Glasgow Necropolis - Victorian cemetery now council parkland

The first time I heard about the Glasgow Necropolis was from a friend in the 1990's. They would tell me how he and his Goth friends would hang out there and drink at night. While bats flew around them they would hold seances and generally be on the lookout for ghosts.

Only a twenty-minute walk from central Glasgow along Cathedral Street, tourists don't troop in large numbers up to the windy and rocky crag. When I visited I had it all to myself to wander around the outdoor art display.

For here is another example of a Victorian-era cemetery gardens; where in death, the ego of the wealthy compete for the most impressive grave memorial.

The tallest memorial is for a man who is not buried there. This monolithic column with the leader of the Scottish Reformation John Knox perched on top was built in 1825, seven years before the hill became a cemetery.

Access to the Necropolis is on the left side of the medieval Glasgow Cathedral via the “Bridge of Sighs”. A stone bridge built for funeral processions crossing what was once a waterway and nowadays a motorway.

A steep pathway curves around the hill to the left and right. I skip off the path and cut the shortest way through headstones dated 140 years old, beelining to the peak where the most elaborate mausoleums for past architects and shipping magnates are scattered under the Knox statue.

Compared to other Victorian cemeteries, the Necropolis has a nominal number of mausoleums as the majority of the graves are tombstones on the lawns. There are many Celtic crosses in the graveyard with intricate designs.

Angel statues missing heads like they have been beheaded remind of the neglected years of the Necropolis until the city council took over the land in 1966. Graffiti and overgrown vegetation was cleared away although still throughout the Necropolis are danger and keep out signage.

Once at the top of the hill, the view spreads out below with industrial chimneys and high-rise council estates dominating the south-eastern horizon. This would be the view described by my friend and his fellow Goth s would take in lit up at night.

Directly below, shaded by leafy oak trees, is an extension of the graveyard on old quarry land which now back onto two beer breweries. The smell of yeast sullied the air when I venture down the path for a closer look.

Over time 50,000 people were buried at the Glasgow Necropolis. As far as I can tell there are no new burials now it is a public parkland. The most recent addition I saw was at the far end of lawn from the late 1960's. The epitaph is a memorial for Glasgow fire-fighters who have died on duty.

Fortunately on the day I visited it was a rare Scottish blue sky. There were butterflies and birds although none of the rumoured resident deer. I can image high level spookiness when the fog rolls in and the bats come out.

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All photos taken by myself.