as at 25 May 2006, I am reproducing without his
permission, though I will add that I am attempting to contact him in order to seek both that, and any additional comments
he may care to provide me with.
15 June 2006: Regrettably, some 3 weeks later Stephen hasn't bothered to contact me, though I have received confirmation that an email I sent off had been forwarded to him direct. I suppose I will just have to include my quote above without his permission. What a pity that successful authors don't feel the need to be in communication with mere mortals, and also, thank goodness that not all authors are so. I have just had a very interesting exchange of emails with another author, not relevant to UKGraves this time, who thankfully doesn't seem to feel that she is above ordinary people, and accepted my mild criticism of an element of her work, viz: my pointing out of a factual inaccuracy, happily and gladly, and sent me an amusing reply. However, I am straying well off my direction, which is, after all, supposed to be that of Bunhill Fields.....
On 13 September I went to visit Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds. First thing to note: burial grounds, not cemetery. What's the difference? Cemeteries are consecrated - the bigger ones are separated into individual consecrated (or the equivalent) areas depending upon the religion that area is designated for. Because Bunhill Fields was originally designated for dissenters and non-conformists, it was never consecrated, and is thus called a burial ground. Around 4 acres, it's the last resting place for an estimated 120,000 bodies, including three of Britain's most eminent nonconformists. It's no longer in use for new interments, and hasn't been for a long time.
Bunhill Fields is right in the centre of the City of London. Another distinction here: although you may rightly think that London is itself a city, the City of London is not the city of London. The City is a comparatively small area at the east of the centre of London and is, in effect, the financial district. In the City are to be found the Bank of England, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge. The area is distinct from, eg, Westminster, just along the river, which is where the seat of government is to be found, as well as most of the major government departments.
So, right there on City Road you'll find a gate, beyond which lies Bunhill Fields. Neat, small and compact, the burial grounds are not only a popular thoroughfare, for workers taking shortcuts here and there, the peace and quiet make it a prime spot for taking your packed lunch - when the weather suits of course. Possibly because there's so much coming and going, but also partly because of the delicate state of some of the graves, the burial grounds are separated into three or four separate fenced and gated (locked) areas, and there is only a very small handful of graves outside the fences. It is however made clear that anybody who desires access to the graves themselves may simply ask an attendant. I found a very helpful and friendly couple of the latter, who let me into the largest of the enclosures, and it was in here that I took the majority of the photographs you'll see in the two albums. Other pictures were either of graves "this side" of the fence, or were taken over the fences.
It's the first and only burial ground - as opposed to cemetery - I've ever visited. Indeed it's the sole remaining burial ground in the capital, many others having disappeared or been built over. I found it very different from any cemetery I've seen; it's a rich, deep, wonderful and atmospheric place, full of texture and peace. The graves, as you'll see, are tightly packed together, and the whole lot nestles under heavy old trees, lending the grounds a dark and mysterious flavour. Possibly due to the trees overhead many of the graves are quite well eroded, and on many it's impossible to read any inscriptions
There are many gems in the burial grounds. Not only are there some most unusual memorials in evidence and - of those that can be read - some fascinating inscriptions, but also it's the final resting place of three well known noncomformist artists: William Blake, John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe, of, respectively, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Pilgrims Progress and Robinson Crusoe fame.
There are two Bunhill Fields albums here, each with about 35 pictures. The first sets the scene, showing general views and a few individual graves, designed to give an idea of the general texture and atmosphere of this wonderful place, and the second takes a closer look at some individual interesting sights. Our three friends mentioned above are divided unevenly (obviously!) between both, so I'm afraid you'll have to enjoy both of the albums if you want to see their graves.
A small note for any photographers reading this out there: although it was a very bright and sunny day, Bunhill Fields is so dark that I found I needed the camera to be set to 400 ISO (ASA) in order to get reasonably hand-holdable photographs. Nevertheless, some of the shots required as much as 1/10 of a second at F/4 - that's dark! So, should you expertly detect camera shake in one or two of the pictures, now you know why. Fortunately my 300D shows hardly any sensor noise at such a high ISO.
The images below each lead to one of the two albums when clicked upon:
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